ATHLETICS: Coveted selection to the Australian Flame will be up for grabs at the Qantas Australian Athletics Championships in Sydney (NSW) on April 11-14.
ATHLETICS: Coveted selection to the Australian Flame will be up for grabs at the Qantas Australian Athletics Championships in Sydney (NSW) on April 11-14.
Set to welcome 707 athletes competing in both able-bodied events and those for athletes with a disability, the 91st instalment of the ‘Nationals’ is also the Selection Trial for the IAAF World Championships and a crucial element of the selection process for the IPC Athletics World Championships.
Fresh off their stunning photo finish split for first and second at the Qantas Melbourne World Challenge, Josh ‘the Boss’ Ross (Vic) and Mitchell Williams-Swain (Qld) look like the men to beat in the men’s 100m and 200m.
London Olympians Anthony Alozie (NSW) and Isaac Ntiamoah (NSW)will join the duo in the short sprints, with the first three past the post in the men’s 100m automatically selected for the men’s 4x100m relay team at the IAAF World Championships.
The men’s 400m delivers a similar equation for the three medallists, with those on the podium set for automatic selection to the already qualified Australian Flame 4x400m relay team, while Anneliese Rubie (NSW) will have hurdles specialist Lauren Boden (ACT) to push her to the required IAAF World Championships B-Qualifier of 52.35 in the women’s race.
The middle distance highlights will come from Jeff Riseley (Vic), who will compete for the first time this year, and IAAF World Championships aspirant Kelly Hetherington (Vic) in the men’s and women’s 800m, as Ryan Gregson (NSW) looks to cement his Australian Flame selection and Kaila McKnight (Vic) and Zoe Buckman (ACT) go head-to-head in the men’s and women’s 1500m.
A 49.60 finish time in the 400m hurdles at the Qantas Melbourne World Challenge for Tristan Thomas (Tas) ensures that the national crown this weekend will ensure automatic selection to the Australian Flame for the Olympic semi-finalist, while in the steeplechase, Genevieve Lacaze (Qld), Youcef Abdi (NSW) and James Nipperess (NSW) will hunt for their first qualifiers and the gold medal to earn their spot.
In the field, the men’s long jump once again delivers an impressive highlight as Olympic silver medallist Mitchell Watt (Qld) and Commonwealth champion Fabrice Lapierre (NSW) duel. Watt has been pre-selected for the IAAF World Championships and needs simply a B-Qualifier to confirm his selection.
Qualified in the men’s high jump, Liam Zamel-Paez (Qld) with victory would become the first man since Tim Forsyth to compete for Australia at either an Olympic Games or IAAF World Championships in that event.
On the women’s runway, Linda Leverton (Qld) will compete in the triple jump as she edges closer and closer to the Australian record of 14.04m and a third national title, as Australian pole vault record holder Alana Boyd (Qld) joins Liz Parnov (WA) and Vicky Parnov (WA) in the battle for World Championships selection.
Julian Wruck (Qld) will return to Sydney from his base at the UCLA in Los Angeles (USA) as he hurls for the men’s discus throw gold medal. Wruck will arrive Down Under in great form with two 66 metre plus throws already this season at the Texas Relays and the Joyner-Kersee Invitational.
The race for national crowns in ambulant, secured and wheelchair events is equally impressive, with entry lists for athletes with a disability very strong.
Dual Paralympic gold medallist and world record holder Evan O’Hanlon (NSW) headlines the men’s ambulant 100m and 200m, where he will be joined by fellow Paralympic medallists Scott Reardon (NSW) and Simon Patmore (Qld).
Erinn Walters (Qld), Torita Isaac (Qld) and Stephanie Schweitzer (NSW) feature in the women’s event, while across the longer distances Brad Scott (WA) and Sam Harding (NSW) will both compete.
The wheelchair events fought across distances between 100m and 1500m, feature London Olympians Angela Ballard (NSW), Rosemary Little (NSW), Matthew Cameron (Qld), Jake Lappin (Vic), Rheed McCracken (Qld) and Sam McIntosh (Vic).
The Qantas Australian Athletics Championships will return to Sydney for the first time since 2006, when Australia’s best battled it out to earn their spot on the Australian team for the Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne (Vic).
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Athletics Australia