19.03.2009

Lewis hurdles home to launch national championships

The 87th Australian Athletics Championships are under way, with Tamsyn Lewis, Lauren Boden, Tristan Thomas and Lachlan Renshaw today headlining session one of the three-day event.

In humid conditions at Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre all eyes were on Lewis as she lined up for the preliminary round of the women’s 400m hurdles, a break from tradition for the nine-time 800m national champion.

The two-lap specialist and reining 800m world indoor champion contested the hurdles event for the first time at a national meet and blitzed the field to win her heat in a time of 58.92 and qualify for Saturday night’s final behind Target 2012 athlete Lauren Boden (58.03).

If Lewis goes all the way this weekend the 30-year-old Victorian and holder of 13 national titles will become the first Australian athlete to have won national titles in the 400m, 400m hurdles and 800m.

Lewis, who is also competing in the 400m in Brisbane, will pass athletics greats Catherine Freeman and Raelene Boyle on the all-time national titles list if she wins both events at these championships. 

Lewis said the 400m hurdles was now her major priority leading up to the Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010.

“At this stage it will be the 400m hurdles only, but if I run a really quick 400m this year that would change” she said.

“You try and put yourself in the best possible shape to perform at a championships and I gave it my all in the 800m over 10 years for Australia.

“I got my world indoor gold and that was fantastic, I would never have got that if I hadn’t kept trying all those years over the 800m but the event has moved on with the Kenyan girls, and for me to realistically make a major final, which is my goal in the worlds or Olympics, I have to look outside the square.”

Lewis said she was disappointed current 400m hurdles world champion Jana Rawlinson was ruled out of the race due to a continuing calf injury.

“I would love Jana to be out here running, she’s one of our best athletes,” she said.

“No matter what has gone on in the past, we want our world champions out there competing.”

In the men’s event it was in-form athlete of the season Tristan Thomas in control, holding off a late charge from Felipe de Castro Cruz (WA) to progress to the final in 51.57.

With 11 personal best times to his name this season, Thomas will enter Friday night’s final as hot favourite despite qualifying second to Western Australia's Dane Richter (50.64).

“I guess in the heat it’s all about getting through, I was trying to set up the first half of the race which went really well so my coach will be happy,” Thomas said.

“The last part the wind picked up and it wasn’t as easy as I’d have liked it to be but it still went alright and the big one’s tomorrow so all mind ahead now.

“It’s still a quality field out there so nothing’s in concrete until it’s done, until I cross that line and put my hand in the air the job’s still there to do.

After a big win over Beijing Olympic bronze medallist Bershawn Jackson at the Sydney Track Classic last month, Thomas has arrived in Brisbane in ominous form.

“I’m certainly better in some areas but when you’ve got to race against someone like Bershawn Jackson, I was peaking for that so I hope I’ll be better but if not, I’ve got a lot of training to come.”

At the end of a dream domestic season the AIS representative said he was already planning to go one better in 2010. 
 
“It’s the kind of thing all athletes dream of… I’ve finally got my act together, I’ve trained hard, I didn’t get injured and maybe I can get better and better and maybe it will be 12 (personal bests) next year.

The national championships and selection trials for the 2009 world championships were launched with the first event of the men’s decathlon and women’s heptathlon, the men’s 100m sprint won by Queensland’s John Lane (10.83, w:2.5) with Rebecca Robinson (QLD) the first Australian home in the women’s 100m hurdles (14.40, w:0.4).

Competition in the decathlon, heptathlon and under-20 combined events continued throughout the afternoon, with the men’s long jump and shot put run and won alongside the women’s high jump and shot put. 
    
At the completion of three events, New Zealanders had the early lead in both the men’s and women’s fields, with Lane (2230 points) the leading local in the men’s event and South Australia’s Lauren Foote (2526 points) the leading Australian in the heptathlon.

Competition continues tonight with the men’s high jump and 400m, and women’s 200m on the program.

Other highlights of tonight’s program include finals of the men’s discus throw (ambulant), women’s discus throw (seated), women’s shot put, men’s triple jump, men’s hammer throw, women’s 3000m and men’s 3000m steeplechase.