21.03.2009

Lewis all smiles after 400m hurdles win

Tamsyn Lewis has tonight become the first Australian to claim national titles in the 400m, 400m hurdles and 800m track events and surpassed Raelene Boyle and Catherine Freeman on the list of all-time national title-holders.

Lewis joined Sally McLellan, Jeff Riseley and Fabrice Lapierre as the headline acts on the closing night of the 87th Australian Athletics Championships at Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre.

The event doubled as the selection trials for this year’s world championships in Berlin, with ten athletes automatically securing their place on the Australian team across the three-day competition – Sean Wroe (400m), Jeff Riseley (1500m), Tristan Thomas (400 hurdles), Fabrice Lapierre (long jump), Justin Anlezark (shot put), Sally McLellan (100m), Tamsyn Lewis (400m), Donna MacFarlane (3000m steeplechase), Dani Samuels (discus) and Kimberley Mickle (javelin).

The 30-year-old Victorian won her first 400m hurdles title and 15th national title since her debut win in the 800m in 1998.

Competing in the hurdles at a national championships for the first time in her career, Lewis took out the race in a personal best time of 56.27 (formerly 57.90) ahead of ACT athlete Lauren Boden in 56.33.

“That was just so exciting, I did not expect to win at all,” she said.

“I did everything wrong from about five onwards and I swear to God I thought I was going to hit a hurdle at the end because I was so fatigued.

“(My coaches) said to me last week I was doing this at nationals and I nearly decked them, I thought ‘oh my goodness, I’ve only run four of these things’ and I hadn’t gone through a race without hitting one so I thought they were crazy but I guess I owe them.”

Lewis said she had not ruled out competing in the event at the Berlin world championships in search of a major final.

“I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t think I could do it,” she said.

“My goal is to make a world final and if I believe I’m closer to it in the 400m hurdles, I’ll run the 400m hurdles.”

Olympic silver medallist Sally McLellan claimed her fourth national double, tonight adding the 100m hurdles championship to her 100m title.  

McLellan won the event in a meet record time of 12.74 (w:-1.3), blitzing international challengers Mami Ishino (13.73, w:-1.3) and Veronica Torr (13.99, w:-1.3).  

“I’ve been so mad because I haven’t been able to run fast this whole time and to come out in my last event for the Australian season is just so exciting,” McLellan said.

“That’s my second-fastest (run) on home soil and it’s actually even more exciting in front of a home crowd.”

The 22-year-old Gold Coast local will now turn her attention to securing a world finals berth in Berlin. 

“I’ll be going to the world championships with high hopes obviously of making the final,” she said.

“It’s going to be a bit tougher this year because we’ll have all the girls in it that were out to injury last year so it’s going to be tough but I think I can do it, especially running that fast.”

22-year-old Victorian Jeff Riseley booked his ticket to Berlin, posting a meet record, new personal best and A-qualifying time in the men’s 1500m.

Riseley took out the win in 3:35.71 to better Mike Hillardt’s 1984 meet record of 3:36.26 and shave .32 off his previous best.

“It’s been great, I’ve won every race I’ve entered this domestic season and I’ve won them all finishing off hard and feeling like there’s another gear there so it’s good to get out there tonight and see what I can do,” he said.

Riseley was pushed all the way by Jeremy Roff (3:37.62) but ran out the final lap to clinch the narrow win.

“I was really confident in the last 400m that the training I’ve done in the last six months since Beijing was going to pay off and it did tonight,” he said.

“One of the good things about tonight is being able to compete when it matters and that’s something I haven’t done in the past.

“When the world championships come around I’ve bombed out and I haven’t won a national title so it’s just really good to get out there and win for my confidence and know that when it’s on the line I can do it.”

After qualifying eighth for the men’s long jump final and fouling four attempts, Fabrice Lapierre landed an A-qualifying leap of 8.29m (w:0.8) to claim the national title.

The last-ditch jump was the third best ever recorded by an Australian male, surpassing 1984 Olympic silver medallist and former national record holder Gary Honey (8.27m) on the all-time list, and bettered Lapierre’s previous career-high mark of 8.19m set in Italy in 2006.

“I was kind of scared, I kept fouling and I wanted to make the world championships team so I just had to put it all together for the last jump and make sure I didn’t foul it,” Lapierre said.

“I knew I had something like that in me.”

The US-based 25-year-old now has Jai Taurima’s national record of 8.49m (Sydney, 2000) in his sights.

“I believe in myself and I know I can do it, I can get a big one out there one of these days.”

In other highlights:

- Dani Samuels eclipsed the field in the women’s discus throw, her 60.05m effort shoring up a fifth national title in the event.

- Aaron Rouge-Serret took out the men’s 200m in 20.95 (w:2.0) ahead of Matt Davies and Joshua Ross in equal second (21.17, w:2.0)  

- Justin Anlezark won his ninth national shot put title and secured his place on the world championships team with a throw of 20.03m in the event.

- ACT young gun Melissa Breen won the women’s 200m title in 23.96 (w:0.0), her first at the senior level.

- Target 2012 athlete Justin Merlino claimed the men’s 110m hurdles in 13.95 (w:-0.6).

The following athletes with a disability claimed national titles on day three of competition:

- Wade McMahon (T/F37) - men’s javelin throw (ambulant), 37.15m

- Madeleine Hogan (T/F46) - women’s javelin throw (ambulant), 34.50m

- Sam Carter (T54) - men’s 200m (wheelchair), 29.29 (w:-3.1)

- Brad Scott (T/F37) - men’s 800m (ambulant), 2:09.10

- Greg Hibberd (T/F34) - men’s shot put (seated), 10.44m

- Louise Ellery (T/F32) - women’s shot put (seated), 5.02m

- Julie Smith (T/F46) - women’s 200m (ambulant), 27.75 (w:-0.2)

- Tim Sullivan (T38) - men’s 200m (ambulant), 24.13 (-1.1)

For all results from day three, click here.

For all results from the 87th Australian Athletics Championships, click here.