State championships weekend review

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The weekend was a big one for Australian track and field as four states held their championships with just a month to go before athletes venture to Sydney for the national titles.

Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia all hosted open and junior championships with a few winners also posting world championships qualifiers.

It came as no surprise that Dani Stevens easily won the NSW open discus title and record a qualifying mark for the upcoming world championships in London.

What was more than impressive is that her winning effort of 66.78m was the second furthest ever throw in Australia in her first competition back since coming fourth at the Rio Olympics.

Nina Kennedy was another who took the first step towards making the national team for London with victory in the women’s pole vault in Western Australia.

The teenager cleared 4.55m recording a world championships qualifier to defeat training partner and three-time national champion Liz Parnov who managed a season’s best of 4.40m.

Victorian sprinter Will Johns from Old Melburnians AC took an unexpected victory in the open 400m in 47.29 sec ahead of the in-form Luke Stevens who took silver in 47.34 ahead of Nunawading athlete Tristan Robinson.

All three medallists broke 48 seconds with the win meaning that Johns now has state titles in the 100y, 100m, 200m, 400m, 4x100m and 4x400m events.

Queensland decathlete Cedric Dubler took home a medal in every colour for the three events he competed in across the weekend.

The 22-year-old won gold in the pole vault clearing 5.00m for the first time, came second in the 110m hurdles in 14.13 to Jack Conway in a photo finish and third in the long jump with 7.55m.

Champion hurdler Sally Pearson returned to competition in Australia for her home state championships and won the 100m hurdles in a very modest time of 13.57 sec following an indoor stint in Europe.

On Sunday NSW sprinter Nicholas Andrews took out the state 100m title in 10.72 sec not long after claiming silver in a windy 110m hurdles race behind Nicholas Hough.

Michelle Jenneke won the 100m hurdles state title in 13.57 sec, but was second in her race to Western Australia’s Brianna Beahan who ran an impressive 13.32 seconds.

Promising young pole vaulter and 2015 national champion Angus Armstrong added to his trophy cabinet after clearing 5.20m to win the NSW open championship.

Aiden Harvey threw a personal best in the NSW championships open shot put of 17.29m to easily win the gold medal at just 17 years of age.

Matthew Ramsden followed through on expectations in the Western Australia 1500m open championship, the 19-year-old finishing ahead of Christopher Dale and Joshua Tedesco in 3:48.85.

Across the other side of the country Linden Hall ran out in front to win the Victorian women’s 1500m title in a respectable 4:08.98 at Lakeside Stadium.

 

Hobart invitational open meet

Tasmanian record holder in the javelin Hamish Peacock threw a world championships qualifier of 83.02m, just over a metre outside his personal best in Hobart over the weekend.

He has carried his good form shown at Nitro Athletics into the pointy end of the Australian summer with five of his six throws over 80m, a good sign just a month out from the national championships.

 

Auckland Track Challenge

A big group of Australians, mostly from the Melbourne Track Club, participated in the Auckland Track Challenge on Sunday afternoon.

The men’s 800m was won by Josh Ralph in 1:47.75 ahead of fellow Australians Luke Mathews, Jordan Williamsz and youngster Mason Cohen.

In the women’s two-lap race Heide See finished third in a big personal best time of 2:03.51 ahead of 20-year-old Georgia Wassall who ran 2:06.16.

MTC also had a number of athletes in the men’s 5000m race with Brett Robinson winning in 13:22.93 just outside a world championships qualifying time.

Training partner David McNeill finished second in 13:29.11 ahead of youngster Stewart McSweyn who clocked a personal best and new Tasmanian record of 13:34.46 ahead of Sam McEntee and Zak Patterson.

Damien Birkinhead threw his second world championships qualifier of the season with an effort of 20.54m in the men’s shot put, while Alana Doust cleared 3.40m in the pole vault.

 

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