26.03.2010

Lewis, Wroe and Clarke headline Victorian track and field titles

The pinnacle of the Victorian athletics calendar has arrived, with the 2010 Victorian Open Track and Field Championships kicking off today at Melbourne’s Olympic Park.

Across three days of competition (Friday 26th – Sunday 28th March) Olympic and world championships representatives Tamsyn Lewis (200m/400m hurdles), Sean Wroe (100m/200m), Benn Harradine (discus throw), Madeleine Pape (400m/800m) and Anthony Alozie (100m) will headline an impressive startlist of some of Australia’s most talented senior and junior athletes. Providing added interest, Sydney Olympics wunderkind Georgie Clarke (1500m) will make a return to the track, contesting the women’s 1500m to launch her bid for Commonwealth Games selection.

With over 100 individual events scheduled across the weekend, here’s an elite eight you can’t afford to miss:

1. Women’s 800m (Heats: Friday 7:10pm; Final: Saturday 5:45pm)
Arguably the most anticipated race of the championships, there’s a distinct chance Commonwealth Games qualifiers will result (A: 2:01.00; B: 2:03.00) if the pace is applied early. Three of the country’s top five over the distance this season will start, with Katherine Katsanevakis (Doncaster – SB: 2:04.64) holding the mental edge over Sianne Toemoe (NSW – SB: 2:04.82) and Trychelle Kingdom (Alphington – SB: 2:05.31) following recent wins. World championships representative Madeleine Pape (East Melbourne – SB: 2:05.84) is the class performer in the field – and the fourth fastest Australian of all time (1:59.92) – but has not gone close to past performances in 2010. Kelly Hetherington (Sandringham – 2:05.25) and Kylie Harris (Colac – SB: 2:05.48) have the ability to sneak through for a medal.

2. Women’s 400m hurdles (Final: Sunday 12:00pm) Twelve months on from her championships debut in the long hurdles, triple Olympian Tamsyn Lewis (Glen Iris – SB: 56.73) has an individual berth at the Commonwealth Games in her sights, and a personal best (56.27) to better. With ACT rival Lauren Boden holding the season’s leading time of 55.75, Lewis will be looking to go close to that mark (and the Commonwealth Games A-qualifier of 55.90) in preparation for the defense of her national crown in Perth next month. A class above her rivals, the 15-time national champion will be hard to beat, with Victorian country champion Jess Gulli (Geelong – SB: 59.31), national junior champion Felicty Black (Kilsyth South – SB: 61.46) and Bianca Mignot (Gladstone Park – 62.75) to lead the fight for the minor placings.

3. Women’s 1500m (Heats: Saturday 3:20pm; Final: Sunday 4:05pm)
If experience counts for anything, Georgie Clarke (Jan Juc – PB: 4:06.50) has it in spades, and on historical results would be a lock for the win. However this will be the Sydney Olympics wunderkind’s first serious 1500m since 2008, so expectations should be tempered. 2006 Commonwealth Games representative Erica Fountain (Nunawading – SB: 4:20.91) will start favourite, with Clarke the challenger. Also in the hunt for a podium place will be Sarah Klein (FKN – SB: 4:27.53) and juniors Eliza Curnow (Bellbrae – SB: 4:27.30) and Linden Hall (Essendon – SB: 4:30.45).

4. Men’s shot put (Final: Saturday 5:30pm)
One of the revelations of the domestic season, Dale Stevenson (Mitcham – SB: 19.70m) appears Delhi-bound after multiple Commonwealth Games A-qualifiers in 2010. Consistently throwing over 19 metres, 22-year-old Stevenson is a strong favourite to defend his state title. National junior champion Damien Birkinhead (Geelong – SB: 16.93m) and Athletics Australia Under 21 Squad member Andrew Peska (Werribee -16.69m) will dual for the minor medals. Olympian and national record-holder Scott Martin (Doncaster – SB: 20.06m) is entered, but is under an injury cloud.

5. Men’s discus throw (Final: Friday 8:30pm)
National record-holder Benn Harradine (Eleebana – PB: 66.97m) will be looking to mark his return to Olympic Park with a state title and Commonwealth Games A-qualifier (60.00m). With a season’s best of 59.57 metres at February’s Sydney Track Classic, Beijing Olympian Harradine will face stiff competition from defending champion Aaron Neighbour (Mentone – SB: 58.53m). Andrew Peska (Werribee – 55.27m)) will likely complete the podium.

6. Men’s 200m (Heats: Saturday 12:45pm)
Closer to his pet distance, world championships relay bronze medallist Sean Wroe (Murrumbeena – SB: 21.14) will be the man to beat. With a season's best of 21.14, Wroe will be looking to better his runner-up performance last year to Aaron Rouge-Serret. Tim Rooke (Beaumaris – SB: 21.58), Darren Hart (Werribee – SB: 21.73) and Robert Stevens (Chelsea Heights – 21.84) should feature prominently in the title chase.

7. Men’s 800m (Heats: Saturday 1:35pm; Final: Sunday 3:55pm)
In career-best form, 17-year-old Alex Rowe (Caulfield) is on track to add the state open title to his list of 2010 achievements. Running a personal best 1:47.56 to place sixth behind Kenyan star David Rudisha at the Melbourne Track Classic, Rowe claimed the national junior title two weeks ago in an impressive negative split run (1:49.31). Simon Fitzpatrick (Moonee Ponds – SB: 1:50.23) will likely lead the field through to collect the bell and look to hang on, with Ed Vining (Glen Waverley – SB: 1:50.09) and Dominic Sutton (Preston – SB: 1:50.10) leading the charge for the minor medals, after both recorded personal bests at last week’s Vic Milers Club meet.

8. Men’s 110m hurdles (Final: Saturday 4:45pm)
Daniel Martin (Romsey – SB: 14.13, +1.1m/s) will cut a lone figure at the front of the men’s sprint hurdle field, and with favourable conditions will go close to a so-far elusive Commonwealth Games qualifier (A: 13.74, B: 14.00) and putting his name into the Delhi mix. Reigning national decathlon champion Stephen Cain (Glen Iris – PB: 14.86) and defending champion Mohamad Zeed (Chadstone – SB:14.90) will lead the fight for the minor placings in the small seven-man field.