11.03.2010

Juniors Day 1: Baines and Tysoe set the pace for four big days

Sam Baines and Mitchell Tysoe provided the ideal opening for the Australian Junior Athletics Championships this morning, posting world junior qualifiers in the first track event of the four-day meet at Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre.

Competing in separate heats, Victorian Baines qualified fastest for tomorrow’s boys' under 20 110m hurdles final in 14.13 ahead of Tysoe (14.22) from New South Wales, who was pleased with his performance in a time that bordered his personal best.

“Considering the headwind, I’m really happy with the time,” Tysoe said.

“It’s the second best time that I’ve ever run, making me feel confident going into tomorrow where coming away with first or second would be a real achievement.

“Today was my second qualifier for world juniors and that’s my goal this year so this result will add to my chances for a ticket to Canada.”

Bolstering her chances for world junior championships selection, Anneliese Rubie of New South Wales was victorious in her girls' under 20 400m heat, qualifying fastest for Saturday’s final. To be joined on the start line by New Zealander Katherine Camp (second - 55.97) and Queenslanders Shannon Smith (third - 55.13) and Melissa McKinnon (fourth - 56.36), Rubie will be looking to add a third qualifier to her growing resume on the back of today’s 53.90 result.

Competing in what was the best field event of day one competition, Kim Mulhall was crowned junior national champion and recorded a ninth world junior qualifier in the process with her throw of 52.32m ahead of her Victorian teammate Margaret Satupai (second - 49.48m) and Queenslander Taryn Gollshewsky (third - 47.34m). Satupai’s performance places her in contention to compete at the world junior championships for her home country of Samoa, whilst Gollshewsky battled it out with a gallant Rai Prabhjot (46.74m) of Victoria, who placed fourth.

Leaping to her first world junior qualifying mark, 15-year-old Emily Crutcher (pictured) of New South Wales cleared 1.82m in the girls' under 17 high jump to join Amy Pejkovic as a contender for the world titles in Canada in July.

After making weekly three-hour round trips to Sydney for training, Crutcher’s result comes after months of niggling injuries that have hampered her performances.

“I badly sprained my ankle a couple of months ago so I’ve been working really hard to get back and today it just happened,” Crutcher said.

“I’ve been chasing a qualifying result for a while, I really wanted it and to now have it is a bit overwhelming.”

In an equally impressive display, Pejkovic leapt 1.86m in the girls' under 18 high jump to secure the junior national title and her second Commonwealth Games B-qualifying mark. A silver medallist at last year’s world youth championships in Italy the New South Wales-based athlete, who trains under the guidance of John Sharpe, looks set to continue her run of form into 2010.

Kevin Batt of New South Wales rounded out the day’s track events, adding the boys' under 20 5000m national title in a time of 14:34.66 to his qualifying performance at the Briggs Athletics Classic in Hobart last month and staking his claim for a tikcet to the Moncton world junior championships.

“I wanted to run a really strong last lap tonight and not focus on my overall time so to finish with a 58-second final 400m was great, not to mention a victory overall,” Batt said.

“Living with Ryan (Flame athlete Ryan Gregson) has been great, it’s like I have the brother I never did and to train with him before Moncton will be great knowing that I’ll need to run at my very best against athletes coming from across the world.”

In other highlights from day one of the Australian Junior Athletics Championships:

 - 13-year-old Victorian Alona Broome earned her spot atop the dais with a leap of 10.60m in the girls' under 14 triple jump.

 - Asserting her age group dominance yet again, 15-year-old Tasmanian Mikayla Genge’s best throw of 51.97m to win the girls' under 16 hammer throw was 12 metres clear of her nearest rival and a five metre improvement on her personal best.

 - Kuey Diew of Queensland qualified fastest (47.47) for the boys' under 20 400m final on Saturday where he will come up against fellow Athletics Australia Under 19 Talent Squad members Joel Bee of Victoria and fellow Queenslander Alexander Beck.

 - Rivaling his 2009 Australian All Schools Championships performance, Nicholas Hough (13.97) of New South Wales was the only sub-14 second runner in the boys' under 18 110m hurdles heats ahead of tomorrow's final.

 - South Australia’s Blake Steele led the charge in the boys' under 18 5000m race walk crossing the line in a time of 21:49.66. Steele will also feature in the under 20 10,000m race walk later this weekend.

Continuing tomorrow at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre, Friday’s action includes Damien Birkinhead and Matthew Cowie in the boys' under 20 shot put, Rebecca Marchant, Amanda Bartram and Ellen Pearce in the girls' under 20 pole vault and the girls' and boys' 10,000m race walk featuring Beth Alexander and Dane Bird-Smith.

For a complete list of results please click here.