07.02.2010

Samuels, Watt lead rise of the young guns in Brisbane

Athletics Australia’s ambition to send its largest ever team to a major overseas meet is on track after a further four Commonwealth Games A-qualifiers were posted at tonight’s Brisbane Athletics Classic, with two of the rising stars of track and field joining world championships medallists Dani Samuels and Mitchell Watt in staking their claim for selection to the team bound for New Delhi, India, in October.

Samuels (discus throw) and Watt (long jump) were joined by in-form Victorian Dale Stevenson (shot put) and Queensland local Liam Zamel-Paez (high jump) in turning on A-qualifying performances on a wet night at the QSAC warm-up track.

In her first hit-out of the 2010 Australian Athletics Tour Samuels showed she has lost none of the touch that earned her the world title in Berlin in August, posting an opening round throw of 63.70m to take out the win and send an ominous warning her rivals that a new personal best mark – and Australian record – could be just around the corner.

“I feel like I’m technically strong but there are a few little things that I have to fix up and that was shown tonight with a few fouls but things are looking good and I’m feeling positive that I’m ahead of where I was this time last year so hopefully I’m on track to get a PB by the Commonwealth Games,” Samuels said.

“When you compare what I threw in February last year, which was 62m against the Olympic champion, then in regard to strength levels and technique and speed and everything, to come out and throw 63m, just under 64m, I’m very, very happy.

“Deep, deep down in the back of my head I always think about the world record, it’s quite a long way away and it’s probably not something I’m going to get in the next few years so that’s a 15-year dream but the Australian record is definitely in my sights for the next few years.

“This year my goal is to get a PB by or at the Commonwealth Games so hopefully I’ll be pushing 67m by October and hopefully next year (the Australian record) will be on the cards.”

Fellow world championships medallist Mitchell Watt, who took bronze in the men’s long jump at the world titles in Berlin, posted his second win from as many starts on the 2010 Australian Athletics Tour with a new meet record of  8.15m (w: 0.7) in the sand.

Following his win at the Australia Cup meet in Canberra last week Watt was again in dominant form, notching his seventh A-qualifying performance and first at his home venue.

“I only get one chance a year to jump in Brisbane so it’s good to put a decent jump out there,” Watt said.

The 21-year-old will now turn his attention to the Sydney Track Classic on February 27, where he will take on fellow Australian Flame athlete Fabrice Lapierre and visiting US Olympian Trevell Quinley.

“Tonight was probably like last week, it was a bit relaxed with only four of us out there and one of them was my training partner so adrenaline was lacking but having Fabrice and Trevell out here will definitely get the blood pumping a bit more and we should see some bigger distances from all of us,” Watt said.

In the field Dale Stevenson added to the charge of the young guns, taking out the men’s shot put with a Commonwealth Games A-qualifying heave of 19.45m in the third round.

Now with three Commonwealth Games A-qualifiers under his belt, Stevenson has already set his sights on a ticket to New Delhi in October and knocking training partner and mentor Scott Martin from the top of the Australian rankings.

“To throw 20m at the nationals would be a huge boost and a goal that I’ve been working towards for a long time and I also want to have some good head-to-head tussles with my training partner, Scott Martin,” Stevenson said.

“He’s the No. 1 man in Australian shot put at the moment with the recent retirement of Justin Anlezark, they were sort of head-to-head but with Justin’s retirement Scott’s the hunted man and it’s a nice place for me to be in trying to chase him down.”

Rounding out the A-qualifiers on the second leg of the Australian Athletics Tour was Liam Zamel-Paez, who recorded a new personal best height of 2.25m in the men’s high jump to notch his first Commonwealth Games-standard performance.

“I’m pretty happy with it, it’s the first meet out and I’m still in heavy training, I was hoping to jump up to what I’m jumping in training which is 2.15m so to jump higher than that is just a bonus really,” Zamel-Paez said.

In other highlights:

- National 100m record-holder Patrick Johnson won the men’s blue-riband sprint in 10.42 (w: 0.5) ahead of world championships 4x100m relay representative Matt Davies in 10.43. Davies went on to take out a fiercely contested men’s 200m, clocking 20.76 (w: 0.0) to cross the line ahead of fellow world championships representatives Ben Offereins in fourth (21.13), Sean Wroe in fifth (21.14) and Patrick Johnson in sixth (21.16). 

- Beijing Olympian Lachlan Renshaw showed a strong return to form to post a 1:47.96 to take out the men’s 800m.

- Australian Flame athlete Jody Henry took out the women’s 400m in 52.76 ahead of Lauren Boden (53.97) and world championships 4x400m relay teammate Pirrenee Steinert (54.02).

- AIS athlete Evan O'Hanlon (T38) won the men's 100m ambulant event in 11.24 (w: 0.6) ahead of fellow AIS representative Heath Francis (T46) in 11.36. Queenslander Lucy Larsen (T46) took line honours in the women's 100m ambulant race, crossing the line in 14.40.

- 2009 world youth championships representative Taryn Gollshewsky posted a world junior championships qualifying performance in the women’s discus throw with a distance of 47.73m.

The Australian Athletics Tour now moves to Hobart for the Briggs Athletics Classic on Friday, February 12 before continuing on to the Sydney Track Classic on February 27 and Melbourne Track Classic on March 4.