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Juniors shine ahead of World Under 20 Championships

Published Tue 06 Apr 2021

All eyes have been on our track and field athletes aiming for Tokyo, but coming into the spotlight and impressing this season are the superb performances of our next generation of champions – our Under 20 talent.

Meet some of the stars aiming for selection for the World Under 20 Championships:

DISTANCE RUNNING

One of the most outstanding qualifiers for the World U20 Championships this summer has been 15-year-old Victorian half-miler Claudia Hollingsworth ( Craig Mottram) who ran 2:01.60 in Brisbane.

In that race, Hollingsworth just missed the national under-18 record, but became the fifth fastest teenager in Australian history. This performance came just a month after she placed second in the Box Hill Burn 1000m to Rio Olympian Linden Hall , but defeated national 800m record holder Catriona Bisset ( Peter Fortune). At the Box Hill Burn, Hollingsworth broke the national under-20 1000m record and set a world Under-18 records. Hollingsworth is able to see up close the different pathways athletes take to senior success.

Women’s distance running has been very strong with three other athletes qualifying in the 800m – Matilda Ryan ( Penny Gillies), Gigi Maccagnini (Peter Fortune) and World Youth Games medallists Jaylah Hancock-Cameron (Ande Kalamusic). At 1500m, an amazing five athletes have run the qualifying times, including four from NSW. Imogen Stewart (Owen Stewart) and Hancock-Cameron have multiple qualifiers, while Imogen Gardiner (Deb Walsham) and Nicola Hogg (Ben Liddy) have also met the standard. The most recent to dip under the 1500m mark is the Liz Mathews’ coached Lucinda Rourke who nailed the standard at the Melbourne Track Classic. In the 3000m Stewart has qualified along with Victorian Amy Bunnage (Tim O'Shaughnessy).

In the men's Queenslander Jude Thomas (Peter Reeves) has displayed tremendous distance running range, hitting the World Under 20 Championships standard in the 1500m, 3000m and 5000m. His times are of the highest standard, top-5 Australian all-time in the 3000m (8:00.07) and 5000m (13:53.25) and top-15 in the metric mile. Even quicker than Thomas over 1500m is Canberra’s Tom Palfrey (Lee Bobbin) with his 3:40.79 performance, the fourth fastest Australian junior all-time and fastest since Ryan Gregson set the national record 12 years ago. A third athlete, South Australia’s Adam Goddard (Adam Didyk), was the first to clock the standard in January. Over the weekend just passed, Ky Robinson ran 13:51.53 in the 5000m in the US.

Over the half-mile, Palfrey also has run two qualifiers, but the list is led by Sydney 16-year-old Charlie Jeffreson (Penny Gillies) with a bunch of qualifiers and a top-15 Australian junior all-time ranking. Just last week, a third athlete, Victoria’s Ethan McMinimee  ran 3:45.32 to join the list of qualifiers.

SPRINTERS/HURDLERS

A member of the senior Australian team at the 2019 World Championships, Ellie Beer, ( Brett Robinson) has been in top form this summer, clocking seven qualifiers over 200m and 400m. Over the one lap, she has cemented herself as the second best senior in the country behind Bendere Oboya (John Quinn). NSW pair Caitlyn Ferrier (Marilyn Pearson) and Sidney Burrell (Graham Garnett) also have qualifiers over the one lap, while Ferrier also has a 200m standard.

Perth-based 17-year-old Taylah Cruttenden (Braiden Clarke) has been unstoppable with a string of 100m qualifiers both at home and on trips to the East Coast, competing in the Canberra and Queensland Track Classics.

Brisbane’s Torrie Lewis (Gerrard Keating) also has multiple qualifiers in both the 100m and 200m. There is good depth in the 100m with Olivia Matzer (Brett Robinson) and Shola Adeniran (NSW, Dan Suchy) on or under the 11.80 standard, joined by Jessica Laurance in the 200m

In the men’s Caleb Law (Andrew Iselin) has a bunch of qualifiers in both sprints including a 10.53 clocking in the 100m. We await Ashley Wong (Travis Venema) to join the qualifiers list on the strength of his recent wind assisted 20.83 200m.

There is good depth in the 400m with three qualifiers led by Reece Holder (Sharon Dale), Tyson Bonney (Mark Ladbrook) and Joshua Atkinson (Graham Garnett). A long and triple jumper in his mid-teens, Holder owns a prestigious PB of 46.44.

Just one hurdler has achieved the World U20 Championships standard, Tay Willis (Peter Benifer) in the 110m hurdles. Willis, set five consecutive PBs this year, starting with a best of 14.46 and is now down to 13.69.

RACE WALKING

Three athletes have achieved the race walking standards in the 10km walk. Olivia Sandrey (Bob Cruise) achieved the standard in February, and joining her just last week as a qualifier was Alanna Peart (Wayne Peart). They have clocked times of 48:04 and 48:11.05 respectively. In the men’s, Will Thompson, a new athlete to the sport, has under the coaching of Brent Vallance made amazing progress and achieved three qualifiers this year.

JUMPS

Just 16, Tiana Boras (Nick Hodgson) has bounded twice past the standard with a best of 12.90m. Last summer she cleared the 13-metre barrier (jumping 13.07m), a distance only ever achieved by a dozen Aussie teenagers. At the Sydney Track Classic the progression of the heights neatly included the World U20 Championships standard of 4.07m, which Elyssia Kenshole (Bill Georgantas) successfully negotiated at her second attempt, before building on this last week with a vault of 4.26m, a Vic state age record In the same competition Olivia Gross (Vic, Hamish Nelson) cleared 4.07m to achieve a qualifier.  

NSW pair, Rosie Tozer (Mike Hamilyn-Harris) and Erin Shaw (Jack McArdle/Alex Stewart) have both achieved the high jump qualifying standard.

There is just one men’s qualifier in the jumps, with Aiden Hinson (Chloe Stevens) prolific in the triple jump with four jumps past the standard of 15.60m, topped by a best of 15.86m pushing him into the top-10 Australian junior all-time list.

THROWS

While the women’s have qualified in three of the four throws, the first men’s qualifier in any discipline, was recorded just a few days ago by Jett Carlin (Paul Carlin). He is on track to follow in the footsteps of his dad and coach Paul Carlin, selected in the World Junior squad in 1988 and uncle Sean Carlin, who was selected in the 1986 World Junior Championships team.

The women’s javelin, maybe inspired by our recently world champion Kelsey-Lee Barber, have been very active with three athletes nailing 10 qualifying marks, all since January 23.

Victorian Mackenzie Mielczarek (Steve Cain) was the first to qualify, going on to achieve five marks. A month later Lianna Davidson (Angus McEntyre) recorded her first qualifier and has hit a best of 54.64m, while South Australia’s Salumi Robberts (Andrew Fraser) joined the group in late February. All three athletes are now top-15 Australian juniors all-time.

Lyvante Su’emai (Junior Su’emai) has qualified in both the shot put and discus. This summer her discus has been very consistent around 51 metres, but her shot put has exploded, improving her best by 1.22m and is now Australia’s leading shot putter.

In the discus South Australia’s Marley Raikiwasa (SA, Di Ferguson) and Newcastle’s Ashlyn Blackstock (NSW, Gerry Targett) have also surpassed the qualifying standard.

COMBINED EVENTS

In winning the QLD State Championships back in December, Liam Gilbert (Qld, Brendan Peeters) surpassed the qualification standard of 7100 with a score of 7132.

Our future champions have been generously supported by Commonwealth Games Australia. We look forward to seeing them strive for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and beyond.

By David Tarbotton for Athletics Australia
Posted: 6/4/2021


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