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World youth athletes set to go
Australia's 22 world youth championships representatives are all set for tomorrow's departure for Europe after two days of competition on the Gold Coast.
The squad took advantage of ideal conditions at the Queensland track to fine-tune their preparations for the meet, to be held in Bressanone, Italy, from next Wednesday.
Day one action saw Queensland local Alex Beck steal the show in the last race of the day, storming home in the 400m to set a new personal best time of 48.02.
The time shaves .03 off the previous best mark of 48.05 Beck set at the Australian Under 20/23 Championships in Adelaide in April.
“It was a great run, I felt really strong through the last 200m of it and I let the New Zealand guy get away from me a bit at the end but I was really happy with it,” he said.
“The time has taken me a little bit by surprise, I’ve had a little bit of a back injury and just a few niggles here and there in training but I knew I was in good shape and it’s just really good to get the result.”
The one-lap specialist has already set his sights on bettering that mark overseas next week, the world youth titles the ultimate incentive to cracking the elusive 48.0 barrier.
“I have to crack that 48.0 and be a man in terms of 400m running and I’m getting closer to it so hopefully it will happen in Italy,” he said.
Beck was joined in the field by athletes from Ireland, New Zealand and Vanuatu, the strong field helping him across the line in career best time.
“It’s always good to run against quality opposition and for a guy who’s going to the world youths it’s really good to see some of the other athletes out there and see what I can do.”
800m runner Bronte Gange took on the girls' one-lap race, stopping the clock at 59.57.
In other track action New South Wales duo Mitchell Tysoe and Cameron Hyde went head-to-head in the 110m hurdles, clocking 14.02 and 14.22 respectively.
Kane Grimster and James Connor claimed the one-two double over 1500m, Grimster crossing the line in 3:51.39 to edge out his New South Wales rival in 3:54.43.
In the field Tasmanian Huw Peacock launched the hammer 62.92m, while Ben Talakai (53.32m) and Liam Speers (53.25m) battled out a close contest in the discus throw.
Peacock and Speers returned to the field to join world youth shot put representative Damien Birkinhead in the boys’ shot put event. Birkinhead threw 18.2m to take out the event ahead of Speers (17.49m) and Peacock (15.54m).
In the girls’ discus throw Taryn Gollshewsky recorded a best distance of 44.05m, just shy of her personal best 46.54m.
Rounding out the throws events, Brisbane athlete Luanga Andria posted 62.33m in the javelin.
In the jumps pit Victorian Brooke Stratton leapt 6.02m, within range of the personal best 6.10m she recorded in Brisbane in March.
Kurt Jenner recorded a best leap of 7.08m (w: 2.0) in the boys’ long jump event.
High jump duo Denise Snyder and Amy Pejkovic posted jumps of 1.70m and 1.77m respectively, while Andrew Neville cleared J2.00m.
Yesterday Queenslander Dane Bird-Smith turned on an impressive display in the 3000m walk.
The 16-year-old crossed the line in 12:00.34 (non-legal), more than three seconds ahead of his official personal best mark of 12:03.53.
“It was really good to have a good hit-out today, I was feeling so good coming into it that the problem was going to be trying to hold myself back for the 10,000m in Italy rather than letting it all out here today,” Bird-Smith said.
“I finished really strongly and pulled out a really good performance. This is probably the fittest I’ve ever been so it’s great, it’s great to know I have all this fitness behind me and I’m ready to race.
“It’s just another stepping stone to get to my absolute best so I’m just hoping I can peak again in Italy and pull out a really good personal best over there.“
Bird-Smith will line up in the 10,000m walk at next week’s world youth titles, the Queenslander using today’s race to fine-tune his speed ahead of the meet.
“Just getting that base speed was the aim today, if you can hold four-minute kilometre pace for one kilometre you’ve got to be able to hold it for 10 and I know I can hold it for three easy, so it’s good to see that I’ve got the speed there.”
One week out from the 2009 world youth titles, Bird-Smith has already set his sights on the athletes to watch in Bressanone.
“I’ve done a little bit of research and there’s a Chinese bloke, a Mexican, two Russians and an Italian who are all around the 42:00 mark, which is what I’m hoping to hit.”
In the girls’ 3000m walk Paige Hooper crossed the line in 14:23.80, with Shannon Jennings home in 15:20.20.
The race walkers were joined at the Gold Coast track by all 22 members of the world youth championships team, their ultimate hit-out on home soil before departing for Europe on Friday.
New South Wales athlete Cameron Hyde (11.18, w: 1.2) came tantalisingly close to a personal best time in the 100m, edging out teammate Mitchell Tysoe (11.20, w: 1.2) in the sprint before taking on the 110m hurdles.
“It was really good, I almost ran a PB in the 100m and the winds were swirling but it was a good run,” Hyde said.
“I got up and as soon as I got out of the blocks I felt great so I was pretty happy with that.
“I’ve only ever beaten Mitchell twice over the 100m and the second time was today so now I’ve just got to try to get him in the hurdles, it’s good fun.”
Today’s sprint-hurdles double simulated the schedule both Hyde and Tysoe will face in Bressanone.
“It was just like in Italy where there’s going to be a semi-final and then the final within the hour so it was good practice and I found it alright so everything’s working well,” Hyde said.
Tysoe backed up his 100m effort with an impressive run over the hurdles, storming home in a close finish in 13.82 (NWI) ahead of Hyde in 14.11 (NWI).
“The hurdles went great, I came out after the 100m not too happy so I wanted to do another run and everything went how I wanted it to go so I was really happy with it,” Tysoe said.
“I would have been happy with anything around 14.00 because I was tired from the 100m so it was a bonus to get that time. It gives me heaps of confidence and I didn’t hit any hurdles so I was really happy with that.”
The New South Welshman said the friendly rivalry he shared with teammate Hyde would prove a key advantage at next week’s world youth event.
“I think we’re heaps luckier than everyone else because we’ve got someone to push us so it’s not like we’re running by ourselves, we’re running as quick as each other and that really helps out.”
In other action on the track, 800m runner Jordan Williamsz and 1500m runner James Connor took on the 400m, the pair crossing the line in the one-lap event in 49.41 and 52.26 respectively.
Williamsz's time shaves over a second off his previous best result over 400m.
World youth 800m runners Alexander Rowe and Bronte Gange contested the two-lap race, Rowe home in 1:52.09 and Gange across the line in 2:16.32.
Fresh from setting a new personal best time in the 400m yesterday, Alex Beck took on the 200m, coming up against some strong competition from New Zealand’s world youth sprint representatives to finish in 22.58.
In the field Huw Peacock threw 65.24m in the hammer event, while Luanga Andria bettered yesterday’s javelin result by over two metres to throw 64.74m.
Long jumpers Kurt Jenner and Brooke Stratton rounded out the day's action, leaping 6.88m and 5.88m respectively.
Keep up to date with all the latest news and results from the 2009 world youth championships here.
Image: Jodi Lambert
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