After a consistent season of 4.70m clearances, Nina Kennedy broke the Australian pole vault record at the Sydney Track Classic with a leap of 4.82m.
Kennedy’s performance was the highlight of a bumper week for Australian athletics, with the Canberra Track Classic on Thursday, Saturday’s Sydney Track Classic, the four-day Queensland Championships concluding on over the weekend, along with the three-day NCAA Indoor Championships; all being the settings for strong performances.
Using the poles of former record holder, Kennedy’s leap performance improved Alana Boyd’s 2016 record by a centimetre. The performance is the equal 6th highest in the world during the Olympic qualifying period and was followed by three close attempts at 4.87m.
Olympic Qualifier for Riley Day
Running under lights at the Sydney Track Classic, 20-year-old Riley Day improved her three year old personal best to clock an Olympic qualifying performance of 22.77 seconds.
The run moved the talented young sprinter – who won the national 100m/200m double in 2018 as a 17-year-old – to 9th on the Australian all-time list.
Comeback for Stevens
Dani Stevens returned to the circle in the discus for the first time since a career threatening neck injury in 2020.
Stevens required surgery last year after a weights room injury and was left with nerve pain that left her unable to lift her throwing arm. After a long recover and rehabilitation, Stevens returned to competition with an impressive 63.36m throw. This was just short of the Olympic qualifier of 63.50m, which Stevens already posses.
National titles to Blundell, Ramsden; World Record to Roeger
The Sydney Track Classic played host to the national 5000m titles for 2021. The event was one of the few where a national title was held in 2020, which served as the Olympic trial. With positions already locked in for Tokyo, last year’s winners Stewart McSweyn and Jessica Hull were absent.
That left the door open for victories to Matthew Ramsden and Jenny Blundell in high calibre championship races.
Ramsden was too strong for the field over the final stages, with a sub-55 second final lap good enough to run away from Brett Robinson for an almost two-second victory. Ramsden clocked 13:29.99 from Robinson’s 13:31.97, with Jack Rayner taking bronze in 13:34.68.
In the women’s race it was Canada’s world championships finalist Andrea Seccafien who took line honours in a sprint finish, with Rio 1500m Olympian Jenny Blundell continuing her foray into the longer distance by capturing her maiden national title. Seccafien clocked 15:25.62 to Blundell’s 15:25.84, with the minor medals in the Australian championship being taken by Isobel Batt Double (15:25.60) and Genevieve Gregson (15:27.43).
Earlier in the program, Paralympian Michael Roeger was competitive in the men’s B race, and was rewarded with a new T46 world record of 14:00.25 for third place.
Hall classy over 1500m and 800m
Linden Hall was impressive in her first outing of the season over 1500m at the Zatopek:10 in late January, narrowly missing the Olympic qualifying standard of 4:04.20. She made no doubt of it at the Canberra Track Classic, following the early pacemaker before setting off solo to record an Olympic qualifier and new Australian All-Comers record of 4:02.02. The mark bettered Violeta Szekely’s 4:03.46 set at the 2001 IAAF Grand Prix Final in Melbourne.
Two days later at the Sydney Track Classic Hall lowered her 800m personal best to 2:01.27, after following the pacemaker through the bell in 59.54 seconds. She had just enough to hold off national record holder Catriona Bisset, who negative split her second pace time of 2:01.58 (60.80, 60.78). That was in contrast to Bisset’s tactics in Canberra, where she recorded an impressive front running 2:00.19 win.
In the men’s 800m Nagmeldin Bol was just three-hundredths of a second outside the Olympic qualifier in Canberra with a track record 1:45.23 run, which he backed up two days later in Sydney with a 1:46.12 win.
Jye Edwards also set a track record at the Canberra Track Classic, clocking a 3:37.30 to stake his claim in the competitive men’s 1500m.
Hurdling highs
After a rare defeat by an Australian at the NSW Championships, Nick Hough had the upper hand over Nicholas Andrews at in Canberra and Sydney.
Hough took out he races in 13.63 and 13.61 respectively, while Andrews ran 13.81 and a personal best of 13.66 respectively. The latter performance rocketed Andrews to 6th place on the Australian all-time list.
1 Kyle Vander-Kuyp 13.29 1995 2 Nicholas Hough 13.38 2018 3 Sam Baines 13.54 2015 4 Justin Merlino 13.55 2007 5 Don Wright 13.58 1982 6 Nicholas Andrews 13.66 2021 7 John Caliguri 13.69 1992 8 Max Binnington 13.72 1982 9 Greg Eyears 13.72 2007 10 Stuart Anderson 13.73 2001
Despite the quality and consistency of Hough’s performances, they do not improve his already strong World Athletics Ranking position. Ranked 27th for one of the 40 qualifying and quota positions available, Hough has already accrued strong points in 2019 and 2020. However, Andrews’ performances will see him move up in the rankings from his current 50th place, with the potential that he too could gain a spot and see Australia represented by two high hurdlers at the Olympic Games for the first time since 1976 when Warren Parr and Max Binnington donned the green and gold.
Hot sprinting at the Queensland Championships
The Queensland Sport & Athletics Centre saw strong sprint performances at the four day Queensland Championships.
Decathlete Ash Moloney took out the blue ribband event, the 100m, with a 10.36 second run. He backed up to also take out the 110m hurdles title in 14.09, from fellow decathlete Cedric Dubler, who ran 14.32. For good measure, Dubler took out the long jump with a wind-assisted 7.90m (+4.2 m/s).
Juniors dominated the women’s races, with 16-year-old Torrie Lewis taking the sprint double in 11.55w/23.86; while in the junior events Olivia Matzer (11.69) and Hilal Durmaz (11.66) were impressive in taking out the U20 and U18 titles respectively.
Alex Beck ran a new personal best of 45.72 seconds in the 400m, while the men’s 200m races on the final day of the meet saw impressive, albeit wind-assisted, runs from Connor Diffey (20.84s to win the open championship with +2.8m/s) and Ashley Wong (20.83s to win the U18 title with +2.9 m/s).
Hunter wins NCCA title
Australian indoor record holder Charlie Hunter continued his impressive run on the boards, capturing the NCAA Indoor title over 800m in a photo finish1:45.90 in Fayetteville.
Adam Fogg was 4th in the mile in a new personal best of 3:57.32, run with a negative split.
Canberra Track Classic
AIS Track & Field Centre
11 March 2021
Full results
WOMEN
100m (-0.9) Hana Basic 11.48, Riley Day 11.57, Ebony Lane 11.61, Taylah Cruttenden 11.62, Naa Anang 11.74
400m Angeline Blackburn 53.58, Rebecca Bennett 53.68, Anneliese Rubie-Renshaw 53.74
800m Catriona Bisset 2:00.19, Ellie Sanford 2:04.27, Gigi MacCagnini 2:04.81
1500m Linden Hall 4:02.02 (Olympic qualifier, Australia All Comers Record, Track record), Abbey Caldwell 4:10.25, Keely Small 4:12.86
100m H (0.4) Abbie Taddeo 13.33, Celeste Mucci 13.43, Brianna Beahan 13.43, Hannah Jones 13.44
400m H Lauren Boden 57.16, Genevieve Cowie 59.46
Long Jump Annie McGuire 6.36m (0.0)
High Jump Nicola McDermott 1.91m, Alysha Burnett 1.80m
Javelin Mackenzie Little 58.43m, Kelsey-Lee Barber 53.46m, Mackenzie Mielczarek 51.92m, Jess Bell 51.78m
MEN
100m (-0.7) Rohan Browning 10.34, Jack Hale 10.42, Jake Penny 10.46, Nicholas Andrews 10.52, Zach Holdsworth 10.59
400m Alex Beck 45.85, Louis Stenmark 46.88, Ian Halpin 47.13, Kevin Rassool 47.15, Ross Hyne 47.22, Reece Holder 47.24 [B race: Jordan Sarmento 47.20, Jack Boulton 47.41]
800m Nagmeldin Bol 1:45.23 (Track record), Brad Mathas (NZL) 1:46.01, Jared Micallef 1:47.00, Jeff Riseley 1:47.10, Luke Mathews 1:48.11
1500m Jye Edwards 3:37.30 (Track record), Tomas Palfrey 3:40.79, Jaryd Clifford 3:41.34 (T12 World Record)
110m H (0.3) Nick Hough 13.63, Nicholas Andrews 13.81, Jacob McCorry 14.08, Jascha Coetser 14.77
400m H Christopher Douglas 50.12, Angus Proudfoot 51.20, Conor Fry 51.21, Luke Major 52.04, Harvey Murrant 52.08
Long Jump Christopher Mitrevski 8.03m (0.0), Alec Diamond 7.74m (0.2), Henry Smith 7.60m (0.0), William Freyer 7.52m (0.0)
High Jump Joel Baden 2.19m, Brandon Starc 2.19m, Marco Fassinotti (ITA) 2.15m, Oscar Miers 2.10m, Matthew Tilley 2.10m
Javelin Liam O’Brien 74.81m, Cameron McEntyre 72.51m
Tiger 5
George Knott Athletic Field
11 March 2021
Full results
WOMEN
5000m Sinead Diver 15:41.26
Queensland Championships
Queensland Sport & Athletics Centre – Main Stadium
11-14 March 2021
Full results
WOMEN
100m (2.2) Torrie Lewis 11.55 [heat 11.60 w1.3], Tamara Hotten 11.61 [heat 11.68 w0.6], Elly Buckholz 11.88. U20: (1.5) Olivia Matzer 11.69. U18: (1.3) Hilal Durmaz 11.66
200m (0.7) Torrie Lewis 23.96 [heat 23.83 w1.3]
400m Ellie Beer 52.81
10000m W Katie Hayward 46:17.88
Long Jump Annie McGuire 6.33m (1.1)
Triple Jump Aliyah Parker 13.27m (1.3), Kayla Cuba 13.03m (2.4) [12.93m (0.9)]
Shot Put Lyvante Su-emai 15.05m [U20: 15.26m]
Discus Jade Lally (GBR) 56.93m, Taryn Gollshewsky 56.14m, Lyvante Su’emai 51.31m
Hammer Lara Roberts 54.23m, Lyvante Su’emai 52.29m, Caitlyn Hester 51.54m [U20: Roberts 53.40m, Su’emai 51.03m]
MEN
100m (0.5) Ash Moloney 10.36, Fejiro Omuvwie 10.46, Simon Grieg 10.48, Jack Payne 10.51. U20: (2.0) Caleb Law 10.53. U18: (2.1) Ashley Wong 10.60
200m (2.8) Connor Diffey 20.84 [heat 21.07 w1.5], Jack Payne 21.05. U20: (2.8) Caleb Law 21.18. U18: (2.9) Ashley Wong 20.83
400m Alex Beck 45.72, Jack Geary 46.91, Connor Diffey 47.26, Jaxon Hayman 47.36
110m H (1.0) Ash Moloney 14.09, Cedric Dubler 14.32
400m H Fraser Symons 51.49
High Jump Oscar Miers 2.25m, Simioluwa Thomsen-Ajayi 2.15m
Long Jump Cedric Dubler 7.90m (4.2), Joshua Cowley 7.87m (2.5) [7.78m (1.1)], Jalen Rucker 7.83m (1.7), Joseph Muller 7.54m (3.8)
Discus Mitchell Cooper 55.36m
Javelin Liam O’Brien 75.85m
NCAA Indoor Championships
Fayetteville, USA
11-13 March 2021
Full results
WOMEN
3000m (i) Courtney Wayment (USA) 9:01.47, 8th Maudie Skyring 9:09.05
MEN
800m (i) Charlie Hunter 1:45.90 [400m 52.75]
Mile (i) Cole Hocker (USA) 3:53.71, 4th Adam Fogg 3:57.32 [1:55.17 final 800m; 56.62 final 400m]
NSW Junior Championships
Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre
12-14 March 2021
Full results
WOMEN
100m (1.4) Jessica Laurance 11.86, Grace Hewitt 11.89
400m Caitlyn Ferrier 53.85
Triple Jump Charlotte McGill 12.87m (-0.2)
Hammer Renee Hardy 50.07m
Go for 2 & 5 Program B
WA Athletics Stadium
12 March 2021
Full results
WOMEN
10000m Sinead Noonan 33:41.10
MEN
10000m Ben Chamberlain 29:14.22
Sydney Track Classic
Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre
13 March 2021
Full results
WOMEN
200m (2.0) Riley Day 22.77 (Olympic qualifier, #9 Australian all-time), Monique Quirk 23.41, Bronte Carroll 23.61, =4th Larissa Pasternatsky 23.64, =4th Sophia Fighera 23.64, Kristie Edwards 23.81
300m Bendere Oboya 36.71 (#4 Australian all-time), Anneliese Rubie-Renshaw 37.79, Jessica Thornton 37.94
800m Linden Hall 2:01.27 [400m: 59.54], Catriona Bisset 2:01.58 [400m: 60.80], Brittany Kaan 2:03.70, Keely Small 2:03.92
5000m National Championship Andrea Seccafien (CAN) 15:25.62 [64.75 final 400m], Jenny Blundell 15:25.84, Isobel Batt-Doyle 15:25.60, Genevieve Gregson 15:27.43, Rose Davies 15:37.02, Melissa Duncan 15:45.29, Caitlin Adams 15:50.70, Leanne Pompeani 15:51.91, Ruby Smee 16:01.81, Lauren Ryan 16:07.55
100m H (1.3) Liz Clay 12.88, Hannah Jones 13.01 (#6 Australian all-time), Abbie Taddeo 13.06, Celeste Mucci 13.15
400m H Lauren Boden 56.99, Genevieve Cowie 58.81
Triple Jump Erin Guy 12.84m (2.4) [12.77m (0.0)]
Pole Vault Nina Kennedy 4.82m (Australian Record), Elizaveta Parnova 4.50m, Courtney Smallacombe 4.07m, Elyssia Kenshole 4.07m
Shot Alysha Burnett 14.41m
Discus Dani Stevens 63.36m, Taryn Gollshewsky 59.94m, Jade Lally (GBR) 59.26m, Kim Mulhall 51.73m
Hammer Alexandra Hulley 65.12m
MEN
200m (0.2) Joshua Azzopardi 20.95, Will Roberts 21.08, Michael Romanin 21.17, Alex Hartmann 21.19, Jordan Sarmento 21.11
800m Nagmeldin Bol 1:46.12 [400m: 50.91], Jack Lunn 1:46.71, Jeff Riseley 1:46.86, Brad Mathas (NZL) 1:47.15, Charlie Jefferson 1:47.93, Lachlan Raper 1:48.01
5000m National Championship Matthew Ramsden 13:29.99 [1:56.48 final 800m; 54.98 final 400m], Brett Robinson 13:31.97, Jack Rayner 13:34.68, David McNeil 13:36.08, Ryan Gregson 13:44.31, Jude Thomas 13:53.25, Liam Adams 13:53.74, Matthew Hudson 13:54.48, Andrew Buchanan 13:56.17, Kieran Tall 13:57.26, Matthew Clarke 13:57.40, Adrian Potter 13:57.44, [B race: Louis McAfee 13:49.09, Riley Cox 13:50.23, Michael Roeger 14:00.25 (T46 World Record)
110m H (1.0) Nick Hough 13.61, Nicholas Andrews 13.66 (#6 Australian all-time), Jacob McCorry 14.04, Alec Diamond 14.58
Triple Jump Julian Konle 16.42m (0.4), Shemaiah James 16.25m (1.5), Ayo Ore 16.01m (0.6)
Pole Vault Kurtis Marschall 5.75m, Angus Armstrong 5.30m, Jack Downey 5.00m
Shot Damien Birkinhead 19.34m, Alexander Kolesnikoff 18.97m, Aiden Harvey 18.36m
Discus Mitchell Cooper 57.05m
Hammer Costa Kousparis 66.56m, Timothy Heyes 64.82m
SA Interclub
SA Athletics Stadium
13 March 2021
Full results
WOMEN
Javelin Salumi Roberts 52.26m
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