Two-time Olympian Morgan Mitchell has run the fastest 500m ever by an Australian at the second edition of the Knox Track Classic in south-east Melbourne.
The meet had World Athletics permit status for the first time, allowing performances to be recognised for rankings and records.
Mitchell, 32, returned to the track earlier in the year after giving birth to twins last year, recording 52.27s (400m) and 2:01.13 (800m) overseas. The 500m is not a record recognised distance and Mitchell’s 69.96s was the fastest recorded by an Australian in an official race by over 5 seconds. It equates to running 56 second pace through 400m, and continuing at that speed for another 100m.
William Callaghan won the men’s race in 65.70s.
Paris Olympian Celeste Mucci had a winning double, taking out the 60m hurdles in 8.20s (-2.8) before returning to the track within the hour to win the 60m in 7.62s (-2.0).
Commonwealth Games bronze medalist in the Heptathlon, Tori West, contested the 60m and 200m. The Queenslander, now based in Geelong, recorded times of 7.92 (-2.0) and 24.31 (-0.9) for 7th and 3rd respectively. The 200m was taken out by Danielle Shaw in 24.03s.
James Gerbert took out the men’s 60m in 6.80 (-0.1), while world junior mixed relay gold medallist, Jordan Gilbert, won the 200m in 21.18 (-0.6).
Cameron Ellis followed the pace in the 1000m and held off a late challenge to win in 2:27.84, while Caitlin McQuilken-Bell showed the women’s field a clean pair of heels with a 2:46.79 victory.
Elimination Mile races rounded out the individual events of the night, with the last placed athlete across the line each lap eliminated from the race. Usually a highly tactical cat-and-mouse race, neither were after the first lap, with front running from the stronger athletes in the field splitting the race wide open. World Junior 5000m representative Lucas Chis made light work of the men’s race, winning in a swift 4:02.08, while World Junior 1500m finalist Mia Gray ran down 15-year-old Sophie Hall 4:41.31 to 4:43.75 on the final lap.
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