03.04.2009

Martin sets new Australian record in Adelaide

Victorian Daniel Martin has broken the Australian under 20 record in the 110m hurdles on day one of the Under 20/23 Australian Athletics Championships in Adelaide.

Martin stormed home in a new personal best time of 13.60 (w:-0.6) to eclipse the previous record of 13.5 (handtimed, 13.74 electronic equivalent) set by Don Wright in Brisbane in October, 1977.

Martin, 18, shaved .33 off his previous best mark of 13.93 (w:0.2) set in Sydney in February, 2008, to better Wright's 32-year-old mark and claim the under 20 national title.

On an action-packed opening day of the under 20/23 national championships, six world youth qualifying performances were set by Australia’s top young athletes. 

Under 20 athletes Denise Snyder, Shani Sleeman, Amy Pejkovic, Alex Beck, Brooke Stratton and Dane Bird-Smith all turned on impressive displays on the track and in the field as competitors looked to launch their final bids for world youth selection this weekend.

The field was on fire at Santos Stadium as three world youth qualifying standards were set in the women’s under 20 high jump and a fourth qualifier set in the women’s under 20 long jump.

Snyder (1.81m), Sleeman (1.76m) and Pejkovic (1.76m) all cleared the world youth mark in the high jump as New South Wales athlete Trudy Thompson took out the national title with a leap of 1.83m.

In the sandpit it was Victorian Brooke Stratton who flew to a personal best and world youth qualifying distance of 12.62m (w:1.3) to take out the women’s under 20 triple jump title.

Jump Start to London athlete Kertisha Thompson (QLD) was second in the event with a new personal best distance of 12.52m (previously 12.34m).

In the men’s events, Alex Beck (QLD) ran a world youth qualifying time and new personal best of 48.05 in the preliminary round of the under 20 400m to all but secure his place on the world youth team, while fellow Under 19 Talent Squad athlete Dane Bird-Smith (QLD) posted a world youth qualifying time of 43:47.71 to win the under 20 10,000m walk.

Ineligible for world youth selection, senior national pole vault champion Blake Lucas (VIC) added the national under 20 title to his burgeoning list of accolades but fell short of posting a sixth straight personal best height.

Lucas, who claimed the open national title in Brisbane last month with a leap of 5.45m then bettered that effort with a jump of 5.55m in Melbourne just days later, cleared 5.20m to take out today’s event.

“5.20m is not a bad result, it would have been better to be around 5.50m again but five personal bests in a row is pretty good I reckon,” Lucas said.

“The conditions weren’t really favourable, I sat around for an hour and a half or two hours before I got to jump so that was not the best when you’re trying to jump high.”

The in-form 18-year-old will now turn his attention to the World University Games in Serbia in July.

Also making his mark at Santos Stadium was Cameron Page (NSW), who in just his second attempt at the 5000m smashed his personal best to go under 15 minutes for the first time.

The Under 19 Talent Squad athlete took out the under 20 event in a time of 14:37.08, well ahead of his previous best mark of 15:23. 

“I was really happy with the run today, considering the conditions the time was pretty good,” Page said.

“I just tried to relax a bit and it all came down to the last lap, I just let loose on the last lap.”

A relative newcomer to the event, Page has already set his sights on next year’s world junior championships and Commonwealth Games.

“I’m just trying to adjust to the longer distance, I’m used to the 3000m and it takes a lot more endurance to last the extra two kilometres,” he said.

“I really didn’t expect to run that quick and beat Chris Hamer’s time (14:47.60 in the under 23 event) and I was really happy with that.

“I definitely reckon in another couple of years of 5000m races I’ll be running under 14 minutes, that’s the main goal. Next season I’ll probably just consolidate the 5000m because it’s the Olympic distance and for world juniors I’ll have to get used to it and that’s the goal, to make world juniors.”

Also with a new personal best on day one of the championships was Kim Mulhall, who took out the under 20 women’s discus with a throw of 55.50m.

The winning distance betters Mulhall’s previous best mark of 54.84m set at the Sydney Track Classic in February.

“It’s really good to finish the season on 55 metres, that was my aim at the start of the season so I’m really happy with how I went,” Mulhall said.

The 18-year-old Victorian will now turn her attention to next year’s major championships and her attempts to emulate the international success of fellow discus thrower Dani Samuels.

“I’m going to be doing a lot of work on my fitness and trying to get a lot more athletic over the winter and obviously my next goals are world juniors and Commonwealth Games, so I’m going to try to build a really big base this winter and hopefully have improved,” she said.

“It’s really good seeing Dani be so successful so young, it really gives me something to aim towards and it shows that it can be done at a young age.”

In other highlights:

- Under 19 Talent Squad athlete Huw Peacock (TAS) took out the under 20 men’s hammer throw with a best distance of 61.68m.

- Target 2012 athlete Catherine Drummond (QLD) claimed the women’s under 23 high jump title with a leap of 1.82m.

- Jump Start to London athlete Shannon McCann (WA) claimed the under 23 women’s 100m hurdles event in a personal best time of 14.16 (w:0.4).

- South Australian local Paige Hooper won the women’s 10,000m walk in 50:32.91.

For a full list of results from day one, click here.