Australian Co-Skipper to lead out of his team on Day 5
Published Tue 01 Oct 2019
Day 5 is led out by Australian co-Captain Steve Solomon in the men’s 400m 1st round at 4:35pm local time (11:30pm AEST). To qualify for the semi-final he needs to finish in the first three or have one of the 6th fastest times. He faces off against Kirani James (GRN) and Veron Norward (USA), who have both run 44.4 this season.
Also competing is Brandon Starc, who with a seasons best of 2.30m will need to be at his sharpest to get through with an automatic qualifier (2.31m). He is in Group A with some quality opposition, including BLR’s Maksim Nedasekau who jumped a world lead of 2.35m. Joel Baden from Victoria is in Group B. Both groups kick off at 4:50pm local time (11:50pm AEST).
The women’s 400m hurdlers go around at 5:30pm local time, (12:30am 2 Oct AEST), Australia is represented by Lauren Boden, Sarah Carli and Sara Klein in this event.
We will also get to see Ben Buckingham in the men’s 3000m steeplechase at 6:15pm local time (1:15am 2 Oct AEST).
Bendere Oboya booked her spot in the semi-final on Day 5, which is on at 8:50pm local time (3:50am 2 Oct – AEST), by running a PB in her heat of 51.21, which is also an Tokyo Olympic qualifying time.
We will also get to see Kelsey-Lee Barber in the women’s javelin final at 8:50pm (local time, 4:20am). She threw 61.08 to qualify in 10th and will need to give her best effort to get onto the podium.
Steve Solomon in the men’s 400m 1st round at 4:35pm local time (11:35pm AEST)
Club & State: Randwick Botany, NSW
Event & PB: 400m 44.97 (London GBR, 5 Aug 2012),
Coach: Penny Gillies
Social Media (Twitter/Instagram): @stevesolo10 / stevesolomon10
International Champs & medals:
World Juniors (2010, 2012 - bronze)
Continental Cup (2018) Olympics (2012)
World Relays (2019)
World Championships (2013, 2017)
Commonwealth Games (2014, 2018)
Steven Solomon was a late bloomer in athletics, advancing to state and national championships in the latter years of high school.
He placed second at the 2010 Australian Junior Athletics Championships and was selected to the 4x100m relay team at the IAAF World Junior Championships that same year. In 2011, he won the junior and open national 400m title, clocking an impressive personal best of 45.58. At 17 years and 11 months, he became the seventh youngest men’s winner at the Nationals. He was selected to compete at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu in the 4x400m relay and at 18 years three months and 11 days, the third youngest ever Australian male to compete at the World Championships.
In July 2012, he competed at the World Juniors, where he placed third in the 400m (PB 45.52) and anchored the relay team to fourth. Less than a month later at the London Olympics, he ran an extraordinary series of races over three days. He won his heat in 45.18, went even faster in the semi-final clocking 44.97 and placed eight in the final with 45.14. He was the youngest in that final and was now the seventh fastest in Australian history, while still a teenager. In 2012, he headed off to Stanford University in America to study pre-medicine, but a lower back injury hindered his freshman season. He returned from the US to win the 2014 national title in a quick 45.36, but a hamstring injury curtailed his full NCAA season. There was doubt he could compete at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, but he made the start line for the 400m heats, advancing through the heat and unfortunately injuring his hamstring in the semi. Following the Commonwealth Games, he had hamstring surgery in Melbourne and rehabilitated with coach Iryna Dvoskina in Canberra. He had his first race in 16 months in November 2015 but was still restricted by injury over the summer. He clocked a good time of 45.50 to win the Australian title. After Nationals, he raced once in Canberra, twice in Townsville and seven occasions overseas in pursuit of the Olympic standard of 45.40, but alas he fell short, the best being 45.44. He won the 2017 national title, his fifth while still only 23-year-old. On June 29 in California, he clocked 45.19, his fastest since the London Olympics and his best time outside of the three races in London in 2012. The mark was also a qualifier for the 2017 IAAF world championships, enabling him to relive the atmosphere of his greatest achievement to date. In London, he placed seventh in his heat clocking 46.27. In February 2018, now at Duke University he broke the national indoor 400m record, clocking 45.44. He was selected for the Commonwealth Games where he progressed through the three rounds to place seventh in the final. In 2019 he was back home in Australia where he won the national title (a record sixth), Oceania Championships and Pacific Games title. He also helped the national team qualify for the 2019 World Relays, then 2019 World Championships.
Brandon Starc in the men’s high jump at 4:50pm local time (11:50pm AEST).
Club: Parramatta City,
Resident: Sydney
Event & PB: High Jump 2.36m (Eberstadt GER, 26 Aug 2018)
Coach: Alex Stewart
Social Media (Twitter/Instagram): Brandonstarc93/bstarc
International Champs & medals:
Youth Olympics (2010 silver)
World Juniors (2012)
Commonwealth Games (2014, 2018 gold)
Continental Cup (2018 silver)
World Championships (2013, 2015)
He began Little Athletics, with all his siblings, at an early age at Parramatta and began to focus on high jump seriously in about 2009. He also played cricket and football but decided to pursue athletics.
In his international debut at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010, Brandon won silver with a PB 2.19m. In 2012, he placed sixth at the world juniors ahead of his senior debut in 2013 at the world championships. Eighth in the Commonwealth Games in 2014, preceded a breakthrough in 2015 where domestically he raised his PB to 2.30m, before a magnificent first attempt clearance at 2.31m in the qualifying round at the world championships. It earned him a berth in the final, the first Australian since Tim Forsyth in 1997 to make the world championship final.
Selected for the Rio Olympics, he was excellent, clearing 2.29m in the qualifying round to progress to the final where he placed 15th. Limited competition in 2017, due to injury (shin) which left him short of a qualifier for the 2017 World Championships.
A solid 2017/18 domestic season saw him win the Commonwealth Games trials with a jump of 2.28m – his best height since Rio. A landmark year started with him winning the Commonwealth games gold with a PB 2.32m clearance. After a gradual start in Europe (two 2.20m jumps) he equalled his PB 2.32m in Hungary, then set a PB 2.33m in Birmingham in August. A week later he added another an astonishing 3cm to his best with an amazing 2.36m clearance in Germany. The mark equalled the Australian record, was the highest leap by an Australian for 21 years and moved him to equal third in the world.
Five days later he cleared 2.33m to win the Diamond League final and then won silver in the Continental cup.
He is the younger brother of Australian cricketer Mitchell whom he regards as a major influence too him. In his earlier days, Brandon also ran in the hurdles. His hobbies include photography and collecting sports shoes.
Joel Baden in the men’s high jump at 4:50pm local time (11:50pm AEST).
Club: Melbourne University Athletics Club
Occupation: Student (Science at Melbourne Uni)
Event & PBs: High Jump 2.30m (Sydney AUS, 6 Apr 2019)
Coach: Sandro Bisetto
Social Media (Twitter/Instagram): -/Joel_baden
International Champs & medals:
World Juniors (2014)
World Championships (2015)
Olympic Games (2016)
Commonwealth Games (2018)
Joel Baden grew up in Geelong and started athletics when his parents took him to Little Athletics. Between 16 and 18-years, his high jump best gradually rose from 2.12 to 2.20m. It earned him a berth at the 2014 IAAF World Juniors where he made the final. Seemingly his first experience on the international stage spurred him on as three months later, at a schoolboy meet in Melbourne, he cleared an extraordinary 2.29m, winning the competition by 34cm. The clearance delivered him a qualifier for the 2015 IAAF World Championships where, as a teenager, he performed well clearing 2.26m and was just one height short of a finals berth. During the 2015/16 domestic season, he managed a best of 2.24m and placed second at the nationals. He required 2.29m to qualify for Rio, a height he achieved in late June in Cairns. In Rio, he cleared 2.17m in the qualifying rounds. He won the 2017 Australian Championships with a modest 2.18m.
It was a strong start to the 2018 domestic season for Baden with two 2.20m leaps and a 2.24m clearance. The defending national champion placed equal second at the 2018 Australian Championships with a height of 2.21m. At the Commonwealth Games he was knocked out in the qualifying rounds with a clearance of 2.15m. Following a 2018/19 domestic season with a best of just 2.20m, at the national championships, Joel was a surprise winner at a PB height of 2.30m (= #5 Australian all-time), securing a Doha World Championships qualifier.
Hobbies/Interests - Playing and producing music, philosophy and science…Influence - “My coach Sandro Bisetto would be one of them. He took me under his wing when I was in early high school, which was a huge change and benefit to my jumping, especially given his experience and history coaching some of the best Australian high jumpers, including Olympic bronze medallist and national record holder Tim Forsyth. He’s a great mentor.
Lauren Boden in the women’s 400m hurdles at 5:30pm local time, (12:30am 2 Oct AEST)
Club: North Canberra Gungahlin
Event & PB: 400m hurdles 54.87 (Sydney AUS, 7 Apr 2019)
Coach: Matt Beckenham
International Champs & medals:
World Youth Championships (2015 silver)
World Juniors (2006)
Commonwealth Games (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018)
World University Games (2007, 2009)
World Cup/Continental Cup (2006, 2010, 2014)
World Relays (2019)
World Championships (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017)
Olympic Games (2012, 2016)
Lauren Boden had a busy international career as a teenager. At the 2005 World Youth Championships, she won silver in the 400m hurdles and competed in the long jump. In a big 2006, she competed at the Commonwealth Games, World Cup and World Juniors. In 2007, she ran the 400m hurdles and competed in the long jump at the World University Games. She was also competing in the heptathlon and had an impressive long jump personal best of 6.40m, but after this, the 400m hurdles became the focus.
After a fourth at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, from 2011 to 2016 she compiled a very consistent semi-final result at five consecutive global championships - two Olympics and three world championships. Her fastest time amongst those races was her heat time of 55.37 at the Daegu World Championships. Two years later, in 2015 in Beijing, was her highest semi-final place with fourth. In London at the 2017 World Championships, she also ran on the 4x400m relay team.
Preparing for the 2017/18 summer leading into the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, Lauren competed in the long jump where she leapt a B standard and broke her 10-year-old PB with a distance of 6.44m and was selected in the event making the final. She also ran the hurdles and 4x400 relay.
At the start of the 2019 season she was surprisingly beaten, but Sarah Carli – her first loss to an Aussie (when healthy) in eight years, but Lauren responded breaking her six year old PB with a time of 54.87 – to remain number three Australian all-time behind Olympic champion Debbie Flintoff and world champion Jana Pittman.
Hobbies - music, shopping, reading, making greetings cards and her two labradoodles…Education – Science and psychology then primary school teaching at Uni of Canberra…Sporting relatives - Husband Heath won softball world championships…Started the sport - In Little Athletics and switched to hurdles in 2002 after meeting coach Matt Beckenham…Hero - Australian hurdler Jana Pittman… Influence - Parents and coach Matt Beckenham.
Sarah Carli in the women’s 400m hurdles at 5:30pm local time, (12:30am 2 Oct AEST)
State: NSW
Coach: Melissa Logan/ Paul Micale
Club: Kembla Joggers
Event & PB: 400m hurdles 55.67 (Canberra AUS, 28 Jan 2019)
Social Media (Twitter/Instagram): @SarahCarli/sarah_carli
International Champs & medals:
World Youth Championships (2011 – silver)
When Sarah was aged eight, she answered an advertisement for Wollongong City Little Aths in her school newsletter. “My sister and I decided to sign up together for the U9’s. I have been running ever since.” At 16, in December 2010 she won the Australian Schools 400m hurdles in an impressive 60.52. At the 2011 Australian championships she placed second and secured selection for the World Youth. At the championships she was outstanding destroying her PB through the three rounds, eventually placing second in the final in 58.05 seconds – fifth fastest in Australian junior history. She ran a couple more 58 seconds runs, but she never improved her PB for seven years. It would take the prospect of a home Games to inspire her to her next two PBs 57.63 in the semi and 56.87 in the final of the 400m hurdles at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games trials in February 2018. She was a close third in the race, with just the winner selected.
She launched into another winter of training (in 2018) and at the 2019 Canberra Track Classic she sprung the surprise clocking 55.67, a 1.2 seconds PB and importantly a Doha World Championships qualifier. Sarah’s win also handed the first defeat in eight years to one of the greats of Australian 400m hurdling - Lauren Boden. Sarah went on to placed second in the nationals and at the Oceania Championships. She explained what happened for seven years and that things happen and life got in the way of her sport. “I forgot the sport was for fun and as a junior I got badly injured, so I was then enjoying other aspects of my life and I wasn’t ready to give that up. I was at university and working at Costco - huge hours and late nights.” Her improvement commenced when she settled into a career. “I was then working nine to five and had a routine. Making it to all my sessions. I had a desk job (Financial adviser and mortgage broker) so that was been the difference.”
Memorable sporting moment - There is so many! But watching Kerryn McCann’s last 400m of her 2006 Commonwealth Games marathon gold is always so inspiring…Occupation - Financial Adviser and Mortgage Broker… Education – Bachelor of Commerce Majoring in Finance and Management, Wollongong Uni (graduated July 2017), Mortgage Broking & Diploma in Financial Planning…Hobbies – beach and netflix. Is netflix a hobby?..Sporting ambition – Olympics and competing at a Diamond League event…Memorable sporting achievement - Silver medal World Youth Champs in Lille, France from lane 8…Most influential person - Without a doubt my mum. She has been there through every moment good and bad…Advice to your young self? Surround yourself with the right people…Nickname - Donnie, Carlos, Carli.
Sara Klein in the women’s 400m hurdles at 5:30pm local time, (12:30am 2 Oct AEST)
Club & State: Asics Wests, NSW
Event & PB: 400m hurdles 56.07 (Townsville AUS, 27 Jun 2019)
Coach: Lindsay Watson
Social Media (Twitter/Instagram): -/ saraklein94
International Championships & medals: World Juniors (2012)
Sara Klein started athletics when her parents signed her and her sister up to Little A’s when they were eight. “I was a very active kid and was involved in a lot of different sports but fell in love with athletics and have been doing it ever since.”
She hurdled and sprinted through her teens more often in the 100m hurdles, but in March 2012, aged 17, she smashed her 400m hurdles PB by 1.8 seconds clocking 58.02 seconds and winning the national junior title. She went on to make the semis at the 2012 World Juniors.
Over the next six years (until December 2018) she ran regularly in the 59s and then 58s, plus once under 58 with a new PB of 57.99, won national junior titles and made four national senior podiums. Then on 13 January 2019 she made a breakthrough clocking 57.18 seconds. It triggered a string of four personal bests eventually bring her PB down to 56.07 seconds and winning the Oceania title in Townsville in June 2019. Her time was the 10th fastest in Australian history.
Hobbies – piano…Sporting ambition – ”The chance to wear the green and gold and represent my county drives me every day.”…Memorable sporting achievement – ”Australian Junior Nationals 2012. I dropped almost two sec off my previous PB in a very talented field to qualify for the World Junior Champs. Equally as memorable was my race at this year’s Oceania Champs, running a pb and .07 seconds off the World Champs qualifier.”…Influence – I’ve had so many influential people in my career! My old training partner and fellow 400m hurdler, Ian Dewhurst is one. I looked up to Ian (and still do) when I first started doing 400m hurdles. My first coach Marilyn Pearson who got me into 400m hurdes and current coach Lindsay Watson. However, my Dad has been the biggest influence. He’s always pushed me to do my best and set my goals high.”…First Junior Club - Kurrajong Bilpin Little Athletics Club…Advice to your young self – “Just to enjoy it and not to stress over one bad race.”
Ben Buckingham in the men’s 3000m steeplechase at 6:15pm local time (1:15am 2 Oct AEST).
Club & State: St Stephen’s Harriers, VIC
Event & PB: 3000m Steeplechase 8:27.51 (Zagreb CRO, 3 Sept 2019)
Coach: Nick Bowden
International Champs & medals:
World Mountain Running (2010 juniors)
Ben Buckingham started running very young. “Age 10, I started joining mum for runs. She is on track for her 10th Melbourne marathon this year at 64.” He made his international debut at the 2010 World Mountain Running Championships competing in the junior race. He was running track, cross country and competing regularly at a national level.
But 15 years after he first ran, now aged 25 in 2016, there was a turning point in his career. He finished his second degree (Juris Doctor/law and Arts - history/international relations), he trained full time for six months and started work as a Lawyer. Immediately the times started to drop and by the end of the 2016/17 summer he had run 8:03 (3000m) and 8:54 (steeple) and placed third in the national champs. He plateaued in 2018 (8:04 & 8:56), but 2019 would be a major breakthrough year for Ben as he dropped to 7:54.00 (3000m) and 8:27.51 (steeple) and importantly won the Oceania Championships. He ran his steeple PB in September when he travelled to Europe where he smashed his PB by four seconds to move to number nine Australian all-time with a time of 8:27.51 – the fastest time by an Australian for seven years. Ben also joined a new wave in the event with three under 8:34 in the year.
Education - Bachelor of Arts (double major in history/international relations) Melbourne Uni (2012) and Juris Doctor at Melbourne Law School (2016)…Hobbies - Farming with dad and having the occasional surf...Sporting ambition – “Make an Australian team and win a national title and extract the most from myself in this sport.”…Memorable sporting achievement – “Winning the 2019 Oceania Championships.” Memorable sporting moment - The 2012 Olympic 800m final is hard to go past…Hero/idol - My folks, I wouldn’t be here without them…Influential person – “My coach Nick Bowden. We have worked together since 2007…Advice to your young self – “Enjoy the journey, you only get to do it once.”…Nickname – Bucks.
Bendere Oboya is in the Women’s semi-final 400m at 8:50pm (3:50am 2 Oct AEST)
Club: Campbelltown,
Event & PB: 400m 51.94 (Gold Coast AUS, 17 Feb 2018)
Coach: Renay Parkinson
Social Media (Twitter/Instagram): -/ _bendere
International Champs & medals:
Commonwealth Youth Games (2017 400m /4x400m gold)
Commonwealth Games (2018)
In just over 12 months Ethiopian-born Sydney teenager, Bendere Oboya improved from 75 seconds to 52.69 in the 400m to go from an unknown athlete to the 2017 Commonwealth Youth champion and record a Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games qualifier in July 2017.
In 2003, aged three, Bendere arrived in Australia with her family including four siblings. After four years in little athletics and with a 400m PB of 75 seconds, in 2016 she decided to concentrate on the 400m. Preparing to travel to the US on a school athletics tour, she wanted to run at her best, so her and her coach started working together. Within a few months, at the Combined High School (Sept 2016) athletics carnival, she broke 59 seconds for the first time. Over the summer, she continued to slash her PB to 57, then in January 55.67, NSW juniors 55.01, NSW open championships 54.14 and then 53.30 to win the title. At the national juniors in March, she ran 53.02 and was selected for her international debut at the July 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games (under-18) in Nassau in the Bahamas. She won the title in another PB 52.69, also a Commonwealth Games qualifying time. She closed the year as the second fastest under-18 in the world.
An injury in late 2017 hampered her summer season but when she commenced her season she was brilliant, first running a PB of 52.48 seconds at the NSW Championships. In mid-February at the Australian Championships and Commonwealth Games trials she placed second in another significant PB time of 51.94 seconds, which was an A qualifier and secured her automatic selection for the Games. The time made her the third fastest junior (under-20) in Australian history, behind Cathy Freeman (an Olympic champion) and Jana Pittman (a world champion).
At the Commonwealth Games she was unable to overcome a hamstring injury, not proceeding out of the heats. Compiled a very strong 2019 domestic season running a best of 52.00 seconds and claiming the national title.
Education - completed her HSC in 2017…Hero - Cathy Freeman…Hobbies - Taking photos…Nickname - Ben, B… Family - Born in Gambella in Ethiopia, she came to Australia with her family in 2003 when she was three. She has five siblings, four brothers and one sister.
Kelsey-Lee Barber in the Women’s Javelin final at 9:20pm (4:20am 2 Oct AEST)
Club South Canberra Tuggeranong
Event & PB: Javelin 67.70m (Luzern SWI, 9 Jul 2019)
Coach: Mike Barber
Social Media (Twitter/Instagram): @thatjavelingirl/kelsey_roberts
International Champs & medals:
Commonwealth games (2014 bronze, 2018 silver)
Continental Cup: (2018)
World Championships (2015, 2017)
Olympics (2016)
Kelsey-Lee dreamed of being an Olympian at a young age and competed in athletics throughout high school. After moving to Canberra in 2007 she took athletics more seriously and soon had a throws coach before making her mark in open division a few years after finishing high school. “My javelin really took off in 2008 when I won the Pacific School Games in Canberra. It was after winning this that I knew it was javelin that I wanted to pursue to the highest level, the Olympics.”
She made a breakthrough in 2013, adding six metres to her personal best and reaching 58.58m. The next year she made her international debut at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games winning a bronze medal. Injuries in 2015 and 2016 (back stress fracture) hampered her 2015 World Championships and 2016 Olympics campaigns where she didn’t progress to the final. In 2017, she won her first Australian title and then in Europe improved her PB on a few occasions placing 10th in the final at the London World Championships. Set a PB of 64.57m at the Commonwealth Games trials and then at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games moved from third to second on the last throw.
After a late season start in 2019 she won the national title. Then in June & July 2019 a massive breakthrough with fourth throws over 65 metres in four weeks including 67.70m in Luzern which moved her to number two in the world for the year, number two Australian all-time and number 12 in history.
Nickname – Kels…Education - Sport Coaching and Exercise Science at University of Canberra (2010-2014)…Hobbies - Cooking and outdoor activities - hiking, rock climbing, snowboarding…Sporting ambition - Podium at the Olympics and World Championships…Memorable sporting achievement - second place at the Diamond League Final in 2017 and more recently my PB throw in Luzern in 2019….Memorable sporting moment – Commonwealth Games silver in 2018. “Using the support of the home crowd in round six to win the silver.”…Influential person – “My parents have always played a big part in allowing me to pursue my sport, but mum has been especially influential. From an early age she always encouraged me to believe in my dreams and go after them. I’m so thankful for her support day in and day out.”…Advice to your young self – “Take a moment to enjoy and appreciate the good times/special moments in your sporting journey.” Famous relatives - Uncle, Tom Murtagh - part of the special effects crew that worked on the Bond Films…Interesting facts - Moved to Australia age 9 from South Africa.
