Samantha Dale

Biography

Long jumper Samantha Dale was one of the biggest improvers in Australian athletics over the 2022 summer when she raised her personal best from 6.32m to 6.70m, then two weeks later to 6.72m, moving her from 45th to 7th Australian on the all-time. In April she added the national title with a wind assisted leap of 6.64m.

In her debut in the green and gold at the 2022 World Championships, Samantha leapt 6.04m in her one valid leap in the long jump qualifying round. Two weeks later at the Commonwealth Games she leapt 6.35m in the qualifying round and 6.32m in the final to placed 10th.

In 2023 she had an excellent early season leap of 6.71m at the Maurie Plant Meet, then 6.61m at the Brisbane Track Classic ahead of placing fourth at Nationals with a leap of 6.36m. In the lead up to her second world championships, Sam has had a couple of 6.40m jumps. In Budapest she leapt 6.35m in the qualifying rounds of the long jump.

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Samantha Dale started her athletics involvement in the Under-11s, at her Local Little Athletics Club. She started it as a summer sport when she wasn’t playing netball. She participated in a lot of different sports - Oztag, touch football, basketball and swimming - but Netball was her main sport, only giving it away in 2019.

As an athlete, she was no junior star. She didn’t make it to the State Little Athletics as an under-13 and as an under-14 and 15, couldn’t crack the top-8 at State, competing in the high jump and triple jump. But in 2017, she improved dramatically, winning the State long jump with a leap of 5.65m. The following year she won again in the under-17s leaping 5.79m.

Also in 2018, she won the National U-18 title with her first jump over 6 metres, clearing 6.03m. She added silver later that year at the Melanesian Games. Her strong improvement continued in 2019, winning the National and Oceania U20 titles and leaping 6.22m.

At the end of 2019 she switched coaches to Andrew Murphy. Under her new coach she built up her strength, with a customised training and gym program which helped her to continue to extend her jumps and continue to achieve PBs. But then the season was over in early 2020, when COVID hit. Over the 2020/21 summer she continued to progress with a PB of 6.32m and claiming third in the open Nationals.

Then the breakthrough happened in March 2022 leaping 6.70m. She then improved to 6.72m and won the Australian title.

Occupation: Sports Administrator at Meriden School, Strathfield…Education: Studying an Associate Degree in Sports Business part-time, at ACPE…Biggest Challenge: having to choose between netball and athletics...Most influential person: My mum has always supported me in athletics or any sport I chose. She never pressured me, was always there to enjoy it with me, taking one competition at a time…Advice to your young self: Enjoy the school years and do not stress about the future or school grades as long as you enjoy what you do, you will do well.…Hobbies: working with livestock and farming - would love to own a horse.

@ November 2023  David.tarbotton@athletics.org.au

World Athletics Profile https://worldathletics.org/athletes/australia/samantha-dale-14740976