22.02.2008

Powell pleases packed house in Melbourne

Will he or won’t he? Yes, he did.

Melbourne Olympic Park erupted when Asafa Powell took to the track on Thursday night, and he added himself to the record books as well. Recording a new meet record of 10.04 (-0.2), the Jamaican eclipsed the previous mark held by American Maurice Greene.

On a night where seven Australians produced A-qualifiers at the World Athletics Tour Melbourne’s 21st birthday, world-class athletes performed in front of a parochial crowd.

From the minute he walked onto the track with his spikes on, every spectator stood to see Powell complete his warm-up. They didn’t return to their seats until he had powered across the finish line.

Having injured his knee before leaving Jamaica, there was never the certainty that Powell would compete in his signature event.

"I haven’t done anything in two weeks and it’s the first time in spikes since I got here, so I’m very happy," he said after his run.

The decision to compete, despite having his stitches removed on Saturday night, was made only an hour before the race.

"It was very good, although I hesitated out of the blocks," he said. "After the warm-up, coach said to me ‘you make the decision’ (to run)."

Commonwealth discus champion Scott Martin rocked Melbourne yet again, with the Australian shot put record unable to elude him any longer.

The behemoth sent 7.26kg of metal a massive 21.27m, taking Justin Anlezark’s mark of 20.96m. The former record holder held on for second in the competition (19.68m).

"It’s an awesome feeling," Martin gushed. "It’s a long time now that I’ve been thinking about throwing 21 metres. It might not be the six-metre mark in the pole vault or the 10-second mark in the 100, but it’s 21 metres for the first time ever. I’m 25 years old and I feel I can push further."

It was another Olympic A-qualifier for Martin, who has been in tremendous form this season – setting his previous personal best at the Sydney Track Classic in January.

"I thought I was in form to throw the Australian record and I actually had a couple of bets going with some other athletes as just a bit of fun on the side," he revealed. "I thought it was coming but you never know when it’s going to come. A lot of things have to go right for you to throw a long way and I thought it was going to come tonight.

"I haven’t come into full training yet. I’m still about 95 percent and my foot’s playing up a little bit. But coming into the European season I want to throw 21 every week and when you throw 21 metres every week it gives you a great chance to get in the top three. In Athens I think 21.16 was the winning throw so 21.27 can win you big competitions."

Craig Mottram won his sixth Australian 5000m title, with a blistering turn of speed on the final lap and recording his second best time on Australian soil in 13.11.99.

The pace through 3000 metres was a solid 8 minutes 5 seconds, led by pacemaking Kenyan Collins Kosgei, before the diminutive World Youth record holder Abreham Cherkos Feleke took up the running with Mottram and Kenyan Shadrack Kosgei on his shoulder.

"It was a good race," he said. "It’s a race of attrition in many ways, the 5000m. Sixty-four second laps initially doesn’t feel that hard, but after eight laps of it, it does start to get hard. Then when it starts to wind up, people drop off quickly so you’ve got to stay calm.

"When there are seven people left with four laps remaining, it doesn’t mean there is going to be seven left at the bell."

Australian 10,000m champion Collis Birmingham recorded a new personal best and Olympic B-qualifier of 13.27.31, placing fourth overall and taking the silver medal in the Australian championship.

Mottram, who is in the same management group as Birmingham, was happy for the young Victorian, although both were hoping he would run under the A-qualifier of 13.21.50.

"I knew at that pace that Collis would be working, but I was hoping he would run the qualifying time tonight. He just missed it, but I was pleased with him.

"Melbourne put on a good event, good weather and a good crowd tonight," the hometown hero said after his victory lap.

The meet record in the men’s 400m meet was re-written by the man expected to do it, world and Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner.

The one-lap wonder from Texas ran 44.82 to set a hat-trick of season openers under 45 seconds.

"We’ve got a lot of new things to work on with my coach," he said. "It felt good today. I’ve been sick for the last two weeks, there’s been a bug in my throat and it’s made it hard for me to breathe. But I’m real pleased with the way I ran today.

"I had a great race today and was able to see where I was in my training. Now I can go rest for a couple of days, then get back into the grind and get ready for my first race out in our season."

Wariner is pleased he made his first trip to Australia to compete in Sydney and Melbourne.

"This is a real fast start for me this early in the season in February," he said. "Hopefully my next time out I can go the same or a little bit faster."

The 24 year-old will now return home to prepare for Beijing, confirming that "my goal is to win the gold medal and defend my title and at the same time try and get the world record."

A massive breakthrough performance was recorded in the 800 metres tonight by Lachlan Renshaw. The NSWIS athlete obliterated his personal best, set just last month, by over a second to record an Olympic A-qualifier of 1.45.79.

"I can’t put it into words, it’s amazing," he said. "Hopefully it puts some pressure on the selectors now for Beijing."

It was a spectacular performance, sitting behind his training partner Werner Botha for the first 550 metres. They tore through the first lap in 50.65 seconds, with the field assuming Indian file behind the electric pace that hasn’t been seen domestically in Australia for several seasons.

"We weren’t going to go that fast," he noted. "It was meant to be 51 high, but it came back for the best. I knew it was on and I gave it everything. It was great."

Australian champion Nick Bromley also recorded a new personal best of 1.47.05 while World Youth Championships representative James Kaan flew home late to grab the World Junior qualifying mark with a new lifetime best of 1.47.62.

The scene is set for a cracking 800 metres at next week’s Australian Championships, the race which saw Renshaw fall in 2007.

Donna MacFarlane opened her 2008 season in style in winning the first IAAF World Athletics Tour event on offer. The TIS athlete went straight to the front and, at the halfway mark, was well clear of the rest of the field.

"I was hoping to win and expecting to win and run a good time, because I’ve been doing some good training," she said.

"I think that is the best I have ever run in terms of my technique, so that’s a real bonus for me."

By the time she entered the final lap, MacFarlane had a 100 metre lead over Victoria Mitchell, Zhenzhu Li and Yanmei Zhu.

"It didn’t feel fast which is a good sign, and I didn’t have anyone pushing me which is a really good indication going into next week and especially this early in the season," she added.

MacFarlane’s time of 9.29.93 was her third Olympic A-qualifier and all she needs to do is win next weekend in Brisbane to book her seat to Beijing.

The women’s 400m produced one of the races of the night, with World Youth representative Olivia Tauro setting a cracking pace for the first half.

She then handed over to Tamsyn Lewis who tore up the home straight to win narrowly from Jamaican Sherone Simpson, stopping the clock at 51.55.

"It was good to have Olivia and Sherone on my outside," Lewis said. "I’ve been struggling all year in my four to get that time. There hasn’t been the competition but, well, I had the comp tonight!"

Initially the clock showed an unofficial time of 51.56, frustrating the Victorian, before it was made official at 51.55. It was spot on the Olympic A-qualifying standard, which saw Lewis pumping the fists to the crowd with glee.

And the A-qualifiers kept coming.

Steve Hooker held the attention of the grandstand between the track races, encouraged all the more by his retro attire and head of curls.

Practically competing against himself, the 25 year-old started his evening at 5.50m - clearing it comfortably before passing on 5.62m after one attempt.

It took him two bites at 5.72m to clear, bringing the crowd to raptures when he did. There may have been the optimism that Hooker would near his new personal best of 6.00m, set in Perth last month, however, two attempts at 5.82m made the going tough.

But he cleared it on his third, bettering his own meet record of 5.81m set at this very competition last year and, again, the crowd rode the wave.

Three attempts at 5.92m proved unsuccessful but Hooker had shown enough ahead of next week’s Australian Championships to confirm his form is red hot and that he can only build into Beijing.

Queensland’s Matt Boyd was second with 5.20m with Victorian Joel Pocklington third with 5.05m.

After throwing an Olympic B-qualifier at the Black Singlet Invitational in New Zealand on Tuesday night, discus thrower Dani Samuels upgraded it to the A-standard with a personal best of 61.92m.

The 19 year-old, who threw 61.38m at the New South Wales Championships two weeks ago, now just needs to win the national title in Brisbane to book her flight to Beijing.

On Thursday night, Samuels finished second to China’s Aimin Song – who launched the disc 63.06m. Another Chinese athlete, Taifeng Sun, was third with 58.90m.

South African Renee Kalmer bided her time nicely in the women’s 1500m, as the cross-country specialist finished in a winning time of 4.09.85. Georgie Clarke (VIS) followed the pacemaker for 600m before taking up the running and passing through the bell in 3.03.29.

Kalmer and Clarke were well clear of the rest of the field for much of the running, then, with 150m remaining, set about reversing the result from the 5000m event in Sydney where Clarke won the Australian 5000m title.

"I had a tough 5k last week," Clarke confirmed. "I have been injured. It’s heading in the right direction and hopefully by the time I get to America (at the end of April) I’ll be ready to qualify."

Clarke will follow her goal to chase the Australian title in Brisbane.

"I’ll give it another go next week," she said. "Every race helps and I’ve been running the 1500 for quite a long time, so I’ll be fine."

While not achieving everything she wanted in the race, it is a step in the right direction for the Sydney Olympian.

"I’ve just got to get some confidence back and unfortunately you have to earn that," he said. "It’s not something you can get just get."

After a scorching race in Sydney, the men’s 1500m lacked the spark of a week earlier. Pacemaker Josh Schmidt went very hard early, accidentally opening up a gap on the field which never really caught up to the required pace again.

After passing through 800m in 1.58, Englishman Andrew Baddeley took up the pace with the field well strung out behind him.

At the bell, it was still Baddeley in front, followed by the Kenyan Bernard Kiptum and the winner from Sydney, Brad Woods.  That is the order they finished, as Baddeley crossed the line in 3.38.24.

The Peter Norman Memorial 200m was won by Daniel Batman, the man who defeated Jeremy Wariner over 200m last week in Sydney.

"I’m just happy I’ve been victorious in these races," he said after clocking 20.84 (+0.1).

Winning the tribute race before Norman’s family - and being presented with his picture - meant a lot to the sprinter.

"It’s of big significance to me," he said. "His (Peter Norman) record has stood for 40 years and it has been my goal for a few years to get close to it.

"The last time I spoke to him, he mentioned to me that he believed I could do it. He gave me a lot of confidence to go ahead and do that."

In the 400m hurdles, Brendan Cole lead for 399.5 of it before Tasmanian-born Tristan Thomas (AIS) stormed through at the finish after Cole had a disagreement with the final barrier.

"I’m really pleased with that run, I nailed my plan to perfection," Thomas said post event.

Cole has won the Australian title for the past two years and now, a week out from the 2008 Australian Championships, Thomas’ victory has added extra interest to the 400m sticks.

"Brendan and I both know that for the 400m hurdles to progress in Australia, having two of us battle it out is better than the one," he said.

Visiting American Mike Hazle won the men’s javelin ahead of Queenslander Jarrod Bannister, the victor in Auckland on Tuesday night.

Bannister captured yet another B-qualifier while World Youth silver medallist Hamish Peacock threw 71.36m against the senior competition.

Robbie Crowther won from a strong men’s long jump field with a leap of 7.91m, ahead of Fabrice Lapierre and Mitchell Watt.

"It was great," he said. "It’s unbelievable here in Melbourne.

"It was great conditions – like Canberra when I jumped 8.01. Unfortunately, I didn’t get that distance. I knew I could do it but it just didn’t come."

New South Wales’ Nick Moroney won the men’s high jump in 2.18m from Chris Armet (Victoria) and Kane Brigg (Queensland).

By Richard Welsh and Steve Lavell

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