ATHLETICS: Buoyed by podium finishes at three consecutive instalments of the IAAF Diamond League, the Commonwealth champion Dani Samuels has arrived home in Australia to continue her preparation for the IAAF World Championships.
To train on the Gold Coast for the next three weeks before returning to Europe for a further two hit-outs ahead of the Australian Flame team camp in Wakayama (Japan), Samuels, who has the Australian discus record of 68.72m in her sights, is excited by her season to date and looking forward to a solid stint of hard training as Beijing 2015 draws closer.
“I’m pretty happy with my international season to this point as there have been a lot of positive aspects to take from it. My aim is to place in the top three in all my international competitions this year, competing at a consistently high level,” Samuels said.
“I started off with a competition in Germany in May and have been getting better since then in terms of distance, placing and consistency. Throwing my best mark in the first round is also something I’ve been happy with at the past two competitions. It is good practice for what I will have to be able to do at the World Championships later this year.”
“There is still a lot of hard work to do between now and Beijing. I am back in Australia for a little over three weeks and then I head back to Europe for the last two Diamond League events prior to the World Championships. I am excited for this block of really hard work because with the international travel coming up I will lose a few days and need to get it done now. I’m happy to be back home too.”
Samuels’ recent form suggests that she is arguably one of Australia’s best chances at Beijing 2015, but the attention is not a concern for the 27-year-old. She is a seasoned campaigner at major competitions, advancing to the Olympic final twice and becoming the youngest ever to win the world discus title in 2009.
“I haven’t really thought about what other people expect of me at the World Championships, I’m just focusing on training and competition as it comes and what I can do about improving each day. I feel like I am in a good place both physically and mentally and I just want to continue to work my butt off and enjoy my throwing. I know through experience that I have produced good throws when I’m having fun, so I’m going to continue to do that whilst aiming to be one of the best in the world,” Samuels added.
The international season rolls on in the coming days, however, with Oslo and New York to play host to IAAF Diamond League events in the coming days. A middle distance running sextet including national record holder Ryan Gregson (Vic) will start in the Norwegian capital, while Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Hamish Peacock (Tas) headlines green and gold starters in the Big Apple.
On Sunday in Rabat, Fabrice Lapierre (NSW) will take to the runway in the men’s long jump, while Michelle Jenneke (NSW) will compete in the 100m hurdles in Brisbane (Qld) alongside the Australian team for the IAAF World Youth Championships, including Jack Hale (Tas), Louis Stenmark (NSW), Ned Weatherly (Vic), Danielle Shaw (Vic) and Clare Gibson (WA).
Lapierre is enjoying a strong return to form, opening his international season with an IAAF World Championships qualifier last month and soaring 8.21m to win in Marseille (FRA) last weekend.
Alana Boyd (Qld), Nina Kennedy (WA) and Liz Parnov (WA) will all open their international campaigns at the Bauhaus Gala in Mannheim (GER) later this month.
