Birkinhead and Stevens headline Victorian champs

The second weekend of the Victorian Athletics Championships will see local Olympic shot putter Damien Birkinhead (Vic) from Corio Athletics Club throw for his fourth consecutive state title.

The 24-year-old who is in good form placed tenth at the Rio Olympics last year will be keen to pocket another state gold medal with less than a month to go before the Australian Athletics Championships in Sydney.

With two London world championship qualifiers already in the bank he will book his ticket to the English capital in August with a fifth national shot put title later this month.

Last weekend the 'Corio Collosuss' threw a season’s best 20.54m at the Auckland Track Challenge, placing fourth behind Ryan Crouser from the US and local duo Tom Walsh and Jacko Gill.

Since a fifth placing at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow there has been significant improvement from Birkinhead who came tenth at the Rio Olympics and set a personal best of 21.21m in Hobart last year.

He is now just five centimetres away from the national shot put record of 21.26m held by his long-time coach Scott Martin, who won gold and bronze in the discus and shot put at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

Western Athletics sprinter Luke Stevens (Vic) will be looking for redemption in the 200m after he was passed very late in the race by Will Johns (Vic) in a memorable 400m final last weekend.

The 23-year-old had a solid run for second in a time of 47.34 sec although it was some way off his personal best of 46.05 he ran to win silver at the national championships last year.

“My 400m run wasn't the best race and although I was disappointed with the run, I can learn from the experience and be a better athlete for it,” Stevens said.

“However, all credit to Will on a great run and the rest of the guys in the final.

“For the 200m this week I look forward to having a good hit-out and doing the best I can as there are a lot of good competitors in the field.

“In terms of running a world championships qualifier (this season), I believe anything is possible and I will continue to improve and enhance myself as an athlete.”

Abbey De la Motte (Vic) from the Doncaster Athletic Club will be aiming to complete a championship double with a win in the 800m after she crossed the line first in the 400m final last Sunday.

Following the scratching of Olympian Morgan Mitchell, the one-lap race was dominated by De la Motte, who has run three 800m races this season getting closer to her personal best of 2:03.52 in each outing.

She will be the fastest Victorian in the field but could face good competition in the race proper with Anneliese Rubie (NSW) and New Zealand’s best half-miler Angela Petty on the start list.

In the men’s 800m section Victorians Lachlan Barber and Stephen Knuckey will look to take advantage of the absence of equal national record holder Alex Rowe.