11.06.2009

Record numbers bound for Bressanone

With less than a month to go until the 2009 world youth championships kick off in Bressanone, Italy, anticipation is mounting for the sixth edition of the meet and the future stars of track and field it’s sure to reveal.

Across a decade of competition the meet has uncovered countless athletics greats, including reigning World Athletes of the Year Usain Bolt (JAM) and Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS).

Isinbayeva, who holds the current women’s pole vault world record both indoors and outdoors, won the event at the inaugural edition of the world youth championships in Bydgoszcz in 1999 with a third round clearance at 4.10m, a mark that stood as the championship record until 2005.

Winner of three gold medals at the Beijing Olympic Games, Bolt set a world youth championships record of 20.40 over 200m in Sherbrooke in 2003 to claim the world youth title just a year after he became the youngest ever world junior champion in front of his home crowd in Kingston. Bolt’s competition record still stands.

In 2009 approximately 1500 athletes from 178 nations have registered to compete, the largest number of participating nations in the history of the meet.

The largest number of nations to have sent teams to the event prior to 2009 was in 2005, when 177 different nationalities took part in the fourth edition of the meet in Marrakesh, Morocco.

“The level of anticipation is great,” Organising Committee president Rudi Rienzner said.

“South Tyrol’s businesses have grasped the importance of this event and are proactively supporting the Organising Committee. Another indication of the local support was given when all 500 volunteering spots were filled within days and long before the start of the actual event.”

The all-new track and field stadium in the south of the city was successfully inaugurated last weekend ahead of the commencement of world youth competition on July 8.

“The international Brixia Meeting for youth qualifications was a successful test run, but there is still a lot to get done. Each day matters,” event manager Stefano Andreatta said.

A warm-up area will be added to the stadium complex on June 15 and the stands enlarged to hold another 5000 spectators ahead of the event.

The 24-strong Aussie contingent headed for Bressanone includes five under 20 national champions, with Paige Hooper (10,000m walk title-holder, selected to the 5000m walk), Brooke Stratton (long jump), Alexander Rowe (800m), Dane Bird-Smith (10,000m walk) and Huw Peacock (hammer throw) all set to compete.

Since their inception in 1999 the championships have proven a breeding ground for Australian talent, with Jana Rawlinson (Poland, 1999), Lisa Corrigan (Hungary, 2001), Jared Tallent (Hungary, 2001), Sally McLellan (Canada, 2003), Joel Milburn (Canada, 2003) and Dani Samuels (Morocco, 2005) just some of the names to have competed at earlier editions of the meet before going on to Olympic and world championships representation.

Past Australian gold medallists at the championships have included Rawlinson (400m hurdles - 1999), Georgie Clarke (800m - 1999, 1500m - 2001), McLellan (100m hurdles - 2001), Kimberley Mickle (javelin throw - 2001) and Samuels (discus throw - 2005).

In 2007 the Australian team brought home one gold medal (Vicky Parnov - pole vault), one silver medal (Hamish Peacock - javelin throw) and two bronze medals (Adam Bevis - octathlon, Josh Hall - high jump).