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Spark on fire in Vancouver
The Australian Spark has wrapped up its
three-day hit-out ahead of next week’s IAAF world junior
championships with another impressive turn-out at the Trevor Craven
Memorial Meet in Vancouver today.
On day two at Swangard Stadium it was 800m athlete Kuey
Diew, discus specialist Taryn
Gollshewsky, race walker Regan Lamble and
pole vaulter Amanda Bartrim who provided the
highlights, Diew setting a new meet record in the two-lap event and
Gollshewsky, Lamble and Bartrim all turning on personal best
performances.
In an impressive display, 17-year-old Diew smashed the existing
800m meet record by almost three seconds, stopping the clock at
1:50.95 to wipe out the 2006 mark of 1:53.68.
Diew said today’s race would hold him in good stead for next week’s
IAAF titles.
“It was alright, I went out a bit too fast but I was happy with the
race because I was able to hold on and still run 1:50, so that will
help me out when I’m in Moncton,” he said.
“I’m hoping to make the finals next week, just get through the
rounds comfortably and then step it up in the semi-finals and if I
need to run a fast time I think I’ll be able to just hang on and
run with everyone else.”
Following the race Diew was swamped by junior autograph hunters
from a local athletics clubs, the enthusiastic young athletes
impressed by the Queenslander’s record-breaking run.
Adding her name to the highlights reel on the team’s fourth day in
Vancouver was 2009 world youth championships representative Taryn
Gollshewsky, who added another three metres to the personal best
mark she set at the Kajaks International Track Classic on Friday to
show she’s in career-best form heading into Moncton.
Arriving in Canada with a personal best of 48.54m, Gollshewsky hit
50.50m on Friday before improving that distance to 53.69m in the
cage today, the 17-year-old Queenslander now having added 5.15m to
her lifetime best in just three days.
Gollshewsky was joined in the discus action by Australian Spark
teammate Kim Mulhall, who threw 52.40m.
Rounding out a big day for the Australian Spark, race walker Regan
Lamble and pole vaulter Amanda Bartrim added their names to a
growing list of athletes turning on personal best performances in
the lead-up to their world junior campaign.
In the 5000m walk event, Lamble bettered her career-best time by 20
seconds to cross the line in 22:55.50.
On the back of today’s race the AIS scholarship-holder, who will
take on the 10,000m walk in Moncton, said she had high hopes for
the week ahead.
“I’m pretty happy with it, it was about what I was aiming for so
it’s a promising sign leading into the championships,” Lamble
said.
“I’ve been training well and everything’s working quite well at the
moment so hopefully it will all come together for the race in
Moncton. Hopefully I can do a PB, I’d be ecstatic with a top-10
finish so that’s my main goal.”
Lamble, who at just 18 years of age has races in Russia and Mexico
already under her belt, said her prior international experience was
proving invaluable in the lead-up to the championships.
“I’m getting used to travelling overseas now and knowing what works
for me and how to handle it, so I’m feeling a bit more confident
with my travelling and knowing what’s right and what to do and how
to handle different situations,” she said.
Lamble was joined on the track by fellow Australian Spark race
walkers Dane Bird-Smith (20:30.48),
Rhydian Cowley (22:21.96) and Paige
Hooper (DNF).
On her Canadian debut, New South Wales pole vaulter Amanda Bartrim
raised her career-high mark to 4.00m, at last finding the extra
centimetres she needed to crack the elusive 4m-barrier.
“I’m very excited, it’s been my goal for over a year now so to
finally make it is really good and to know that I can go even
higher is just amazing,” Bartrim said.
“My goal in Moncton is to jump 4.20m and I think I can do it, it’s
just a matter of hitting the height at the right spot.”
After clearing 4.00m Bartrim gallantly raised the bar to 4.10m but
fell just short of the sky-high mark.
“I just went for it, I told myself it’s just another chance to go
for it so don’t hold back,” she said.
In other field results, reigning world youth championships silver
medallist Amy Pejkovic also enjoyed a good day
out, clearing heights of 1.70m, 1.75m and 1.80m on her first
attempt before raising the bar to 1.83m and sailing over that
height on her third and final attempt.
Commonwealth Games discus nominee Julian Wruck and
shot put talent Matt Cowie posted distances of
61.51m and 17.58m respectively.
On the track, Karlie Morton was first home in the
girls’ 200m sprint, clocking 24.71 (w:-1.0) to finish just ahead of
fellow 200m runner Ella Nelson (24.81) and 400m
specialist Louise Maybury (26.23). Jake
Hammond took out the boys’ event in 21.49 (-0.3).
In the 400m hurdles, Sasha Alexeenko turned on a
solid run, crossing the line in 52.20.
The team will continue its preparations for the 13th
IAAF world junior championships with two days of training at the
University of British Columbia in Vancouver before flying across
the country on Wednesday for the start of the IAAF titles in
Moncton next Monday, July 19.
Photo courtesy of Jodi Lambert
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