05.04.2009

New record for Wruck in Adelaide

Queenslander Julian Wruck has set a new Australian record in the men's under 20 discus on day three of the Under 20/23 Australian Athletics Championships in Adelaide.

Two national records and eight world youth qualifying performances were set across the three days of competition, with Wruck and Daniel Martin (110m hurdles) setting new Australian marks and Denise Snyder, Shani Sleeman and Amy Pejkovic (high jump), Alex Beck (400m), Brooke Stratton (triple jump), Dane Bird-Smith (10,000m walk), Alex Rowe (800m) and Andrew Neville (high jump) all reaching world youth qualifying standard.

Wruck launched the discus 60.98m to take out the national title and set a new Australian under 20 record, overtaking his own previous record of 60.88m set in Pune, India in October, 2008.

“It was a really good win, a really good wind and really good conditions so I'm pretty happy with that performance,” he said.

“I take a lot of honour out of the record, you work hard at everything and I guess I just got lucky with a few winds and I'm lucky enough to have it.”

At just 17, the Queensland powerhouse will this year take up an athletics scholarship at Texas Tech University as he enters the next phase of his burgeoning career.

“I'm going to college in America later this year and will hopefully get a few years of solid training down pat and keep trying to improve,” Wruck said.

“I'm just going to keep going with it and see how good I can get; only time will tell how good that is but I'll keep trying.”

On the track fellow record holder Daniel Martin (VIC), who set a new Australian mark of 13.60 (w:-0.6) in the 110m hurdles on Friday, added a third gold medal to his championships haul with victory in the men's under 20 100m on day three of the action at Santos Stadium.

Winner of the men's under 20 100m, 200m and 110m hurdles, the national record highlighted a huge weekend for the 18-year-old.

“I certainly had high hopes of winning all three races, I came here to do that and I was just happy that after running six races I could put out a good time in the 100m,” Martin said.

“I've had my eyes on the hurdles record for a little while and it was good to get it. It was a surprise in a way, the last six weeks I've really only done two weeks of hurdles training and the odd session here and there but on the weekend I ran a really good time in training and when I was standing on the start line I knew I could do something good.

“I was talking to Kyle Vander-Kuyp after the race and he said he was chasing it for a little while and it makes me pretty happy that he didn't get it."

Martin will now turn his attention to Commonwealth Games selection.  

“I'm really hoping to qualify for the Commonwealth Games next year in the hurdles, next season will be a lot of concentration on the hurdles and a liitle bit of sprinting but not as much," he said.

Elsewhere at Santos Stadium New South Wales athlete Andrew Neville posted his second world youth qualifying performance in the men's under 20 high jump to all but secure his ticket to Italy in July.

Neville leapt to a height of 2.07m to finish second in the event behind Western Australia's Thomas Brennan, who cleared 2.10m to clinch the national title.

In other highlights:

- Under 19 Talent Squad athlete Cameron Page (NSW) backed up his win in the men's under 20 5000m on Friday with victory in the men's under 20 1500m. Page won the hotly-contested final in a time of 3:55.76 ahead of James Nipperess (NSW) in 3:56.47 and Jordan Williamsz (VIC) in 3:57.29.

- Jump Start to London athlete Laura Whaler (NSW) added the women's under 23 100m title to the 200m championship she won on day two. Whaler took out the sprint in 11.89 (w:-2.1).

- Aaron Rouge-Serret (VIC) completed the men's under 23 sprint double, adding the 100m title to his 200m win from day two. Rouge-Serret raced away to the title in a time of 10.50 (w:-1.5). 

- Under 19 Talent Squad athlete Kim Mulhall (VIC) claimed her second national title of the championships, adding the women's under 20 shot put title to her discus win on day one. Mulhall won the shot put event with a throw of 14.63m.

- Brooke Stratton (VIC) added the women's under 20 long jump title to the triple jump championship she won on day one. Stratton won the event with a leap of 5.83m (w:1.4) ahead of Queensland's Kertisha Thompson (QLD), with a jump of of 5.73m (w:2.5).

For a full list of results from day three, click here.