Happy Hooker extends win streak to six

Building on his recent run of good form, Olympic pole vault champion Steve Hooker recorded his sixth straight victory of 2009, in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 7480 at tonight’s Sydney Track Classic.

The 26-year-old was the last man standing in the pole vault, his leap of 5.95m easily defeating Olympic silver medallist Yevgeniy Lukyanenko (5.45m) of Russia.

Hooker cleared 5.60m, 5.80m, and 5.95m before having three unsuccessful attempts at a new Australian record height of 6.10m.

“There were quite good conditions at the end of the competition, and I started to get on some pretty decent poles,” Hooker said.

“I thought I was a real chance of jumping 6.10m but it was just stand placement which cost me on my second attempt.

“I’m a bit mentally tired from all the travel, but that’s my longest break I’ve had between competitions this season.

“So physically I feel quite fresh and I felt fantastic on the runway.

“I love jumping on the runway here and it’s a similar runway to Melbourne. So hopefully I can pull out another big result there and have another crack at something over six metres.”

Seven world championships A-qualifying standards were set on a sensational night of athletics action, Tamsyn Lewis (400m – 51.44), Dani Samuels (discus – 62.81m), Tristan Thomas (400m hurdles – 48.86), Sally McLellan (100m hurdles – 12.84), Sean Wroe (400m – 45.28), the men’s 4 x 100m team (38.96) and Hooker all starring.

Sydney Olympic Park was brought to a standstill as a field of Australian hopefuls took on the might of American Xavier Carter and Jamaican Asafa Powell in the men’s 400m.

In an event not often contested by the former 100m world record holder, Powell left his charge until late, turning up the tempo to storm from last to fourth place with 150m to go, crossing the line in a personal best time of 45.94.

Taking out the event was Beijing 400m semi finalist Sean Wroe, whose A qualifier of 45.28 placed him just ahead of Carter (45.75) and AIS athlete Kurt Mulcahy in a new personal best (45.84).

For Wroe it was pride that helped him cross the line ahead of Powell.

“I didn’t expect Asafa to come back in this one but at the end of the day, being a 400m runner, I couldn’t let a 100m boy beat me,” he said.

For Powell, the shift up to the longer distance proved a worthy exercise.

“I was pacing myself because I knew if I went out too hard I would have died coming home,” said Powell.

“I’m very, very happy. When I started gaining on them I started to dig and dig and dig and I got very close but it wasn’t enough.  I'm feeling alrioght, I'm glad I didn't need the ambulance.”

In the women’s 100m hurdles it was all Sally McLellan, the Olympic silver medallist leading from the gun to take out the race in 12.84.

Following the event, the Queenslander said the run was a sign of things to come.

“It’s fantastic to come out here and know I’m still in good shape, it’s just exciting what’s going to happen for the rest of the year,” McLellan said.

“Unfortunately I had a few messy hurdles but to come out with that time… it’s a good sign.”

She later backed up the win with a victory in the women’s 100m in another dominant display, clocking 11.39.

In-form athlete of the season Tristan Thomas made an impact early, posting a red-hot 48.87 in the men’s 400m hurdles to claim the event ahead of Beijing bronze medallist Bershawn Jackson (49.06) and Commonwealth Games champion LJ van Zyl (50.02).

Thomas’ time was the second fastest ever run by an Australian in that event, eclipsed only by Rohan Robinson’s time of 48.28 in 1996.

Following the event the 22-year-old Tasmanian said the calibre of athletes in tonight’s field had helped spur him to the win.

“It’s incredible, amazing, you can only run great times with great people around you,” he said.

“It’s a real honour to race against people like that, after the race (Bershawn) was really happy for me but he’s training hard, he’ll run fast.”

In other highlights:

-          Former world junior champion Dani Samuels threw a world championship A-qualifying distance of 62.21m to take out the women’s discus in a surprise upset over Beijing Olympic champion Stephanie Brown-Trafton (61.72).

-          World 800m indoor champion Tamsyn Lewis claimed the women’s 400m in an A-qualifying time of 51.47, leading comfortably from midway through the race to fall just .03 short of her personal best.

-          Victorian Aaron Rouge-Serret took out the sprint double, equaling his personal best for the 100m (10.36) before slicing his lifetime best to 20.89 in the 200m.

-          Dual Olympic medallist Jared Tallent broke the Australian 5000m race walk record previously set by Nathan Deakes (18:45.19) in 2006. Finishing second behind Mexican Eder Sanchez (18.40.11), Tallent clocked 18:41.83.

-          Olympic bronze medallist David Oliver (13.29) stormed home to take out the men’s 110m hurdles, erasing Colin Jackson’s 1999 meet record of 13.30.

-          Olympic finalist Youcef Abdi put on a quality solo display to easily take out the 3000m steeplechase in 8:30.76, almost twenty seconds ahead of Peter Nowill (8:49.78).

-          Reigning Olympic and world champion Valerie Vili of New Zealand improved on her meet record from last year by 31 centimetres, launching the shot put 20.09m.

-          Olympic champion Melaine Walker (55.50) of Jamaica quashed reigning world champion Jana Rawlinson’s meet record of 55.63 set in 2000.

-          Three-time Olympic representative Sarah Jamieson claimed the 2009 national 5000m championship, pulling away from Lisa Weightman and Lara Tamsett to win in 15:54.64.

-          And to round out the night an ecstatic Ryan Gregson of NSW set a new Australian junior record in the 1500m overcoming Mike Hillardt’s long standing mark of 3:39.67 set way back in 1980. Gregson stopped the clock in 3:37.24 seeing him into third place behind Bahrain’s Yusuf Saad Kamel (3:36.72) and Victorian Collis Birmingham (3:37.01) in a race that had the crowd on its feet.

The action continues this Thursday night (March 5) at Melbourne’s Olympic Park, when the stars of Australian and international athletics compete at the World Athletics Tour - Melbourne.