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Queensland on top in the Australia Cup
Victoria’s hold on the Australia Cup was broken by the home state today in the third annual team’s event at the Queensland Sport and Athletic Centre.
Queensland, with 77 points, ran out winners over Victoria (63) and NSW (59), taking home the $14,000 prize pool. Victoria had some consolation, a rosy future, taking out the Little Athletics competition with 85 points from NSW (79) and Queensland (75).
Queensland’s win was based on their strength in field events, with Josh Robinson winning the men’s javelin with 72.29m, Mitchell Watt leaping a huge 8.07m in the long jump, only to miss qualifying due to an illegal tail wind and a consistent Jacinta Boyd taking out the women’s Long Jump with 6.44m.
The Queenslanders also took out the blue riband track event. Matt Davies was too strong in a closely-contested men’s 100m in10.61, edging New Zealand’s David Ambler (10.67), Victoria’s Josh Ross (10.69) and John Woods of the ACT (10.70). The fast times however, came in the men’s B 100m, with Victorians, ex-Nigerian Bola Lawel clocking 10.54s and Aaron Rouge-Serret 10.58.
Not surprisingly, the Victorian quartet of Rouge-Serret, Ross, Sean Wroe and Lawel easily won the 4x100m relay, in a quick 39.92.
The women’s 100m went to the ACT sprint sensation, 18 year old Melissa Breen, whose time of 11.68s was outside the World Championships B qualifier of 11.33 she ran last November, though it seems only a matter of time before her times are back in qualifying territory. Breen told the commentary team that she was excited at the prospect of racing Beijing silver medallist Sally McLellan and any other challengers at the Sydney Track Classic and World Athletics Tour Melbourne and had her eyes firmly set on a world championship A qualifier.
On the track the Victorians showed why they have dominated the team competition in the last two years, with Sean Wroe overpowering his Beijing 400m team mate, Joel Milburn into a stiff headwind in a time of 45.70.
Tamsyn Lewis showed her 800m strength in the closing stages of the women’s 400m, clocking 52.74s, from New Zealander Monique Williams (53.39) and Queensland’s Caitlin Pincott (53.70s.)
In the Women’s 1500m, another Victorian, Kaila McKnight (4.22.50s) held off strong finishing bursts from NSW Nikki Molan (4.22.63) and Tasmania’s Beijing Steeplechase representative, Donna McFarlane (4.23.19.)
In the men’s 800m, three-time national champion Nick Bromley ran a clever tactical race, surging away down the back straight to win in 1.49.13. Gold Coast athlete Matt Fox was closing fast but left his run too late and finished third behind Lee Berry of NSW.
A hot field in the Women’s High Jump saw WA’s Ellen Pettit score the points, clearing 1.84m to win from QLD’s Catherine Drummond and NSW’s Claire Mallet.
In the Invitation events, Beijing Olympian Adam Rutter was eye-catching in the men’s 5KM Walk, upstaging dual Olympic medallist, Jared Tallent to win in 18.54.55, a 30 second personal best.
Queensland pole vault champion and Beijing Olympian, Alana Boyd cleared 4.35m, recording a B qualifier for the Berlin World Championships despite the windy conditions. It was a good day for the Boyd family, as sister Jacinta added to her long jump win by anchoring the Queensland 4x100m relay to victory in 45.88.
In other invitation events Aaron Neighbour (Vic) won the Men’s Discus with a throw of 55.45m, Daniel Small (NSW) won the 110m Hurdles in 14.16 and Darwin sprinter Crystal Attenborough won the Women’s B 100m in 12.01s.
If there was one performance that caught the attention of the crowd, it came from 20 year old Gold Coast Long Jumper Mitchell Watt, who showed that his leap of 8.04m in interclub two weeks ago was no fluke. A former Rugby and AFL player, Watt has only been back in training for this event for 6 months. With a 2.1m tail wind, his big leap of 8.07m won’t be counted as a B qualifier, but is an indicator of things to come from the young Queenslander.
The Australia Cup meet brings together athletes of all ages under the banner of their state team, giving young and developing athletes to compete alongside their heroes and reinvigorating a team culture and state versus state rivalry in athletics.
For all results click here
Australia Cup
Queensland 77
Victoria 63
NSW 59
NZ 54
Tas/SA 52
WA/NT 47
ACT/Ais 42
Oceania 31.
By Peter Meares
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