Rio hopefuls headline strong Athletics entry lists in Sydney & Brisbane

The Australian Athletics Tour will draw to a close in Sydney (NSW) and Brisbane (Qld) tomorrow, as the country’s best athletes to duel one last time before attention turns to the 2016 Australian Athletics Championships.

ATHLETICS: The Australian Athletics Tour will draw to a close in Sydney (NSW) and Brisbane (Qld) tomorrow, as the country’s best athletes to duel one last time before attention turns to the 2016 Australian Athletics Championships.

Launching at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre from 5:00pm AEDT, the Sydney Track Classic features Ella Nelson (NSW, 200m), Ryan Gregson (Vic, 1500m) and Dani Samuels (NSW, discus).

Sprinters from across the nation, including Morgan Mitchell (Vic), then descend on the Queensland Track Classic from 7:30pm AEST (8:30pm AEDT), with field event highlights including Eleanor Patterson (Vic) in the women’s high jump.

The Sydney Track Classic and Queensland Track Classic will be live streamed back-to-back from 5:00pm AEDT, with further information available by clicking here.

SYDNEY TRACK CLASSIC

Australian record holder Ryan Gregson (NSW) has his sights set on a Rio 2016 standard in the men’s 1500m when he takes to the new blue track at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre tomorrow.

To battle-it-out with his training partner Luke Mathews (NSW), Gregson will look to deliver the form that saw him win the event at both the Briggs Athletics Classic in Hobart (Tas) and the IAAF Melbourne World Challenge.

Gregson is joined on track entry lists by Zoe Buckman (Vic), Genevieve LaCaze (Vic), Madeline Hills (nee Heiner, NSW), Melissa Breen (ACT), Ella Nelson (NSW), Jessica Thornton (NSW), Lauren Wells (ACT) and James Nipperess (NSW).

Buckman, LaCaze and Hills will compete in the women’s 1500m, while the national 100m record holder Breen will compete in the women’s 100m and 200m. She will be joined in the longer short sprint by the Rio 2016 qualified Nelson and Bydgoszcz 2016 bound Thornton, who won the Australian under 20 200m and 400m titles in Perth (WA) last week. Nipperess, who competed at the 2015 IAAF World Championships, will start in the 3000m steeplechase on the hunt for the Olympic Games qualifier of 8:30.00.

In the field, the now Gold Coast-based Dani Samuels (NSW) will return to her former stomping ground for the women’s discus throw. Samuels has won the event at the Sydney Track Classic for three consecutive years, including an impressive throw of 66.21m last year.

The men’s javelin features Hamish Peacock (Tas), who hit a season best mark of 82.81m at the Perth Track Classic last weekend, while Beijing 2015 starter Joel Baden (Vic) will compete in the men’s high jump.

For more information on the Sydney Track Classic, including entry lists and the meet timetable, please click here.

Tickets are available by clicking here, or at the gate.

QUEENSLAND TRACK CLASSIC

The Olympic Games qualified Morgan Mitchell (Vic) and Anneliese Rubie (NSW) will go head-to-head in the women’s 400m at the Queensland Track Classic.

Taking advantage of one last competition opportunity before what will be a hotly contested one-lap race at the Australian Athletics Championships, the pair are two of many women vying for coveted selection to the women’s 4x400m relay team at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

In the men’s sprints, national 200m champion Alex Hartmann (Qld) will start alongside Olympic Games aspirant Aaron Stubbs (Qld), who with a season best of 10.24 is a mere 0.08 seconds away from staking his claim for Rio 2016 selection. They will be joined on the blocks by Tom Gamble (Qld), Tim Leathart (NSW) and Banuve Tabakaucoro (FIJ).

Up and coming talent Luke Stevens (Vic) headlines the men’s 400m after his personal best run of 46.06 to win the Victorian championship, while Tristan Thomas (Tas) lines up for the 400m hurdles alongside Michael Cochrane (NZL) and Cameron French (NZL).

Competing in the women’s high jump, Eleanor Patterson (Vic) headlines the field action at the Queensland Track Classic. Patterson is the Commonwealth Games champion in the event and highlighted her form with a 1.93m clearance at the IAAF Melbourne World Challenge earlier this month.

The men’s discus throw features IAAF World Youth Championships medallist Matthew Denny (Qld) and IPC Athletics World Championships medallist Guy Henly (NSW).

Athletics Australia