Bittersweet Success | Surch and Sandery Lead Finals Charge on Day 5 in Cali
Published Sat 06 Aug 2022
It was a bittersweet penultimate day in Cali for the Australian Under 20 Team as Olivia Sandery and Emelia Surch delivered dazzling performances to finish in arguably the toughest position in athletics, fourth – one better than fifth yet close enough to a medal to wonder what could have been.
Entering the Long Jump ranked 30th, Emelia Surch (Glynis Nunn) dropped a personal best of 6.20m (+0.5) in the qualifying round before the final witnessed her produce a gargantuan 6.45m (-0.2) to propel herself into third place – only knocked out of the bronze medal hot-seat in the final round.
“I honestly didn’t think I would be in the mix at all, I don’t know where that came from! It was really good, I felt good and was comfortable, not nervous. I’m just so happy-sad right now,” Surch said.
A heptathlete who qualified for the 100m Hurdles and Long Jump double at the World Under 20 Championships, the raw prospect bounced back after crashing out of yesterday’s hurdle heats (DQ22.6.2) to demonstrate her resilience.
“That’s the heptathlete life for you, I think I’m still a heptathlete anyway – I’ll have to ask my coach,” Surch said.
Only a one-minute time penalty could deny world leader Olivia Sandery (Bob Cruise & Jared Tallent) the bronze medal in the 10,000m Race Walk, with the Australian crossing the line in third place in a time of 46:37.85 before sliding to a consequential fourth-place finish having not served her penalty after three cards.
Sandery walked the most mature of races in a see-sawing affair that saw multiple attacks from the world’s best young walkers, but the Australian remained patient and only cracked in the 25th and final lap as Mexico’s Karla Ximena Serrano charged to a popular victory in the dying metres.
Describing the result as “disappointing”, the harsh self-critic has made strong impressions on the world stage in 2022 after finishing in fifth place of the 10km at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships in March, but an individual medal will have to wait – and it might not be long.
Fellow Australian Alanna Peart (Jared Tallent) was ecstatic with her seventh-place finish in a personal best time of 47:47.55, sifting her way through the field in the back half of the race to feature prominently in the field of 41.
Australia’s Women’s 4x100m Relay quartet of Hayley Reynolds (Andrew Lulham), Olivia Rose Inkster (Katie Edwards & Melinda Gainsford-Taylor), Georgia Harris (Paul Pearce) and Taylah Cruttenden (Braiden Clarke) safely navigated the track with the baton in hand to finish in sixth place in a time of 45.15.
As the Colombian team roared to bronze in front of a home crowd, the Australians were quick to concede that the event was the most fun they have had on the athletics track, despite acknowledging the difficulty at changeovers.
17-year-old Lachlan O’Keefe (Paul Cleary) rounded out the top-eight action for Australia with a 2.05m clearance in the Men’s High Jump Final, holding his own in the inclement conditions. Young enough to attend the next World Athletics Under 20 Championships in 2024, O’Keefe will undoubtedly grow from the experience and build momentum in his bid to become one of the nation’s premier high jumpers.
Peaking at the right time is Tiana Boras (Alwyn Jones) whose 13.14m (0.0) personal best in the Triple Jump Qualifying was enough to rank her fifth across the two groups, with Boras emerging as a medal hopeful for the final.
“The plan was to just go out there, bring it, and see where it takes me. I’m so excited for the final! The track is so fast, I reckon I can do another personal best,” Boras said.
Finishing within 10cm of the farthest jump in qualifying, the 17-year-old is capable of shaking up the contest to close out a strong Australian campaign on the sixth and final day of the championships.
It was a nervous wait for Darcy Miller (Steve Larsson) after throwing 57.77m to finish in sixth place of Group A in the Discus Qualification, but the Australian is officially finals bound having made the final 12 with the ninth best performance of the day.
“I was hoping for a personal best but there are a few things to work on in the final. I’m so glad to have this experience and however it ends up, I’ll be happy with it. It’s the first time I have put on the green and gold and I’m already looking forward to the second,” Miller said.
Etienne Rousseau (Didier Poppe) mustered a 53.11m effort but ultimately failed to advance to the final, enjoying every moment of his international debut in Cali regardless.
One of the eight lanes in the Women’s 4x400m Final belongs to Australia after the team of Jasmin Guthrie (Angus McEntyre), Annie Pfeiffer (Lyn Foreman), Isabella Guthrie (Angus McEntyre) and Txai Anglin (Travis Venema) advanced to the final on time in 3:36.25.
The team will be bolstered by Ellie Beer (Brett Robinson) who is set to return for the final after finishing in seventh place of the Women’s 400m, with the 19-year-old boasting both Olympic and World Athletics Championships experience in the event.
Australia’s 800m-men Charlie Jeffreson (Penny Gillies) and Luke Boyes (Ben St Lawrence) were valiant in their second-round encounters when attempting to book their ticket to the final, ultimately coming up short with runs of 1:48.45 and 1:50.21 respectively.
Jeffreson finished third in Semi-Final 1 and was the fastest athlete to miss out on the final.
By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 5/8/2022
