Tasmanian All School Championships
The 2015/16 domestic season has just commenced and Jack Hale is already showing the rest of the world that he will be ready for the upcoming World Junior Championships in July next year. A dominant display of sprinting, where Hale recorded his second fastest ever time and a World Junior qualifier in the 100m of 10.43s (+1.2), which was quickly backed up with a 7.65m (+1.4) long jump. This was also only 1cm shy of his PB in the event, and ensured yet another World Junior qualifier for Russia.
After his win in the 100m, Hale said
I’m super happy with the form I’m in. I’m doing weights at the moment and I shouldn’t really be running around my best shape, so to be running those times is a bit promising for later on in the season.
Hale has an interesting summer ahead as the expectations continue to rise, and with it the push for him to compete against the best Australian senior sprinters. Although he would certainly be competitive against the likes of Josh Clarke, Jung Jin Su and Tom Gamble (who all have gone sub 10.30s over the 100m in 2015), there is always the concern when juniors push into senior ranks too early. Either way the summer ahead looks one that will be very exciting for sprint fans across the country.
Athletics Victoria – Shield Competition
The early season form has continued for Western Suburbs leading sprinter in Luke Stevens, with the 21 year-old opening his season in the 400m with a very impressive 47.55s performance in round 3 of AV Shield competition. This was after earlier running 10.75s (-1.3) over the 100m, and previously producing a 20.93s 200m in round 2 of the AV Shield competition.
In the men’s U/20 100m Chris Mitrevski continued his good early season form with a 10.85s (-1.3), while 33 year-old Khan Marr ran the leading time of the day with a 10.67s (-1.3).
In other AV Shield results from across Melbourne:
- Will Johns ran 10.75s (+1.4s) in the 100m
- Lawson Power produced a very nice 10.88s 100m performance in the U/18 heat
- Sam Baird ran 48.09s in the U/20 400m
- Morgan Mitchell opened her season with a very encouraging 54.20s 400m
- 18 year-old Georgia Griffith ran a 4.23.75 1500m (PB) – (note: Griffith has an 800m PB of 2.07.02 back in March)
Athletics NSW – Treloar Shield Round 3
Highlights from round 3 of competition in NSW Shield competition included:
- Hayden Kovacic – 10.58s (+1.7) PB in the men’s open 100m – pushing Ben Jaworski back into 2nd place (10.73s)
- James Kermond – 21.59s (+0.9) in the men’s 200m
- Will Austin-Cray – 3.51.72 in the men’s 1500m
- Angus Armstrong – 5.10m win in the men’s pole vault
Noosa Bolt 5km
Source: AAP
Eloise Wellings reckons she is the best form of her life and it showed on Saturday as she powered away to a dominant victory in the Noosa Bolt 5km road race.
Training partner Genevieve LaCaze stayed with Wellings for the first couple of kilometres before being dropped by the 32-year-old who went on to win in 16:04.
It had been a long time between drinks for Wellings in Noosa, whose only previous victory here came back in 2006.
Wellings finished an impressive 10th in the 5000m at the world championships in August in Beijing.
But with the 10,000m likely to take precedence next year, she will look to book her spot on the Australian team for the Rio Olympics at next month’s Zatopek meet in Melbourne.
“I just want to leave my options open,” said Wellings.
“The 10,000 will probably be the focus and, if I’m in the 5000 as well if I get selected, I think it will be a bit of an after-thought.
“I will just be treating the Zatopek like any other race and hopefully I run well, it’s good conditions and I can cover the qualifying time.
“Obviously the win would be good too because that’s an automatic Olympic selection.”
Steeplechase specialist LaCaze will act as Wellings’ pacemaker next month in Melbourne.
“I knew going into this race Eloise would be the one to beat,” she said.
“She’s just so fit right now and has had one of the best years of her life.”
LaCaze finished second in 16:19 on Saturday, 13 seconds ahead of Linden Hall.
Brett Robinson successfully defended his men’s Noosa Bolt title, winning in 14:14 ahead of Sam McEntee (14:22) and Josh Wright (14:25).
“I was pretty confident coming in,” said Robinson.
“I thought if I went really hard, they wouldn’t cover me so that was the plan.
“I reckon I bluffed them a little bit to think I was going a little better than I actually was.”
Robinson would also like to qualify for the 5000m and 10,000m for the Rio Games, although much of his focus to date has been on the shorter distance.
