April is set to be another action packed month!
Athletes competing in sports set to make their Olympic debut will begin their road to Tokyo 2020 while others have their focus on making Aussie teams for 2017 World Championships.
1. Who will begin the path to Tokyo on top in New Olympic sports?
Having recently been added to the Olympic programme both Sport Climbing and Karate will hold major events in April. Villawood in Sydney’s west will host the Sport Climbing Open National Lead and Speed Climbing Championships as athletes look to begin to build towards the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (preview>>>). Lead and Speed are two of the three disciplines that will combine to make up the Olympic format come Tokyo (the other being bouldering) and a number of athletes will now begin to compete in multiple events as a result.
Karate will host the Australian Open Championships as well as the Oceania Championships in Liverpool. The events will feature a host of talented athletes that will compete in the kata and kumite disciplines that will feature when the sport makes it Olympic debut in just over three years’ time. Australian world champion Kristina Mah will be looking to continue her dominance on Australian shores.
2. Which Aussies will be off to the Athletics World Championships?
The Australian Athletics Championships finish up with the two biggest days of competition ensuring April starts with a bang. A host of Rio 2016 Olympians will be competing as well as the nation’s future stars as they all look to try and book their place on the Aussie team for the 2017 World Championships. The meet will be headlined by the return of London 2012 Olympic Champion Sally Pearson who will take on reigning Australian Champion Michelle Jenneke in the 100m hurdles. Head to http://live.athletics.com.au/ to live stream the event.
3. Can the Aussies continue their Davis Cup run?
Australia will face off against the USA as they look to progress through to the semi-finals and continue their run towards a first Davis Cup title since 2003 when current Captain Lleyton Hewitt was a part of the team. Rio 2016 Olympians Jordan Thompson (singles), Sam Groth (doubles) and John (Peers (doubles) will link up with Nick Kyrgios in the highly anticipated clash in Brisbane. The unseeded Australian side set up the tie after defeating the Czech Republic in February. If the Aussies are successful then they will set up a clash with either Italy or Belgium in the semi-finals.
4. Can the Aussie contingent win on home soil as the ITU World Triathlon Series heads to the Gold Coast?
The sunny Gold Coast will play host to the second leg of the ITU World Triathlon Series. Australia’s finest will take on the world’s best triathletes with a packed crowd set to line the course. The event will be a sprint format with Aussies Ryan Bailie, Jacob Birtwhistle, Aaron Royle, Ashleigh Gentle, Charlotte McShane and Emma Moffatt all in contention to claim a famous victory on home soil.
5. Will be it Australia's Rio stars shining in the Brisbane pool or a new wave of guns pushing for World Championships selection?
The nation’s elite will hit the pool at Brisbane Aquatic Centre as they compete for a place at the World Championships. Rio 2016 gold medallist Kyle Chalmers will line up against Cam McEvoy in a mouth-watering 100m freestyle clash while local favourites Cate and Bronte Campbell will also look to continue their dominance in the sprint freestyle events. Mack Horton, who also claimed gold in Rio, will be looking to claim the distant events and build towards winning his first World Championship title later this year.
