20.03.2010

Stevenson does it again in Melbourne

Frankston thrower Dale Stevenson has continued his stellar domestic season, launching his fifth Commonwealth Games A-qualifying throw of the year to win the men’s shot put title on day two of the 2010 Victorian Track and Field Championships at Olympic Park in Melbourne.

Stevenson’s shot success headlined a day of strong results from the throwers circle, which also included a Commonwealth Games B-qualifier and Victorian record to Mentone’s Gabrielle Neighbour in the women’s hammer throw.

On his last visit to Olympic Park at December’s Zatopek:10, Stevenson bettered the Commonwealth Games A-standard (19.00m) for the first time and four months on the 22-year-old continued where he left off with a best put of 19.30m. Stevenson finished clear of talented 16-year-old Damien Birkinhead (Corio – 16.21m) and Andrew Peska (Western Athletics – 14.54m).

In the women’s hammer throw, Gabrielle Neighbour found consolation in a new Victorian record after falling 62 centimetres shy of the Commonwealth Games A-standard with her competition-topping 64.38m throw. After brother Aaron claimed silver in the men’s discus the night before, 25-year-old Gabrielle added another B-qualifier and personal best to her 2010 throwing achievements to finish clear of Natalie Debeljuh (Corio – 54.08m) and Sarah Hewitt (Box Hill – 35.65m).

Meanwhile, in the men’s hammer throw, South Bendigo’s Tim Driesen narrowly missed the Commonwealth Games B-qualifier (67.00m) on his way to claiming the Victorian crown with his best throw of 66.19m.

On the track, triple Olympian Tamsyn Lewis (Sandringham) showed her versatility in claiming the women’s 200m title, stopping the clock at 24.38 against a strong headwind (-2.5m/s). Deakin’s Jess Gulli (24.60) and Ringwood’s Katie Moore (24.68) completed the podium.

However, the race of the day was the women’s 800m final, in which Katherine Katsanevakis (Doncaster) sliced nearly 1.5 seconds from her personal best to storm to victory in 2:03.04. After Beijing Olympian and fourth fastest Australian of all time Maddie Pape led the field through the first lap in 59.36 seconds, 21-year-old Katsanevakis launched a well-timed attack down the back straight to lead the field home. Pape finished third in a season’s best time of 2:04.81, while New South Wales’ Sianne Toemoe set a new personal best of 2:03.94 to place third. Katsanevakis’ performance was just four hundredths of a second shy of the Commonwealth Games B-qualifier and is the fastest time by an Australian in 2010.

In other track finals, Tim Rooke (Mentone) overcame a 4.5 m/s headwind to win the men’s 100m crown in 10.99 ahead of Sean Wroe (Glenhuntly – 11.05) and Daniel Burgess (Frankston – 11.11). Brenton Rowe successfully defended his men’s 1500m title, stopping the clock in 3:46.90, with Grant Page (Tasmania – 3:48.46) and Kane Grimster (Frankston – 3:48.73) completing the podium. Matthew Blair (Athletics Essendon – 14.89, -1.5m/s) and Ashleigh Hamilton (Diamond Valley – 14.72, -2.2m/s) claimed the men’s 110m hurdles and women’s 100m hurdles crowns respectively.

In other field results, Jarrod Pageot (Melbourne University) won the men’s long jump with a best leap of 7.11m, Blake Lucas claimed the men’s pole vault with a third attempt clearance of 5.10m and Jeanette Reyes (Sandringham – 13.04m) and Calista Lyon (Ringwood – 52.49m) took out the women’s triple jump and discus titles respectively.

The third and final day of the 2010 Victorian Track and Field Championships commences at 10am tomorrow morning, at Melbourne's Olympic Park.

With thanks to Athletics Victoria.