The quartet of Ebony Lane, Bree Masters, Ella Connolly and Torrie Lewis has set a new Australian record in the 4x100m at the Sydney Track Classic held at ES Marks Athletic Field.
Their time of 42.94 seconds surpassed the 24-year-old mark of 42.99s by the team of Rachael Massey, Suzanne Broadrick, Jodi Lambert and Melinda Gainsford-Taylor, set at altitude in Pietersburg, South Africa.
“I think we were all hoping to get the record but all we wanted tonight was a clean race and for us to run our best. We all knew we could do it with the times we have been running this season,” said Torrie Lewis, who anchored the team.
“Because we have been on camps and changed with so many people, we have learned to adapt and trust each person we are changing with or receiving from. As a group, not just this team but as a squad, we have a good friendship and will get it done if we trust each person,” said lead-off runner Ebony Lane.
The performance moves Australia to 11th on the top lists for Olympic qualifying. The top 14 teams at the World Relay Championships in Bahamas in May will qualify for the Olympic Games, with the remaining two places for the field of 16 determined based on the top lists.
The Australian B-team of Sam Geddes, Kristie Edwards, Mia Gross and Naa Anang recorded a strong 43.45s for second while the Australian junior team of Chelsea Scolyer, Olivia Dodds, Zara Hagan and Jessica Milat bettered the Australian record that they set earlier in the month in New Zealand with a swift 44.34s.
The men’s 4x100m – Christopher Ius to Sebastian Sultana to Calab Law to Joshua Azzopardi – looked set for a sub-39 second clocking, particularly following a speedy third leg by Law to pull well ahead of the Australia B team, but a failed final change meant it was not to be. The B team of Jackson Rowe, Jacob Despard, Alexander Hartman and Dhruv Rodrigues-Chico clocked 39.14 for victory.
Eleven of the top 12 athletes in the women’s 3000m, which doubled as the Australian title, set personal bests, rewriting the Australian all-time list in the process. The odd one out was the victor, Jessica Hull, who picked up the pace over the second half of the race and made a strong move at the bell and held off a fast finishing Georgia Griffith, who was debuting over the 7 1/2 lap distance.
“I had to try and do something uncomfortable tonight and I felt like I held my nerve out there, there were a few times where I was thinking it would be so much easier if I just go, and I think practicing that finish is going to help me,” Hull said.
Hull clocked 8:37.18, with Griffith recording 8:37.85 and Rose Davies taking bronze in 8:39.81. Griffith became the second fastest Australian ever over the distance, with Davies moving to fourth spot.
Australian All-Time 3000m List
Performances in bold recorded at the 2024 Sydney Track Classic
Rank Athlete Time 1 Jessica Hull 8:24.39 2 Georgia Griffith 8:37.85 3 Benita Willis 8:38.06 4 Rose Davies 8:39.81 5 Linden Hall 8:40.59 6 Eloise Wellings 8:41.78 7 Lauren Ryan 8:42.31 8 Maudie Skyring 8:42.96 9 Jenny Blundell 8:43.59 10 Donna Gould 8:44.1 
The men’s 3000m similarly saw a slew of PBs despite a heavy fall at the bell which saw two-time defending champion Jude Thomas fall heavily. Cameron Myers recorded a classy victory in a new Australian U20 record of 7:46.38 ahead of Callum Davies (7:47.33) and steeplechaser Ed Trippas (7:48.80).
National record holder Catriona Bisset took to the lead in the 800m after the pacemaker dropped out but was outkicked down the home straight by Abbey Caldwell, who dipped under 2 minutes with a time of 1:59.71. Bisset clocked 2:00.29, just outside her season’s best.
Liz Clay kept her winning streak for the season alive with a narrow victory over Michelle Jenneke in the 100m hurdles. Both clocked the same time of 12.97 seconds but Clay got the nod in the photo finish by three-thousandths-of-a-second.
There was a blanket finish in the women’s 100m with two-hundredths-of-a-second separating the first three placegetters. Bree Masters took the win in 11.29 seconds (0.0) from Ebony Lane (11.30) and Naa Anang (11.31).
Australia’s fastest man, Rohan Browning, took a comfortable 10.29 second (0.) victory in the 100m ahead of Jacob Despard (10.38 seconds). The B-race was taken out by Calab Law in the third fastest time of the day with 10.40 seconds (-1.0).
Eleanor Patterson made a return to jumping on home soil with a 1.88m clearance while Yual Reath took out the men’s event with a leap of 2.27m.
Christopher Mitrevski took out the long jump in 8.00m (+0.2) by a centimetre from Zane Branco, who set a personal best. Samantha Dale won a close women’s event with a leap of 6.31m (0.0) ahead of Elizabeth Hedding (6.28m, 0.0) and Brooke Buschkuehl (6.27m, 0.0).
Luke Boyes dipped into 1:45 territory for the first time, taking out the 800m in a new personal best of 1:45.86 by one-hundredth-of-a-second ahead of Peyton Craig.
Being drawn in lane seven in the 400m didn’t deter Ballarat’s Cooper Sherman who ran to a new personal best of 45.71 seconds ahead of national champion Luke Van Ratingen (45.84s). Mikeala Selaidinakos took out the women’s race in 52.76s ahead of Sarah Carli (53.11s).
The men’s 110m hurdles saw Japanese favourite Ken Toyodo fall to the track. His compatriot Tatsuki Abe took victory in 13.79 seconds with Chris Douglas the first Australian across the line in 13.91 seconds.
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