28.08.2010

Pearson, Birmingham in form in Brussels

Australia’s top track and field athletes have shown their preparations for the XIX Commonwealth Games are on track with some strong results on the final leg of the IAAF Diamond League tour in Brussels (BEL) overnight.

Olympic silver medallist Sally Pearson was the highest placed of the six Australians in action at the Memorial van Damme meet, the 23-year-old Queenslander finishing second in the 100m hurdles in a time of 12.64 (w:0.0).

Pearson was joined in the closing round of the 14-meet Diamond League series by world champions Steve Hooker (fifth, pole vault) and Dani Samuels (fourth, discus throw), national 10,000m record-holder Collis Birmingham (eighth, 1500m) and fellow Commonwealth Games nominees Jarrod Bannister (fourth, javelin throw) and Ben Offereins (ninth, 400m – non-Diamond League event) on a big night of track and field action in Brussels.

Launching out of the blocks with trademark speed, Pearson was the early leader in the 100m hurdles before Diamond Race winner Priscilla Lopes-Schliep (CAN) turned on the burners in the dash to the line to take victory by just 0.10.

In five appearances on the Diamond League tour Pearson has secured four podium finishes – including a win on the Stockholm (SWE) leg of the tour earlier this month – to show she is once again at the top of her game and will be a force to be reckoned with in New Delhi (IND) in October.

Joining Pearson on the highlights reel overnight was in-form middle distance athlete Collis Birmingham, who posted his third personal best performance in four appearances on the 2010 Diamond League circuit.

Testing his speed over 1500m the Commonwealth Games 5000m and 10,000m nominee clocked a career-low time of 3:35.50 to shave .26 off his previous best mark of 3:35.76 recorded in Rieti (ITA) in September last year and cross the line in eighth place amongst the 18-man field.

The result rounds out a successful season on the Diamond League tour for the 25-year-old Victorian, who opened his campaign with a new personal best time of 13:10.97 over 5000m at the Eugene (USA) edition of the tour in July and earlier this month lowered his best time over 3000m to 7:42.39 in London (GBR).

Diamond Race winner Asbel Kiprop (KEN) took out the event in a season-best time of 3:32.18.

In the field, Dani Samuels placed fourth in the women’s discus throw with a best effort of 62.13m, the reigning world title-holder turning on a consistent series of throws with distances of 55.21m, 60.16m, 59.99m, 60.16m and 59.87m before landing her best mark of the day with her sixth and final attempt.

World and Olympic runner-up Yarelis Barrios (CUB, 65.96m) clinched the Diamond Race title despite finishing in second place to Croatia’s Sandra Perkovic (66.93m).

Fellow world champion Steve Hooker finished fifth on the pole vault runway with a leap of 5.65m, Germany’s Malte Mohr taking out the event with a personal best clearance of 5.95m. Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie placed second with a height of 5.80m, enough to secure him the Diamond Race crown.

In other field action Jarrod Bannister finished fourth in the men’s javelin throw with a best distance of 82.05m. Opening his account with a throw of 81.55m, Bannister hit his best form of the day in Round 2 of the competition before running into foul trouble in the final rounds.

World and Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen (NOR) took victory – and the Diamond Race title – with a throw of 89.88m.

On the track Ben Offereins placed ninth in the men’s 400m, one of several non-Diamond League events on the program, in a time of 46.74 behind Nery Brenes (CRC) in 44.92.

With the curtain now closed on the 2010 Diamond League series the athletics world turns its attention to the IAAF Continental Cup in Split (CRO) from September 4-5, as the countdown to the XIX Commonwealth Games continues.