Australian Team Set for Oceania Area Championships

There is great anticipation and excitement about the potential performances for the Australian team at next week’s Oceania Championships. A growing depth across many events has ensured good competition for selection in the national team who travel to Townsville to take on the best from the Pacific region, headed by New Zealand, in a four-day competition in three ages – open, under-20 and under-18.

The Aussies will be striving to hit form ahead of the World University Games and also achieve Doha and Dubai world championship qualifiers.

But the meet holds even more significance with Olympic aspirations. With the World Athletics (formerly the IAAF), recently introducing a new global ranking system for athletes to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, the Oceania Championships attract a high level of points in the new rankings system which is based on a combination of result and place depending on the level of the competition.

Here are a few of the outstanding events:

• MEN 1,500M

Matt Ramsden is in blistering form. During a barnstorming two weeks in Europe this month Ramsden took his 1500m from 3:39.39 to 3:35.85 and also ran 3:37.20. Over 3000m he sliced seven seconds off his best from 7:52.67 to 7:45.68. However in Townsville he meets Rorey Hunter, third at the last two nationals and just outside his PB in Canberra over the weekend clocking 3:39.75. The third Aussie is Tasmanian James Hansen who warmup for the championships with a second place (ahead of Ramsden) at the recent Leonora Gift road mile. New Zealand’s 3:38.74 junior Sam Tanner will definitely be in the mix with the Aussies. 

• WOMEN 10,000M

The three Aussies starters have over the last six months been in career best form. At Zatopek Emily Brichacek took nearly a minute from her 10,000m PB to take bronze in 32:22.38. Marathoners Ellie Pashley and Sinead Diver have been in marvellous form over the last six months as they obliterate their PBs and shoot up the Australian all-time lists, now in the top-10 fastest ever in the 10,000m, Half-Marathon and Marathon. Competing in Stanford last month Pashley clocked the all-important 2019 world championships 10,000m standard with a time of 31:43.51. Diver missed the Stanford race, recovering from her stunning 2:24.11 marathon in London a few days prior. They both have Tokyo Olympic marathon qualifiers, but missing is a 10,000m Doha world championships qualifier for Diver who missed the standard of 31:50.00 at Zatopek by less than one second clocking 31:50.98.

• 10,000M WALK

The six Australian representatives highlight a number of new emerging and talented race walkers in Australia. Our group is headed by our three already selected for the Doha World Championships Dane Bird-Smith, Jemima Montag and teenager Katie Hayward, along with Rio Olympian Rachel Talent. Hayward has been outstanding in 2018/19, as the 18-year-old has broken a number of Australian under-20 records and clocked the third best 20km walk time in Australian history. The other two in the men’s race is teenager Declan Tingay and Rhydian Cowley. Declan, was a brilliant fourth at the World U20 Championships and has also broken Australian junior records in the last year. Maybe going under the radar has been the great progression of 28-year-old Rhydian Cowley in the last three months. After making eight appearances in the green and gold at the highest levels, including Olympics and world championships, this year Cowley has been in great form with two times of 1:20.19 and 1:21.02. His new PB, which elevated him to number 7 Australian all-time, has not only qualified him for the Doha World Championships, but also the Tokyo Olympics. 

Rhydian credits a change in focus, a good period of training and a move to Brent Vallance’s squad as key to his recent progression.

“It's hard to pinpoint exactly what makes the most difference, but I think my last 12 months training having been some of the most consistent I've managed is probably a factor. I think my change in coaching environment at the end of last year has also made a difference, getting regular training sessions in with a good group of athletes including Jemima Montag, Quentin Rew (NZL) and Kyle Swan. And I've been focusing on having fun and enjoying my athletics a bit more in this last year, which I think also helps.”

• MEN JAVELIN 

The event brings together the recent master of the event Hamish Peacock, an Olympian, two-time Commonwealth games medallists and Australia’s fifth longest thrower in history with a best PB 84.39m and two emerging stars, Nash Lowis and Liam O’Brien who are set to challenge the reigning national champion. Last summer O’Brien added four metres to his PB in two throws reaching a best of 81.36m and moved into the top-10 Aussies of all-time. Post summer he has been training very well. 

“I've had some interesting training over the last 12 weeks, been doing lots of weightlifting. I'm ready to throw some haymakers in Townsville.”

Lowis the world U20 champion recently launched the javelin to 80.10m. A year ago his PB was just 71.24m, then his win in Tampere added four metres to his best and earlier this month another five metres were added. The teenager is now just one of 13 Aussies to throw over 80 metres. Did Nash expect to make such progression?

“I knew I was capable of improvement, if I continued to persist and be consistent with my training. I knew it was just a matter of time, I just didn’t know when I’d start seeing some improvement.”

For the Townsville local, the Oceania Championships hold extra significance and he is preparing accordingly.

“My goal for the Oceania Games in Townsville is to be prepared as best I can through training, my diet and sleep. My coach says trust you’ve done the work and just let it happen. Trust the process. The past year has been about adjusting from U20s to the Open men’s competition without putting too much pressure on myself, as the level of skill is higher.”

• WOMEN 800M

An event in Australia with tremendous quality and depth - could the national record (1:59.00) go in Townsville? In a solo run a week after nationals Catriona Bisset became the first Australian under two minutes for 10 years running 1:59.78. What could she do with athletes near her? The two other Aussies and Kiwis make this a quality field. Last summer Georgia Griffith and Morgan Mitchell both ran 2:01 and look capable of going quicker according to recent form. New Zealanders Angie Petty and Katherine Camp, both clocked 2:02 last summer and are capable or more. Petty is a 1:59.06 athlete and Camp set her PB last summer. Some goals for the athletes are 2019 world championships standard 2:00.60 and Tokyo Olympic standard 1:59.50.

• MEN PARA 100M

Two of the greats in Australian para-athletics sprinting, Scott Reardon and Chad Perris, line-up in this event as they build up towards the world championships in Dubai. Paralympic and three-time world champion, Reardon has already had a busy year of international competition, travelling to Grand Prix meets in Dubai and Switzerland this year. At the world championships in November he will be looking for his fourth consecutive global title in the T42 100m. Following three consecutive bronze medals at global championships in the T13 100m, Perris will be looking for another podium in Dubai.

• WOMEN 100M HURDLES

Another terrific race awaits us here. Olympic champion Sally Pearson has been moving into form both on the flat and over the barriers. She ran some great leadoff legs at the World Relays and a week later clocked her fastest hurdles for 15 months running 12.70 in Osaka. National champion Celeste Mucci has her first ever race against Pearson in Townsville. Since winning the national title, Mucci, still a teenager, has taken her PB down to 13.02 - now the equal fifth fastest in Australian history. She has withdrawn from the heptathlon, seemingly an indication of her event goal for Doha where she remains in the hunt with standard at 12.98. At the nationals Mucci defeated WA’s Brianna Beahan, but now sits equal with her on the all-time list.

Just a few other outstanding names to look out for in Townsville: Brandon Starc, Joel Baden, Vanessa Low, Jack Hale, Steven Solomon, Jack Rayner, Nick Hough, Henry Frayne, Damien Birkinhead, Cedric Dubler, Ashley Moloney,  Naa Anang, Brooke Stratton, Maddie Coates, Paige Campbell, Melissa Duncan, Sarah Carli, Liz Parnova, Taryn Gollshewsky, Alex Hulley, Kelsey Barber, Mackenzie little, Tori West, James Turner, Todd Hodgetts, Corey Anderson, Jayden Sawyer and then there are the juniors – Carley Thomas, Ellie Beer, Ella Connolly, Samantha Dale, Lyvante Su’emai, Elyssia Kenshole and Annie McGuire etc.

David Tarbotton for Athletics Australia