The best of the best to light up the track at Maurie Plant Meet – Melbourne

An Olympic champion, the world’s fastest man, Australia’s newest global medallists plus a slew of Australia’s most prolific Olympians and Paralympians.

The Maurie Plant Meet – Melbourne, Australia’s first World Athletics Continental Tour Gold level meet on Thursday looks set to offer Australian sports fans a meet like no other and build on the momentum of Australian athletics.

The Continental Tour Gold series is the uppermost level on the World Athletics Continental Tour calendar, sitting just under the Diamond League in status. Each meet attracts the best athletes across the globe, with 14 existing meets offered in Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas and for the next three years, in Oceania.

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Peter Norman 200m

He is the fastest man in the world and the main attraction of the night, Fred Kerley is ready to roll in the Peter Norman 200m with his eyes fixed on Frankie Frederick’s Australian Allcomers record of 19.92 from last century.

The 6’4 reigning 100m world champion has settled in well down under and was quick to assert that the track in Melbourne feels fast, with Kerley set to take on Australia’s fastest man Rohan Browning and World Under 20 medallist Calab Law.

“Me? I like competing, competing on a new continent and this was one of the last continents to compete on. Every time I step on the track it should be something fast and I know my training has been going good,” Kerley said.

“Come see us world-class athletes compete on your home soil. It should be something fast, so come out."

Kerley’s personal best of 19.76-seconds places him in a league of his own on paper, but the raw talent of Law and Australian Under 20 record holder at 20.41-seconds Aidan Murphy will have nothing to lose and it all to gain when taking on the global star.

Question marks surround Tokyo Olympic sensation Browning having only raced twice in the event since 2018, but the 10.01-second man over 100m possesses the class to guarantee it won’t be slow. Japan’s Jun Yamashita (20.40) adds another element of interest to the star-studded bout.

“It’s so exciting to run against a class athlete like Fred in the 200m, I am so inexperienced in the event that I’m not thinking with any limits. I don’t think there is any result that would surprise me in the shape that I am in,” Browning said.

“If I could run around 20.20-30, that would be a great starting point.”

John Landy Mile  

Rio 2016 Olympic 1500m champion Matthew Centrowtiz is set to go head-to-head with Commonwealth champion Oliver Hoare in the John Landy Memorial Mile, with the race featuring 16-year-old sensation Cameron Myers, Paralympic star Jaryd Clifford and Kiwi Samuel Tanner.

Hoare torched his way to third at the prestigious Millrose Games in an equal Australian indoor record of 3:50.81 before leading out Australia’s Mixed 4x2km Relay en route to world bronze at the World Cross Country Championships. Tanner has clocked a swift 3:51.70 over the distance this month when finishing behind Hoare in New York, with the Trans-Tasman rivals trading blows before the race.

“Coming off a 3:50 mile in New York, I am pretty confident in my ability. Meeting my boy Centro on home turf is going to be exciting, he is an incredible competitor and also the Kiwis is always a good rivalry,” Hoare said.

Matthew Ramsden will be out to put the disappointment of withdrawing from the Senior 10km at Bathurst behind him along with teammates Callum Davies and Jude Thomas, while teammate Ryan Gregson will honour Maurie Plant with his return to the track. Clifford will be chasing a slice of history when racing to shatter the four-minute barrier.

The distance races alone feature 21 Olympians, 32 World Cross Country representatives and 10 medallists who have combined by 12 medals. 

Women’s Long Jump

One of the night’s feature events will be the women’s Long Jump when Australia’s Brooke Buschkuehl (nee Stratton) lines up against USA star Tara Davis-Woodhall. Davis-Woodhall will be fired up to impress the Australian crowds after setting a new world lead of 6.99m at the United States Indoor Championships over the weekend. The last time the duo met Buschkuehl set a huge Australian record of 7.13m, while Davis jumped a herculean 7.24m with an illegal tail wind.

“The distances speak for themselves. What she jumped then was enormous, that sort of distance is phenomenal, but it is proof that if you have world-class athletes to jump with, it will push you, and to have Tara here for the Maurie Plant Meet is great,” Buschkuehl said.

Buschkuehl and Davis-Woodhall will also be pushed by fellow Australian jumpers Samantha Dale and World Athletics Under 20 Championships finalist Emelia Surch.

Women’s 1500m

An international affair awaits in the Women’s 1500m with US Olympic stars Heather MacLean and Emma Coburn, along with Ethiopian World Under 20 medallists Medina Eisa and Melknat Wudu, but no one will be more popular than Australia’s trio of Jessica Hull, Abbey Caldwell and Georgia Griffith.

World Cross Country bronze medallists Hull and Caldwell waste no time in returning to the fray in a bid to build on their home-soil success, while World Championship finalist Griffith possesses fresh legs and strong credentials. Led by Australian record holder Hull at 3:58.81, the three occupy positions one, three (Griffith) and seven (Caldwell) on the Australian all-time list.

MacLean clocked a slick indoor mile of 4:23.42 for the win in Boston earlier this month and looms as the major danger to spoil the Australian party, while compatriot and steeplechase world champion Coburn has forged a long resume as a fierce competitor.

“It’s always great to race Heather [MacLean] and Emma [Coburn], I race them a couple of times a year. To have them down here during the northern hemisphere indoor season is great to showcase the Australian summer,” Hull said.

Neither Eisa or Wudu have registered an official time over 1500m, but their versatility over a range of distances indicates that they will be competitive.

Women’s High Jump

A gold meet on Australian soil has Nicola Olyslagers’ name written all over it. No one will relish the energy of the bustling crowd at Lakeside Stadium more than the equal Australian record holder at 2.02m, with the Olympic silver medallist in fine touch after opening her season with a 1.98m clearance.

Olyslagers will lead the way for 18-year-old high-flyer Erin Shaw who has already improved on the form that took her to fourth at last year’s World Under 20 Championships, making her indoor debut with back-to-back 1.90m performances in Europe. The Australian duo occupy the top-two seedings ahead of New Zealand combination of Keeley O’Hagan and Imogen Skelton, who have career-bests of 1.89m and 1.86m respectively.

“1.98m was a great start and a great confidence booster. It’s a bit like a birthday cake, I don’t know what I’m going to get myself into, I’m just putting all the stuff in and hoping that it comes out well. I haven’t competed in Melbourne for eight years but I am in shape the crowd can lift me to new heights,” Olyslagers said.

The animated Olyslagers will get the party rocking on the bend and World Under 20 finalist Toby Stolberg is set to follow suit after a strong off-season for the 1.82m-jumper at 16-years-old.

Men’s Discus

The Men’s Discus is bound for Geelong and will see Commonwealth Games Champion Matthew Denny take on New Zealand Record Holder Connor Bell at John Landy field. Denny unleashed at the Chemist Warehouse Adelaide Invitational with a throw of 64.39m, however, it will be Bell who enters the competition with the furthest season best after throwing 66.14m in New Zealand. Head to head, Denny has come out on top every time, but Bell will be looking to end that streak come Wednesday afternoon in Geelong. Denny and Bell will also be joined by Australian Decathlon and Olympic Bronze medalist Ash Moloney.

Women’s 3000m

A strong Australian middle-distance contingent will be out to topple World Under 20 Cross Country champion Senayet Getachew, Japanese record holder Nozomi Tanaka and Ugandan Olympian Prisca Chesang over 3000m, with Tokyo Olympians Rose Davies and Linden Hall spearheading the charge.

Five Australian World Cross Country representatives from Bathurst will feature over 7.5 laps, with four seniors including Davies, Caitlin Adams, Georgia Hansen and Leanne Pompeani – along with junior representative Amy Bunnage.

They will have to find an extra gear to chase down the internationals of Getachew who won gold in Bathurst over 6km, along with Chesang and Tanaka who finished 7^th and 14^th respectively at Saturday’s Senior 10km event at Bathurst. Three-time Olympic finalist Genevieve Gregson will make her return to the track in a high performance setting, set to honour the great Maurie Plant who was pivotal in setting up her decorated career.

“Melbourne just reminds me of Maurie, especially Lakeside. I feel like I can still hear his booming voice from when he used to do commentary. To represent him with Ryan is such an honour, he was at our wedding and to compete in his honour is really special. I hope we run well enough to make him proud,” Gregson said.  

Men’s 100m Ambulant

Australia’s fastest Paralympian Chad Perris and the US Paralympic medallist Hunter Woodhall spearhead a star-studded Men’s 100m Ambulant race, with Australia’s depth in the para sprinting ranks set to be a highlight of the night.

Perris recently clocked a scorching T13 Australian record of 10.65-seconds and on paper will only be challenged for line honours by Woodhall who holds a 10.85-second best as a double leg amputee. The race extends beyond the clock with the multi-class scoring system, with five-time Paralympic champion Evan O’Hanlon, Tokyo Paralympic champion James Turner, and Commonwealth Games silver medallist Jaydon Page all in the mix.

Turner is enjoying a strong season to date and emphasised the importance of the event: 

“It’s quite important to remind everyone that we are still out there running. We tend to disappear for four years and then show up every Paralympic year, so it is good to remind everyone that we are out here running fast every year,” Turner said. 

Women’s Hammer Throw

The Maurie Plant Meet will get underway with an international field of women in the Hammer Throw competition, headlined by Ukrainian athlete Iryna Klymets and New Zealand’s Lauren Bruce. Klymets will be flying the flag proudly for Ukraine after her training was interrupted earlier in the year following explosions near her training grounds. A last minute four-day dash to head down under for the Maurie Plant Meet – a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Level meet, won’t dampen Klyments spirits as she looks to unleash. Oceania Record holder Lauren Bruce leads the field with a huge personal best of 74.61m, but will face tough competition from Klyments, France’s Rose Loga and Australia’s Alexandra Hulley.

Men’s 3000m

Australia’s biggest name in middle-distance running Stewart McSweyn is set to take on World Cross Country Under 20 champion Ishmail Kipkurui over 3000m, with the Australian record holder confirmed to start fresh off securing a world bronze medal in the Mixed 4x2km Relay at Bathurst.

McSweyn’s career-best of 7:28.02 serves as the national record and the front-running Australian will relish the opportunity to race the might of East Africa with Uganda’s Dan Kibet also joining the chase after finishing fourth in the Under 20 race over 8km in Bathurst.

“It’s a massive night being named after the great Maurie Plant. He was a guy who meant so much to me on a personal level as an Australian, but also to so many others and internationals. It’s going to great to honour his name and hopefully I can put on a show,” McSweyn said.

A host of Australian talent including Isaac Heyne and Matthew Clarke add depth to the encounter, along with Japan’s Shu Hasegawa.

Women’s 100m

Australia’s sprinters will dominate the start line for the Women’s 100m, the final women’s track event of the Maurie Plant Meet. Fourth on the Australian all-time rankings, Hana Basic’s 11.16 (1.8) is the fastest amongst the eight starters, however Naa Anang and Ella Connolly have both run sub-11.40 in 2023 and will look to cross the finish line first at Lakeside Stadium.

The race features six sub-11.40 second Australians who have all run personal bests in the last two years. 

Men’s 100m

The final event of the night will cap off a huge showing of International and Australian talent with the Men’s 100m. Australia’s fastest man Rohan Browning will return to the start line alongside 2022 World Athletics Championships semi-finalist Edward Osei-Nketia, New Zealander Tiaan Wheltpon and Tasmanian sprinter Jacob Despard. Osei-Nketia, Wheltpon and Despard have all run sub-10.21 this year, but Browning will be the focus as he looks to crack the 10-second barrier and became only the second Australian to do so.

Men’s 800m

Five Aussies, two Kiwis and a man from Malta – the 800m is set to be hot.

Local hopes Charlie Hunter and Jye Perrott will be challenged by New Zealand’s James Preston and Brad Mathas, with the quartet holding the fastest seed times on paper led by Hunter’s 1:44.35. Lachlan Raper delivered an eye-catching run to get his national campaign off to a winning start at the Adelaide Invitational in a rough contest, while Luke Boyes and Riley McGown have been two of the bolters of the season to date.

Women’s 100m Hurdles

Michelle Jenneke and Celeste Mucci go head-to-head in the Women’s 100m Hurdles.  Jenneke bested Mucci in the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games 100m Hurdles final, but Mucci’s blistering 12.97(+0.9) at the AIS track in January means the Victorian is clocking close to personal best times and will aim to replicate the fast times in front of a home crowd.

The race features three of the top-six Australians on the all-time list. 

Men’s Long Jump

Australia’s top jumpers will open their 2023 campaign at the Maurie Plant Meet alongside Tokyo 2020 Olympic Bronze Medallist Ash Moloney. Australian Decathlete Moloney will be joined by Australian jumping stars Henry Frayne, Darcy Roper and Christopher Mitrevski. Based on their jumping in 2022, eight-meter jumpers Frayne and Mitrevski lead the field, however up and comer Jalen Rucker will be looking to disrupt any forgone conclusion and take out the win following his promising 7.88m leap in January.

Women’s 200m

Oceania athletes will dominate the Women’s 200m race and see the return of Riley Day from injury as she takes on New Zealand’s Georgia Hulls and Australian teammates Ella Connolly and Torrie Lewis. Day leads the field with a personal best of 22.56, however Georgia Hulls’ recent 22.84 (1.8) means the Kiwi is looking lightening fast for her run at Lakeside Stadium on Thursday night.

By  Lachlan Moorhouse and David Smith, Athletics Australia
Posted: 21/2/2022