PREVIEW | Day 8 of the 2022 Australian Track & Field Championships

The penultimate day of the 2022 Chemist Warehouse Australian Track & Field Championships has arrived, with our Senior athletes gearing up for their final day of competition. Today will also mark their last opportunity for athletes to grab automatic selection spots for the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, and the automatic nomination to Commonwealth Games Australia for Birmingham.

Key events to watch:

Decathlon

After day one of the decathlon, Cedric Dubler (QLD) finds himself in a commanding position to defeat both his competitors and personal best – sitting pretty on 4478 points after five events thanks to a productive day by the versatile talent.

Dubler’s rampage featured a windy long jump personal best of 7.92m and 47.14 over 400m, along with a 2.11m performance in the high jump, 10.81 seconds in the 100m, and 13.17m in the shot put. Holding a 251-point lead over Alec Diamond (NSW), Dubler has one hand on the national title as he eyes the World Athletics Championships and Commonwealth Games qualifying standard of 8350-points on day two of competition.

Taking a tumble after the 400m, the two-time Olympian will dusts himself off to approach day two with optimism when taking on the 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, and 1500m.

Heptathlon

After day one of competition, Queenslander Tanielle Cross leads the charge in the women’s hepathlon, with a 199 point score difference between herself and 2019 world championship representative Alysha Burnett.

While there is the long jump, javelin throw and 800m still to come before the queen of the sport is decided upon, Crase is looking strong to defend her title, with the upper hand in the remaining three events.

Burnette has not contested a hepathlon since 2020 while Crase has produced personal bests in for two of the three events within the last six months, showing the chance of Crase widening the gap further before she takes the win.

100m/110m Hurdles:

Liz Clay (QLD) has made a habit of performing at major championships of late, highlighted by her top 10 finish in Tokyo and semi-final berth at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade.

Clay leads a strong crop of Australian hurdling women including Hannah Jones (QLD), Celeste Mucci (VIC) and Abbie Taddeo (NSW), but history would suggest that the 12.71 runner is likely to prove too slick for her compatriots – watch the clock.

The 110m Hurdles looms as an enticing battle between 2021 gold and silver medallists Nick Hough (NSW) and Nicholas Andrews (NSW), but the addition of World Athletics Indoor Championships representative Chris Douglas (VIC) adds an element of unknown to the encounter.

Traditionally a 400m hurdler, Douglas dropped down to the 60m in Belgrade where he finished in fifth place of the global final – leaving the 110m hurdles as the perfect medium for his return to Australia.

Hough and Andrews have proven themselves time and time again on the domestic scene, but will it be Andrews who causes a boil over in the race for the Australian title?

200m:

It may be the Open Men’s 200m title that is up for grabs, but junior duo Aidan Murphy (SA) and Calab Law (QLD) spearhead what is set to be a quality contest featuring the newly crowned fastest man in Australia – Jake Doran (QLD).

Murphy made all the early season moves en route to breaking Fred Martin’s Australian Under 20 record with his run of 20.41 in February, but has since been matched by Law who owns a 20.63 personal best and produced a 20.52 (+2.2) run at the Melbourne Track Classic to continue his unbeaten run against Murphy.

Law unleashed his lethal back half to stretch away from his competitors on his way to consecutive Under 20 titles earlier in the week, quoted after the race saying that weather permitting, he believes he will in the 20.3-range today.

Connor Diffey (QLD) will make his long-awaited return to the fray on the national stage, with the 20.72-man certain to throw his hat in the ring.

The women’s contest on paper appears more clear-cut, with Ella Connolly (QLD) backing up from last night’s 100m crown in pursuit of the sprint double. Connolly has only been defeated by a fellow Australian once in 21 races this season, with Riley Day proving too strong over 200m in Adelaide, but Day’s absence here leaves the title primed for the 22.95 runner that is Connolly.

Main challengers come in the form of Georgia Hulls (New Zealand) and Kristie Edwards (QLD).

800m:

Peter Bol (WA) is the name on everyone’s lips ahead of the 800m finals, with the Olympic sensation set to continue his entertaining run on the domestic scene.

While we are yet to see Bol test himself against the clock this season, the Australian has been testing various race tactics to great success and excitement – a trend that he will be looking to continue as he eyes back-to-back national titles.

Attempting to deny Bol line honours are the international duo of Brad Mathas (New Zealand) and Jared Micallef (Malta), with Mathas the only man to beat Bol on Australian soil last season and Micallef a consistent performer. From an Australian perspective, four-time Olympian Jeff Riseley (VIC) is not to be discounted, whilst Tokyo Olympian Charlie Hunter (NSW) will be eager to make the trip home worthwhile.

For the women, they will be hard pressed to beat multiple time Australian representative and reigning champion Catriona Bisset (VIC. Bisset looked supreme when racing with calmy in her first round encounter, with the fierce competitor not out to make any friends in today’s final.

Claudia Hollingsworth (VIC) is no certainty for the title, but one thing is for certain when the 16-year-old toes the line of any race – the winner is going to have to earn it. Tess Kirsopp-Cole (VIC) has been a consistent performer in 2022 along with Ellie Sanford (VIC) who pose genuine medal threats, with Carley Thomas (NSW) back from the University of Washington to contest the title.

400m Hurdles:

Sarah Carli (NSW) will be hard to beat in the race for the national title if her preliminary run is anything to go by, bouncing back from a hamstring strain to show no signs of injury on her way to a cruisy win in 58.55.

New Zealand’s Portia Bing is the outright favourite for the event but is ineligible for the Australian title, racing purely for line honours and to test herself against the clock. 18-year-old Isabella Guthrie (NSW) will be in hot pursuit of Carli as she continues her rapid progression this season, having already punched her ticket to the World Athletics Under 20 Championships in Colombia.

The men’s battle over the sticks is wide open for the taking in the absence of Chris Douglas, with Connor Fry (VIC) the fastest qualifier with his 51.86 run in the preliminary round.

Fry’s time was over one second faster than the rest of the athletes in the first round, lead by Luke Major (VIC), but with the focus of many athletes on qualifying whilst hiding their cards for the final – proceedings are about to go up a notch.

Thomas Hunt (NSW) and Calvin Quek (Singapore) won their respective preliminary races to force their name into the conversation ahead of today’s national final.

Open Long Jump Finals:

Chris Mitrevski is in career-best form and if his trajectory this season is anything to go by, he is on track to win his first national title since the 2018 Australian Track & Field Championships. So far this year, he’s leapt a giant 8.11m, and a windy 8.22m with consistent performances around the 7.80m mark, highlighting that a World Championships qualifier could be on the cards today.

Mitrevski will find himself up against Henry Smith and Henry Frayne, who have both jumped 7.30m and 7.25 respectively, as well as  2018 World Under 20 Championships representative Zane Branco who has notched a 7.34m jump this season.

In the women’s event, it’s Samantha Dale that’s looking to become Australian champion for the first time, with the absence of Australian record holder Brooke Stratton. Dale leapt to glory at the Melbourne Track Classic just two weeks ago with a personal best of 6.72m as she works towards selection to her first Australian team. Two other athletes will be fighting fierce for a chance at wearing the crown, as 2021 Australian Under 20 representative Tomysha Clarke and World Under 20 qualified athlete Katie Gunn step up to the challenge.

Pole Vault

Kurtis Marschall is back in action after his seventh place victory at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade two weeks ago. Overseas this year he’s cleared as high as 5.76m in Paris but his focus at these Championships will be to win back the title; a feat he hasn’t been able to achieve since 2018, after no heighting at the 2021 automatic nomination Olympic trials.

The West Australian already has two World Championships/Birmingham qualifiers in the bag, including a personal best of 5.82m achieved in Croatia last September proving he is in fighting fit form to punch his ticket this evening.

Angus Armstrong will also contend for the national title, building upon his season’s best of 5.40m.

High Jump

Australia's greatest female high jumper will make her season debut today, as she takes on the Women's Open High Jump Final. Despite not having competed this season, rumours suggest she is in red hot form to put on a show today.

This year, Nicola has battled illness, plus an extreme change up to training due to weather conditions on the Central Coast of NSW, but prior to her string of bad luck, the Olympic silver medallist was jumping personal bests in training. With self belief and a different level of confidence having soared to new heights over the last year, today's event could see Nicola do something special.  

Men’s Open 5000m final

2016 Olympian Sam McEntee, Matt Ramsden and Jack Bruce make up a strong trio set to lead the charge in the Men’s Open 5000m final tonight.

McEntee is the fastest out of the Melbourne Track Club trio and will look to win back the title after last clinching the win in 2016. So far this year, the Olympian has run two 5km races, taking the win at the Adelaide Invitational in 13:36.87, and another at Box Hill, only milliseconds faster.

Jack Bruce has also registered consistent results this year, with two second place wins against McEntee in Adelaide and Box Hill, with his fastest time across the line this year at 13:37.93

Matt Ramsden hasn’t raced a 5000m since his last attempt at another Olympic qualifier in June last year, but will return to the Sydney Olympic Park track track again after claiming silver in the Men’s Open 1500m and will go for gold as he looks to improve on his Friday night performance.

Also toeing the line will be Jaryd Clifford (T12) and Michael Roeger (T46) who have one goal in mind – to do what no other athletes in their classifications have done before, and run sub 13:50.Roeger last broke the record at the Adelaide Invitational in February this year, but is looking to run sub 13:50 for the first time. Amongst a few world records, Clifford too owns the 5000m in his class, and last ran 14:04.88 in Townsville in July 2021 but without a major championships on the cards until 2023, the three-time Paralympic medallist has been laying down solid foundations that will no doubt buoy him up over the 5km race.

Women’s Open 5000m Final

Middle distance fans will be on the edge of their seats waiting for the women’s 5000m as a battle looms between South Australian Izzi Batt-Doyle and two-time 2022 title winner Rose Davies. Throw in middle distance supremo Jessica Hull who has arrived, fresh-faced from the US to reclaim the national title she secured in 2020, and the competition has turned up a notch.

While Hull is the fastest over 12 and a half laps, she’s yet to run the distance this year having focused on the shorter 1500m and 3000m distances over the US indoor season.  Having two records in as many months this year and a sixth place finish in the 1500m at the World Athletics Indoor Championships, her fitness will no doubt allow her to command the race.

Batt-Doyle and Davies have gone head-to-head in the 5000m six times, with the former winning five of the six races. The South Australian’s personal best is significantly quicker but Davies is in career-best form, already taking two Australian titles – the 10,000m and 3,000m this year.

So far, no Australians have achieved the 15:10 qualification time required to be auto-selected but with a field stacked with talent, distance veteran Eloise Wellings pacing and an automatic spot on the line, this race is set to be fierce.

By Sascha Ryner and Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia

Posted: 2/4/2022