06.09.2010

Hooker, Pearson grab gold in Split

World, Olympic, world indoor and Commonwealth Games champion Steve Hooker (pole vault) and Beijing Olympics silver medallist Sally Pearson (100m hurdles) have won gold and fellow Commonwealth Games nominee Benn Harradine has set a new national benchmark in the men’s discus throw on a big  for Australia at the IAAF Continental Cup meet in Split (CRO).

Lining up for team Asia-Pacific at the two-day cross-continental championships, 28-year-old Hooker, who has endured a hectic international campaign highlighted by appearances at all seven pole vault competitions on the 2010 Diamond League calendar, took victory overnight with a new world-leading and competition record leap of 5.95m.

The win marks the first time in Hooker’s illustrious career that he has defended a world title after taking gold at the 2006 World Cup – now known as the Continental Cup – in Athens (GRE) with a leap of 5.80m.

“For the first time in my career I defended a world title,” Hooker said.

“Being a World Cup and Continental Cup title-holder for eight years gives me confidence for the Commonwealth Games. It was a very good jump, I'm now holding a world-leading result for the first time ever and I'll be very proud if it stays that way at the end of the season.”

The Australian team captain, who in 2010 set out to win the IAAF world indoor championships, defend his World Cup title and claim a second successive Commonwealth Games crown under the tutelage of coach Alex Parnov, now needs only to defend his Commonwealth gold medal in New Delhi (IND) next month to cross all three goals off his list and round out another outstanding year on the world stage which, as the result of a technical change, has brought with it some ups and downs.

“To defend this title was very important to me this year and we have sacrificed some of the season to work on some aspects of my jumping. I can now focus on the Commonwealth Games as that is the last remaining goal for the year,” he said.

After clearing heights of 5.40m, 5.65m and 5.75m, Hooker missed his first attempt at 5.85m then passed up his next opportunity at that height, rejoining the action at 5.90m and sailing over the bar on his first trip down the runway. Locked in a tense two-man struggle with Diamond Race winner Renaud Lavillenie (FRA) and in a scene somewhat reminiscent of the 2008 Olympic Games, it was a third-attempt clearance that eventually secured victory for Hooker, the Western Australian-based star soaring over 5.95m to snatch gold.

"It was quite like the Olympics in the end, just the two of us going jump for jump,” Hooker said.

"I think the only time I was in front was when Renaud passed at 5.75m and even then I think I was only level with Derek (Miles, USA).”

Hooker, who pockets a US$30,000 cash reward for his overnight win, said he would be looking to maintain focus for his last two outings of the year at the Great North City Games in Newcastle-Gateshead (GBR) on September 18 and the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, commencing on October 3.

“I'll try to keep my mentality for the last two competitions. This stadium is great and the crowd really loves athletics, they were cheering for every one of us,” he said.

Hooker was joined on the winners’ list in Split by in-form Queenslander Sally Pearson, who became the first Oceania athlete to claim the 100m hurdles crown in the history of the meet.

With five of the world’s current top 10 performers in the field the race was one of the most highly-anticipated events on the weekend’s program and did not disappoint, with just .03 separating first from third place.

Blasting out of the blocks in trademark fashion, Pearson crossed the line in 12.65 (w:-0.5) to take victory in a photo finish over Diamond Race winner Lolo Jones (USA, 12.66) and former world and Olympic champion Perdita Felicien (CAN, 12.68).

The 23-year-old Gold Coast resident, who works under coach Sharon Hannan, said she had already decided what she would do with the US$30,000 winner’s cheque she takes home from the meet.

“I’m really excited,” Pearson said.

“I came here to win and I did it. I’m going home with US$30,000 and since I’m looking for a new house it’s a good day’s work, it will help me.”

Also adding his name to the overnight highlights reel was discus specialist Benn Harradine, who bettered his own national record to clinch silver in the men’s discus event.

Opening his campaign with a throw of 64.72m, the 27-year-old Victorian hit the new national benchmark in Round 2 of the competition, sending the disc 66.45m to further the previous national standard he set in Salinas (USA) in May last year by eight centimetres.

Despite his impressive performance in Split overnight, Harradine said bigger and better results were ahead.

“I'm very satisfied because it's the first time I’ve broken a national record at such a big competition,” he said.

“Lack of experience was a big problem for me but now it seems that everything is in the right place. I'm building my form slowly for the Commonwealth Games so I wasn't really fresh here. I'm pretty sure I can do even better.”

In other results on the second and final day of competition in Split, Youcef Abdi clocked a season-best time of 8:23.39 to place sixth in the men’s 3000m steeplechase, Matt Davies (22.03, w:0.2) and Jody Henry (24.02, w:-0.6) placed seventh and sixth respectively in the men’s and women’s 200m events, Tristan Garrett finished eighth in the men’s 800m (1:50.32), Kaila McKnight placed ninth in the women’s 1500m (4:27.40) and Ben St Lawrence crossed the line eighth in the men’s 3000m (7:58.55).

In relay results, Australia’s men’s 4x400m relay team of Brendan Cole, Joel Milburn, Kevin Moore and Ben Offereins finished fourth in a time of 3:03.66, while the women’s team of Lauren Boden, Amanda Crook, Jody Henry and Olivia Tauro placed fourth in 3:33.32.

Rounding out the results in the field, 2008 Olympic finalist Jarrod Bannister finished just outside the medals in the men’s javelin event in fourth place with a throw of 79.99m and Gabrielle Neighbour placed sixth in the women’s hammer throw with a heave of 63.07m.

At the conclusion of the 2010 IAAF Continental Cup, team Asia-Pacific sat fourth in the overall standings with 283.5 points, trailing Europe (418 points), the Americas (404.5 points) and Africa (285 points).

Australia’s top track and field athletes will now turn their attention to the Great North City Games in Newcastle-Gateshead on Saturday, September 18, where they will hit the streets in a one-day battle for bragging rights over an all-England line-up.