08.12.2007

Triple treat at All Schools

Live results

Day 3 track report

A trifecta of World Junior qualifiers were the order of the day at the Telstra Australian All Schools Championships in Sydney, with a number of talented youngsters putting their hands up for team selection.

The next generation of Australian field event stars were on show, with selectors keenly observing the day’s action as they deliberate those in contention for July’s IAAF World Junior Championships in Poland and the 2008 Under-17 and 19 National Development Squads.

In a confidence building performance ahead of the Zatopek Classic on Thursday night, Victorian teenager Kimberley Mulhall continued to impress, adding another World Junior qualifier to her belt with her 49.35m effort in the under-17 discus. 

"I really want to make the team for the World Juniors. I’ve been injury free and throwing really well in inter-club," claimed the 16 year-old, who finished fourth at the World Youth Championships held earlier this year.

The niece of Olympic shot put bronze medallist Gael Martin, Mulhall has athletics ability firmly entrenched in her genes.

"Even though she lives in Canberra, my aunty is really supportive. I don’t feel any extra pressure being her niece. She knows Gus is a great coach so she doesn’t get too involved."

It was Mulhall’s second gold medal of the competition, after posting a win in her less preferred event, the shot put on Thursday (13.97m).

Looking to knock their younger rival off the podium at the Zatopek Classic will be New South Wales athletes Lomana Fagatuai and Vika Lolo who had another epic battle in the under-18 discus.

Fagatuai was out for revenge after Thursday’s shot put defeat, however Lolo yet again came up trumps, 48.96m to 45.94m – another World Junior qualifier deposited into her collection.

In the absence of World Youth champion Vicky Parnov, fellow West Australian Rachel Birtles blitzed the field in the under-18 pole vault (3.85m), the reigning national champion happy with her performance.

"I was expecting to win, but it’s good to see how everyone else is jumping, and how they’ve improved. There was some good competition. It was different conditions to home (WA), where it’s hot but not this humid," explained Birtles who has one World Junior qualifier already tucked away.

The towering Josh Hall (pictured) had the Sydney Olympic Park crowd besotted, as he chased a new personal best and meet record in the under-18 high jump. Three unsuccessful attempts at 2.21m thwarted the fairytale finish for the day, the Queenslander settling for 2.17m and another World Junior qualifier.

"I had been training well in the last few weeks, so I was hoping to get up near 2.20m. I’m not quite sure how high I can go, I’ve done some good training, but haven’t pushed it much yet, so to get 2.17m already means I might get up near 2.20m or 2.22m next year," said the newly crowned national champion.

Personal bests were being broken left, right and centre, as raucous parents, coaches and teammates cheered on from the packed grandstand, encouraging their young charges.

Four meet records fell on day three in the field, with Ainsley Ackerman (QLD) producing a 12.45m effort in the under-17 triple jump to erase Tahnee Reynolds-Hopkins' name from the record books, Nigel Skurrie (VIC) released the hammer 61.45m to make his mark in history in the under-17 division, Monique Cilione (VIC) bettered the previous 2006 mark of 45.94m with her throw of 46.55m in the under-14 girls javelin, and Brodie Cross (VIC) cleared 3.20m to take the honours in the under-14 pole vault.

Following in the footsteps of Bronwyn Thompson, young 14 year-old Victorian Brooke Stratton leaped an impressive 5.90m in the long jump, falling short of the long standing 1983 meet record by just six centimetres.

Hailing from Bowen in far North Queensland, the same town that long jumper Robbie Crowther calls home, 13 year-old Corey Jensen conquered in the under-14 shot put (17.54m), bettering his personal best by more than 50cm.

On her sixth attempt, Tahnee Reynolds-Hopkins (WA) launched herself 12.36m to clinch victory in the under-18 triple jump,  Liz Parnov (WA) continued her dominance in the under-14 pole vault soaring 3.40m, and Queenslander Thomas McGuire tasted success in the under-18 hammer throw (60.29m).

Other field event winners today included:

Kristy Dingwall (NSW) - under-14 girls shot put (13.16m)
Liam Speers (NSW) - under-16 boys discus throw (62.96m)
Evan Jennis (NSW) - under-15 boys discus throw (54.69m)
Amanda Bartrim (NSW) - under-17 girls pole vault (3.60m)
Emily Dober (VIC) - under-16 girls long jump (5.65m)
Simon Bennett (TAS) - under-17 boys high jump (2.01m)
Rebecca Morgan (SA) - under-16 girls javelin throw (42.37m)
Karen Clarke (NSW) - under-18 girls javelin throw (47.25m)
Concetta Macri (WA) - under-15 girls javelin throw (39.14m)
Luke Smith (VIC) - under-16 boys triple jump (13.80m)

On the final day’s play tomorrow, Huw Peacock (TAS) will once again take centre stage in the under-17 boys shot put and javelin throw, Blake Lucas (NSW) will be chasing a World Junior qualifier in the under-18 pole vault, and the big boys Jamal Idris (NSW), Matt Stopel (QLD) and Hamish Peacock (TAS) will battle it out in the under-18 shot put.

Individual athlete photos from 'Photos in a Flash' can be found here