PREVIEW | Day 7 of the 2022 Australian Track and Field Championships

Day 7 of the 2022 Australian Track & Field Championships will be our biggest day yet at Sydney Olympic Park, stacked with finals which should see some of the first athletes selected to the Australian team heading to Oregon, and more athletes nominated to the Commonwealth Games Australia team heading to Birmingham.

Decathlon 

Over the past five years, Australian stocks in decathlon have been on the rise, highlighted by Ash Moloney’s iconic bronze medal win in Tokyo. Over the next two days, spectators will have the opportunity to witness some of Australia’s greatest athletes in the sport as they push themselves over ten events to take the moniker of “Australia’s greatest athlete” of 2022. 

With the absence of Moloney, the title of Australia’s greatest athlete is up for grabs, and two-time Olympian Cedric Dubler has his eyes firmly on the prize. Last time we saw Dubler compete in a full decathlon was at the Olympics where he famously willed his teammate to the finish line in the final event as he batted himself to get to the finish line with a hamstring injury, but since then Dubler has been putting in the hard work to ensure he is as ready as possible to qualify for the World Athletics Championships and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. 

He’s made major changes to his coaching set up, with Chris Gaviglio taking charge of his training, and on his way to tinkering with a new training program, he’s already set a new personal best in the 400m earlier this year in Queensland.  

Up against him, and not far off is Cedric’s best point score is 28-year-old Daniel Golubovic who boasts a personal best point score of 8336, set at the Queensland Combined Event Championships in December last year. The Duke University graduate too is hitting his strides this year setting personal bests in eight of the ten events over the last six months. In fact, he now has the upper hand to Cedric in four events, including the 400m, 1500m, shot put and discus. 

Alec Diamond, who won national bronze last year will also contest for a spot on the podium and a shot at wearing green and gold, as will 20-year-old Liam Gilbert who will take on only his second Open age decathlon against some of the big guns of the sport. 

Heptathlon 

The women’s version of the combined event, the hepathlon sees Australia’s greatest female athletes compete across the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200m sprint on the first day, with long jump, javelin throw and the 800m run to conclude the event. 

Defending Australian champion Taneille Crase finished the 2021 hepathlon with a point score of 5304 and is ready to come back stronger to challenge for her second consecutive title. At the Queensland Combined Event Championships, the 27-year-old dramatically improved her point score from 12 months ago, with a 5773 win and she’s set to go better again at the Australian Championships. Over the past six months, she has secured new personal bests in five of the seven events, proving that the 27-year-old is entering her prime as she looks to work towards a result 6420 that would qualify her for the World Athletics Championships. 

Alysha Burnette, who won silver at the 2017 World University Games will be vying for the title as well as a spot on her second World Championships and Commonwealth Games teams but is also using this as an opportunity to stretch her legs after a hiatus of almost 18 months from the sport. Burnette hasn’t competed in a hepathlon since 2020, but has so far contested five of the seven events over a period of two months.  

2019 Australian Tori West will also be hunting for gold over the following two days, as the 26-year-old aims to wear the green and gold once again. She is the only one in the field who has recent hepathlon experience, acquiring 5582 points in January in Canberra as she builds towards her personal best of 6028, recorded in Brisbane in early 2020.

Men’s Open 100 Heats / Final (ambulant) 

A bevvy of Paralympians and para athletes will toe the line for a chance at the 100m ambulant title today. While multi-class events prove to be more challenging for spectators to decipher, three key athletes to watch in the men’s event are The White Tiger himself, Chad Perris who ran a comfortable 11.08 in the able-bodied qualifiers yesterday, as well as T47 athlete Jaydon Page, and long jumper Nicholas Hum who competes in his second event for the Championships. 

Perris boasts an impressive 10.81 personal best, but with an event on the Birmingham 2022 program, Page will be fighting fierce as he uses these Championships as key preparations ahead of the Commonwealth Games. Page is currently the number one athlete in the Commonwealth, meaning nomination will come easy for him next month, but with much on the line come August, he’ll be taking every inch of experience he can get to ensure he is in the best shape possible.. 

Women’s Open 100m Heats / Final (ambulant) 

Isis Holt has impressed year upon year since entering the para athletics circuit as a young teenager, but as she’s gotten older, she’s gained wordly experience, making her all the more wiser. Last year we saw Holt win Paralympic silvers in the sprint double in Tokyo, improving upon own world record in the 100m – only to be beaten by rival China’s Xia Zhou who won double gold, both in world record time. 

Holt doesn’t have a major Championship this year, meaning this is her one chance to flex at a major event, but she’ll also be up against Tokyo Paralympian Rhiannon Clarke who will be out to strengthen her preparations for the Commonwealth Games, where she hopes to step up a place on the dais to win gold.  

Men’s Open Shot Put (ambulant) 

The heavyweights Paralympic throwing will contend for the Men’s Open Shot Put (ambulant) title today, and with the likes of three-time Paralympian Todd Hodgetts, Commonwealth and world champion Cameron Crombie, and world championships bronze medallist Marty Jackson all vying for the championship, this will be an event not to miss. 

Crombie and Jackson have battled it out ever since making their international debut together at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships, where Crombie broke the world record to win gold with Jackson placing fourth, but the latter of the two has steadily moved closer over the years as Crombie turned his attention to javelin in a bid to be selected for the Paralympics. Just 2cm separates the two now, and tomorrow will reveal whether Jackson has overtaken his friendly foe. 

A special mention to eight-time Paralympian Russell Short, who returns to competition for the first time since retiring from international competition in 2018. F21 athlete Hugo Taheny will also make his return to competition again today in a bid to better his world record of 11.20m set in January this year  

Women’s 100m Open Finals (wheelchair) 

Angie Ballard is back in action today as she backs up from her 1500m race against Madison de Rozario, to take on the Women’s Open 100m wheelchair race. She’ll be up against T34 athlete Robyn Lambird from Western Australia, who winning bronze in the event in Tokyo, will be taking a shot at glory at the Commonwealth Games. Sarah Clifton Bligh and Rosemary Little will contend their second events in as many days, after finding themselves on the podium in the seated shot put.  

Open Men’s Discus  

After a foul with his first throw in qualifying, Matthew Denny quickly hit his straps with a 60.94m effort on his second attempt before the tracksuit quickly went back on. The man-mountain who fell just 5cm short of Olympic bronze in Tokyo is attacking his 2022 campaign as he eyes medals on the global stage, with today’s final appearing to be a formality. 

Lachlan Page threw 54.00m in qualifying, whilst Nicholas Dyson (VIC) cleared the 50m-barrier with a throw of 51.12m. Under 20 Champion Darcy Miller will be another to keep a keen eye on. 

Open Men’s High Jump 

A battle in three looms in the Open Men’s High Jump, with Joel Baden, Yual Reath, Oscar Miers the main contenders in the field.  

Baden leads the way in 2022 with his 2.27m clearance, but Reath and Miers are breathing down his neck with their jumps of 2.25m – setting up an enticing national final. Having represented Australia at the 2016 Olympic Games and entering as the runner up from 2021, Baden may be the favourite for the event – albeit a narrow one.  

Stay tuned for what should be an entertaining final.  

Open Women’s Triple Jump 

Kayla Cuba threw her hat into the ring for the national triple jump title with her 13.12m personal best performance in qualifying, now heading into the final as a major contender. Cuba’s steady progression over a number of years leaves her primed to take home her first Australian title, but she will have to overcome Desleigh Owusu who leapt 12.85m in qualifying if she is to do so.  

Owusu is the in-form Australian having won the triple jump events at both the Adelaide Invitational and Sydney Track Classic, a streak that she will be looking to continue come today’s final.  

Uzbekistan’s Roksana Khudoyarova will look to cause an upset on Australian soil and build on her 12.89m qualifying jump. 

Open Men’s Triple Jump

Connor Murphy and Julian Konle share the top seed in the Open Men’s Triple Jump having both jumped 16.22m this season, with Ayo Ore the only other Australian man to have cleared the 16-metre barrier.

The triple jump contests throughout the Chemist Warehouse Summer Series have produced exciting contests on the runway, with athletes bringing the energy and inviting the crowd to become invested in the event. Defending champion Shemaiah James is another big name to watch in the affair, capable of bringing his best on the big stage.

100m semi-finals / finals  

The fastest men and women nationwide gave little away in the first round of the blue riband events, with athletes keeping their cards close to their chest ahead of today’s remaining two rounds.   

Ella Connolly has been Australia’s premier sprinter all season and will be eager to continue her form ahead of the most important race of the season, with Bree Masters  looking the most capable of the challengers who may cause an upset. Connolly’s 11.25 best has only been bettered this year by Zoe Hobbs, with the Kiwis’ inclusion likely to spur the Australian to produce her absolute best. 

Mia Gross has forced her name into medal conversations with her consistency this season, whilst 2021 bronze medallist Naa Anang won her heat in style.   

For the men it was Josh Azzopardi who clocked the fastest time of the night with his 10.19 (+4.4), but the significant wind reading does little to solve the mystery of who Australia’s fastest man is in the absence of Rohan Browning. Jack Hale looked in top shape when winning his first-round bout in 10.28 (+2.1), whilst Jake Doran’s 10.33 (+1.9) places him alongside Hale as two of the main men. Jacob Despard won his heat in 10.30 (+2.8) to back up his windy 10.11 run at the Melbourne Track classic. 

Junior Jai Gordon returned after Saturday’s Under 20 win with a 10.35 (+1.3) to progress to the semis, but the Australian contingent will all have to overcome international athletes Edward Osei-Nketia (New Zealand) and Ismail Kamara (Sierra Leone) if they are to take line honours in tonight’s final. 

Women’s Pole Vault Final 

Little has been seen of Nina Kennedy this domestic season, but what better way to kick-start proceedings than by defending her national title to make it back-to-back wins.  

Kennedy cleared 4.70m in January to secure the qualification standard for the World Athletics Championships and Commonwealth Games, meaning she would only have to win here to punch her ticket to Oregon and Birmingham.  

Elizaveta Parnova makes her return to the national scene after a low-key start to the year as she eyes a Commonwealth Games berth this August. Parnova has a seasons best of 4.20m to her name which places her well within medal contention in this encounter. 

The Under 20 podium from Saturday also progressed to the Open final, lead by national champion and the World Athletics Under 20 Championships bound Cassidy Bradshaw. 

400m finals 

The big names in the Open Men’s 400m semi-finals had little difficulty navigating the second round, lead by Alex Beck who eased up in the final straight to clock 47.74 – appearing to have much more to give come the final.  

Ian Halpin was the third fastest qualifier to the final with his 47.43, whilst emerging Queenslander Callum Rorison continued his golden run to the final as the fastest qualifier (47.27). Beck’s class and experience may give him the edge over his competitors, but don’t expect it to be a walkover. 

Australia’s 400m-women bypassed the second round and are headed straight for today’s final, with Ilana Grandine the fastest local qualifier with her 54.30 performance in the heats – trailing the New Zealand’s Isabel Neal (53.39). 

Grandine will have to match motors with the Olympic trio of Ellie Beer, Jessica Thornton and Angeline Blackburn if she is to contend for the national title, with the competition blown wide open in the absence of Bendere Oboya and Ella Connolly.  

Helen Pretorious (54.52, ACT) and Rowena Cracker (55.72, NSW) round out the unpredictable affair, whilst the addition of Rosie Elliot (New Zealand) forms a two-pronged attack for the Kiwis. 

1500m finals  

Oliver Hoare and Matthew Ramsden looked in a league of their own in the first round of the Open Men’s 1500m, stretching away from their competitors in their respective heats.  

Hoare’s presence at the national championships is a welcomed addition to the meet after the US-based Australian prominence overseas, and with a 3:32.66 personal best to his name – Hoare will be hard to beat.  

One man who appears capable of doing so is Ramsden, the smooth-moving West Australian who is chasing a major breakthrough in the Open ranks on the national stage. Ramsden brings strong form from the World Athletics Indoor Championships where he finished in 12th place of the 3000m in a truly world-class field.  

Other contenders who advanced to the final included World Athletics Indoor Championships representative Jack Anstey, Queensland’s Callum Davies, three-time national 1500m medallist Rorey Hunter, and Cameron Griffith.  

Reigning champion Linden Hall delivered a commanding victory in the first round to suggest that she is ready to defend her 1500m national title, but a slick field means a host of Australian middle-distance talent including Georgia Griffith and Abbey Caldwell will be prominent in the queue to clinch the title.  

Griffith came over the top of the stronger of the two heats in the first round to secure a confidence-boosting win, with the big names progressing safely without revealing their cards. Caldwell has a 4:04.79 to her name from early March and a performance of a similar calibre would see her go close to winning her maiden Open title.  

Others to watch include Natalie Rule, Jaylah Hancock-Cameron, and Sarah Billings (VIC).   

Open Women’s Javelin

Mackenzie Little took the big scalp of Kelsey-Lee Barber at the Melbourne Track Classic when defeating the Olympic silver medallist with a throw of 61.13m, just shy of her 62.37m personal best from Tokyo.

Little will be eager to build on that momentum as she appears destined for the national title in the absence of Barber, with the Olympic finalist eyeing a big year on the international stage.

Open Women’s Hammer Throw

Alexandra Hulley (NSW) had no troubles advancing to the national hammer throw final when launching the hammer 62.49m on her first attempt, with Stephanie Ratcliffe (VIC) the only athlete to pose a threat with her 61.42m.

Hulley and Ratcliffe look head and shoulders above the rest of the field and will be looking to put on a show in today's final, with Hulley the undisputable favourite for the event. 

By Sascha Ryner and Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 1/4/2022