At the start of a new millennium, who were the Argus headline hitters of the year 2000?

The Olympics dominated the sport but only one Sussex athlete made the trip to Sydney, Sean Baldock from Hastings, and his season did not really get underway until July, by which time many others had been grabbing the headlines.

Baldock was superb in the AAA Championships and Trials in August when he booked his trip to Sydney by finishing second to Mark Richardson in the 400m.

He improved his own Sussex 400m record with 45.2sec, which was the third fastest time by any British athlete during the year, but unfortunately injury in Sydney prevented him producing his best and deprived him of a 4 x 400 metres relay team place.

Another person to grab the limelight was Steyning walker Matthew Hales.

He turned in some fine under-23 championship and international times during the summer before becoming the first Sussex walker to win the AAA 10,000m track walking title.

His time of 43min. 12.85sec was, like Baldock's, the third best by a British athlete in 2000 and fourth best by a Sussex walker.

Two athletes went one better but their exploits were spread over a longer period.

Crawley hammer thrower Mick Jones was in the news during March as he started his quest for the Olympic qualifying standard and he again stole the headlines in September when he reached it. However, the success came too late for him to be added to the British team.

Jones threw 75.94m, and he is the only Sussex senior athlete to head the British performance lists for 2000.

Brighton and Hove's Nigel Gates had a remarkable year.

He is the world's top veteran in the over-45 age group, and also able to hold his own against the top seniors on the road and over the country, where he remains the Home Coun-tries International champion.

Under-17 Samantha Redd was unbeaten throughout 2000, winning the All England Schools and schools international as well as the British under-17 javelin title.

Redd also moved up to fourth place on the Sussex all time greats list with a season's best of 45.24m, which not only set a new Sussex under-17 record but also bettered the under-20 record.

Redd reached the end of the season nursing a foot injury that may involve surgery in the New Year.

It was Redd's Brighton and Hove club-mate Claire Smithson who was far and away the top headline hitter during 2000.

Smithson strung together a fine series of indoor shot putt efforts last winter and she was prominent right through to the World Under-20 Championships in Santiago, Chile in October when she finished eighth.

This was probably the best performance by a Sussex athlete this year.

Like clubmate Redd, Smithson won the National and English Schools' title in her age group and her best effort of 52.19m set a new Sussex senior record and was the sixth best throw by any British thrower in 2000.

In the shot putt, Smithson's 13.98m throw knocked Worthing's Debbie Woolgar from the Sussex No. 1 spot - a position she had held for the previous 16 years.

The new county cross country championships begin in the New Year with the Sussex event switched from Thomas Bennett School at Crawley to the Lancing Manor course following the damage caused to the school pitches by the record-breaking rainfall.

The four-hour programme starts at 11.00am with the under-13 girls' race.