14.01.2010

Local stars to hit up Hunter

The all-new Hunter Track Classic is set to become one of the most fiercely contested meets of the New South Wales season as athletes from all over the country vie for qualification to the 2010 Commonwealth Games and World Junior Championships.

With a host of athletes set to travel from interstate for the meet and several local stars hoping to lock in international qualifiers in front of their home crowd, the stage is set for a fast and furious night of action on February 6.

Versatile Merewether thrower Liam Speers will be one of a handful of athletes hoping to get the early jump on qualifying for this year's World Junior Championships, the rising star returning to action in 2010 following his impressive eighth place in the javelin throw at the World Youth Championships in Italy last July.

“To qualify for the World Juniors at home would be awesome. Liam’s in great shape and he could just about qualify in both the discus throw and the javelin throw on the same night,” said Speers' coach, Ken Holder.

Speers will be met with plenty of competition at the Hunter track, with leading Australian javelin thrower Ben Baker looking to surpass his 77.13m personal best and stake his claim for Commonwealth Games selection.

The all-new Hunter Track Classic will be conducted as a Grand Prix-style meet, with track and field events to occur simultaneously at the Glendale venue. In a new move modeled on European competition, meet organisers are looking to accommodate spectators inside the high jump competition area to help cheer on 2006 Commonwealth Games representatives Mark Taylor (Waratah) and Nick Moroney (Maitland) as they push each other skyward to meet the Delhi qualifying mark of 2.21m.

“I can’t wait, I'll have a couple of competitions under my belt by then and will be ready to put on a show for my friends and the crowd," Taylor said.

Taylor, who coaches up-and-coming high jumpers Miles Cole-Clark (Maitland) and Trudy Thompson (Central Coast), said the meet was an exciting opportunity for his young charges.

“We're hoping that Miles can jump over 2.00m while Trudy is a chance to improve on her 1.83m PB to achieve the Commonwealth Games standard of 1.86m,” he said.

The Hunter Track Classic is the only major track meet to be held outside a state capital this season and Athletics New South Wales organisers are hoping to see it become a regular fixture on the state sporting calendar.

“It will be great if the local athletics and sporting communities get behind this event and make it a regular fixture in the athletics season,” said Athletics New South Wales Regional Coordinator Scott Westcott.

Nominations for open events are now online at www.nswathletics.org.au.

Entries close January 25, 2010.

For more information or to register for the meet, please click here.