Aussies Impress Abroad | Thomas and Jones lead big weekend
Published Mon 17 Jul 2023
While Australia celebrates its success at the World Para Athletics Championships and on the Diamond League Circuit, the country’s wide range of talent continue their pursuits with top results around the globe.
It’s been a long road back to the top for Carley Thomas (Maurica Powell) but the 2018 World Under 20 Championships silver medallist is back to her best form, becoming just the ninth Australian female to break the two minute barrier in the 800m. Clocking 1:59.95 at the 34th Meeting Internazionale Sport e Solidarieta in Italy, Thomas’ time escalates her from 24th on the Australian all-time list, now sitting between Australian athletics great Judy Amoore-Pollock and two-time Olympian Morgan Mitchell. Competing alongside Thomas was Ellie Sanford (Terri Carter) who finished in fourth with a time of 2:01.67 for her sixth fastest time yet.
The Italian meet was full of personal bests for the Australians, as Sarah Billings (Collis Birmingham) and national champion Callum Davies (Collis Birmingham) posted Australia’s best results in the metric mile. Billings clocked 4:06.77 for second place, finishing just behind USA’s Helen Schlachtenhaufen and in front of compatriot Rose Davies (Scott Westcott) who posted a new career best of 4:08.76, just one week after her last. Callum Davies had the best result of a trio of Australian men, with a 3:37.36 time for 10th place, while training partners Jack Bruce (3:37.79) and Jude Thomas (3:39.12) also recorded their fastest times over the distance.
Continuing the Australian mometum, Aidan Murphy (Peter Fitzgerald) began his first European campaign with a strong 20.99 (0.0) for fourth place in the Under 23 200m, while Torrie Lewis (Andrew Iselin) blitzed the Under 23 100m, stopping the clock at 11.46 as she returns to the track after a hamstring injury. Lizzie Hedding (Alex Stewart) rounds out the Australian action in Italy with a best leap of 5.98m in the Women’s Long Jump to place fourth.
Sprint hurdler Hannah Jones (Sally Pearson) led the way for no less than 10 Australians at the KBC Night of Athletics meet in Heusden, Belgium. Stopping the clock at a wind assisted 12.80 (+2.5) en route to gold, the Queenslander achieved a new personal best in all-conditions, putting both the Budapest (12.78) and Paris Olympic (12.77) qualifying time in sight.
Making it an Australian quinella, World Championships representative Celeste Mucci (Darren Clarke) crossed the line second in a time of 12.91. Also competing in the hurdles, Jacob McCorry (Alex Stewart) recorded his equal seventh fastest time in 13.71 (0.6)
Global medallist Nina Kennedy (Paul Burgess and James Fitzpatrick) joined in on the podium action in Belgium, soaring to heights of 4.62m in tricky conditions to place second to Kiwi’s Olympic bronze medallist Eliza McCartney.
Australia’s burgeoning middle distance ranks fired at the same meet, as 800m specialist Jye Perrott (Ben Liddy) achieved his second podium finish of the international season, clocking 1:47.79 for third. Wisconsin University product Jackson Sharp (Mick Byrne) ran 13:37.80, defeating Olympian Jack Rayner (Nic Bideau, 13:40.49) over 5000m, while Sam Blake landed a sixth place finish with 3:41.26 in the 1500m. Morgan Mitchell (Liz Matthews) also continued her return to the track with a silver medal and her fastest time of the year, 2:06.18.
In the sprints, Bree Masters (Ryan Hoffman) opened up her European season with a bang. Placing third, the Queenslander celebrated her 11.23 performance, coming within 0.02 seconds to her personal best just weeks after a hamstring tear put on pause her international season. Jacob Despard (Rolf Ohman) also came within a whisker of his career best, clocking 10.22 for second place with Jake Doran (Paul Di Bella, 10.37) right behind him in fifth, while Alex Beck (Mark Ladbrook) recorded his second fastest time of 2023 with 46.11 over a lap of the track for fifth place.
Also in Italy at the Sprints Meeting Merano, training partners Mia Gross (John Nicolosi) and Michael Romanin (John Nicolosi) both picked up a pair of gold medals across the sprint double, as Gross ran to victory in 11.75 (-1.1) and 23.85 (0.6) while Romanin stopped the clock with times of 10.64 (-0.3) and 21.26 (-0.9). Olympian Hana Basic (John Nicolosi) sprinted to second place in the 100m, clocking 11.92 while Jessie Andrew continued her pursuits in the 400m, clocking 55.78.Meanwhile in Dublin, five Australians left the Morton Games with silverware as the country’s budding middle distance crop added to the nation’s growing reputation in the event group. Adam Spencer (Wisconsin) charged to second place in the mile in a personal best time of 3:55.12, defeating World Athletics Indoor representative Jack Anstey (3:57.31) and Olympian Jye Edwards (4:02.27) who placed seventh and ninth respectively. Continuing the distance action, Tess Kirsopp-Cole (Craig Mottram) proved to be a model of consistency with another 2:02 performance, when racing to third place in 2:02.37, while training partner Maudie Skyring missed out on a place on the podium by just over a second when stopping the clock at 4:12.82 in the Women’s 1500m. Jack Lunn (Steve Fabris) raced to sixth place in the Men’s 800m in 1:48.69. Tokyo Olympian Georgia Winkcup (Ben Liddy) took a huge leap up the Australian all-time list, rising from 24th to third in the 2000m Steeplechase, when recording 6:20.13, and now sits just below Donna MacFarlane.
The Australian action rolled on at the Morton Games, as two Australian sprinters claimed podium positions. Joshua Azzopardi (Rob Marks) raced to a bronze in 10.67 against a stubborn -2.5 headwind after a 10.57 (+0.8) locked him a place in the final. Kirstie Edwards (David Reid) found the silver lining, running to silver against a strong -2.7 m/s headwind, only defeated by Portugal’s Lorene Dorcas Bazolo, and in the sprint hurdles, Liz Clay (David Reid and Sharon Hannan) continued her journey to full health, when crossing the line in 13.40 (-0.7) for fourth place.
While Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson impressed on the Diamond League circuit so too did the nation’s next generation of high jumpers as Erin Shaw (Alex Stewart) cleared 1.81m, ahead of the likes of World Under 20 Championships silver medallist Sommer Lecky (IRL) while 23-year-old Emily Whelan (Matt Horsnell) jumped to 1.70m for eighth place. Joining the youthful high jumpers on the field, shot putter Alex Kolesnikoff (Harvard) continued his European momentum with an 18.89 put to place fourth.
Over in Canada at the Harry Jerome Meet, four of Australia’s rising distance stars laid down the foundations of their work, with Imogen Barrett (Florida) racing to the third fastest time of her career over two laps of the track, clocking 2:02.63 for fifth place and Charlie Hunter (Pete Julian) placing 10th in 1:50.53. Olympic steeplechaser Amy Cashin (Sean Cleary) clocked 9:45.12 for eighth place in her favoured event, defeating World Championships representative Brielle Erbacher (Jodie Erbacher) just behind in ninth, in 9:52.20.
By Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia
Posted: 17/7/2023
