Super Saturday Set to Shine | Day Three Australian Track and Field Championships

Featuring back-to-back world champion Kelsey-Lee Barber, the blue riband event to crown the nation’s fastest athletes and a 1500m bout that many predict to be the event of the championships - Saturday is set to be super at the Australian Track and Field Championships.

Australia’s middle-distance depth is set to shine with two enticing 1500m battles looming on Day Three. The Women’s 1500m Final has been touted as one of the events of the championships, featuring Olympic finalists Jessica Hull (NSW, Pete Julian) and Linden Hall (VIC, Ned Brophy-Williams), along with Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Abbey Caldwell (VIC, Gavin Burren) and World Championships finalist Georgia Griffith (VIC, Nic Bideau).

The top prospects kept their cards close to their chest in Thursday’s preliminary round, with the Australian record holder Hull advancing as the fastest qualifier in 4:11.15 in the second of two contrasting heats. Taking out the first heat was Caldwell, who is determined to defend her breakthrough national title of 2022.

“It’s going to be a big event but it makes it more exciting. I’m really looking forward to it because hopefully it will be at the level of international racing in Australia, which is super exciting. It means a lot and everyone is fighting for the same spot, so it will be competitive,” Caldwell said.

“It’s going to be about executing the race correctly and hopefully we can all run fast.”

World Championships representative Matthew Ramsden (WA, Nic Bideau) is the class of the Men’s 1500m field on paper and progressed to today’s final with ease, while Cameron Myers (ACT, Lee Bobbin) left nothing to chance in a front-running display to finish ahead of fellow contender Callum Davies (QLD, Collis Birmingham). Connor Whiteley (NSW) posted the fastest qualifying time of 3:43.44, but the 16-year-old sensation Myers remains the talk of the town:

“I wanted to just put in an honest race and be top three in the heats. I have never really run heats and something can happen and you might come fourth or fifth, so I didn’t want to leave anything to chance. The goal for the final is to win for sure, but it’s easier said than done,” Myers said.

The nation’s premier sprinters made light work of the preliminary round of the 100m, but there is no room for error in today’s race to be crowned the fastest man and woman in the land. Athletes will first have to navigate the semi-finals, with all eyes casted to the home straight of the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre.

Rohan Browning (NSW, Andrew Murphy) and Bree Masters (QLD, Ryan Hoffman) clocked the fastest times by Australians with marks of 10.18 (+0.4) and 11.41 (+3.1) respectively, with Browning poised to take on defending champion Jake Doran (Paul Di Bella) and Masters’ main challenge coming in the form of Torrie Lewis (QLD, Gerrard Keating).

Back-to-back world champion and Olympic bronze medallist Kelsey-Lee Barber (QLD, Mike Barber) remains unseen in 2023, but with world-class credentials and the reputation of a big-time performer, the Australian legend will take on Olympic finalist Mackenzie Little (NSW, Angus McEntyre) in the Women’s Javelin Final.

With Barber’s 2023 World Athletics Championships berth all but locked away with a wildcard and Little possessing a qualifier of 64.27m, the world-class duo will go head-to-head in a six-round showcase in the straight final.

Allora’s Matthew Denny (QLD, Dale Stevenson) is set to be in a league of his own in the Men’s Discus Final, but that is not to say that the five-time national discus champion will not put on a show on his way to gold number six.

Throwing 59.48m to lead qualifying, Denny stamped his authority over a youthful field featuring by Lachlan Page (SA, ) and World Under 20 representatives Darcy Miller (SA, Steve Larsson) and Etienne Rousseau (WA, Didier Poppe). Throwing 67.26m to win the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, Denny locked away a 2023 World Athletics Championships qualifier and will solidify his position on the team with a top-two finish today.

19-year-old Aiden Hinson (VIC, Chloe Stevens) and Desleigh Owusu (NSW, Andrew Murphy) laid down early markers of 16.31m (+0.5) and 13.42m (-0.8) respectively to lead the qualifying round of the Men’s and Women’s Triple Jump. Hinson possesses a clean sheet in 2023 with a best of 16.72m from five showings to be the deserving favourite for the men ahead of Connor Murphy (NSW, Andrew Murphy), while Owusu will take on Kayla Cuba (QLD, Stacey Taurima) who owns a seasons best of 13.82m.

Also awaiting in the field on Day Three in Brisbane is a high-flying battle between the in-form Joel Baden (VIC, Sandro Bisetto) and Australian record holder Brandon Starc (NSW, Alex Stewart). While Starc is yet to open his outdoor campaign after a best of 2.27m indoors in February, Baden posted a 2023 World Athletics Championships qualifier of 2.33m at the Victorian State Championships. Adding to the high jump action will be Francesca Peacock (QLD, Julian Konle) in the Under 20 ranks, with a 1.83m career-best to her name at 18-years-old.

The multi events get underway on Day Three in Brisbane as Australia’s most versatile athletes descend upon the Women’s Heptathlon and Men’s Decathlon. While 8000 point decathlete Alec Diamond (NSW, Zsuzsanna Olgyay-Zsabo) is the resounding favourite for the men, Commonwealth Games representative Taneille Crase (Glynis Nunn) is set to take on Tori West (Eric Brown) and 19-year-old teammate Emelia Surch (Glynis Nunn).

Reigning Australian champion in the Men’s Ambulant 100m, Jaydon Page (ACT, Sebastian Kuzminski, T47) will gun to retain his title in 2023, but T36 world record holder James Turner (ACT, Iryna Dvoskina, T36) will be difficult to deny. Five-time Paralmypic champion Evan O’Hanlon (ACT, Iryna Dvoskina, T38) only knows one way to compete, while a star-studded Women’s Ambulant 100m is headed by Rhiannon Clarke (WA, Danny Kevan, T38) and Ella Pardy (WA, Danny Kevan, T38).

The Under 20 action on Day Three is headed by Australian Under 18 record holders over 100m and 3000m respectively, Sebastian Sultana (NSW, Greg Smith) and Amy Bunnage (VIC, Tim O’Shaughnessy) who both clinched titles on Day One. Backing up his Under 20 100m triumph, Sultana will look to complete the sprint double in the 200m, while Bunnage steps up to the 5000m. After a significant personal best of 11.46 (+1.1) to win the Women’s Under 20 100m, Georgia Harris (QLD, Paul Pearce) will also eye her second gold of the championships in the Under 20 200m.

Rounding out the action in the field, Australia’s Para throws contingent will go head-to-head in the Men’s Ambulant Shot Put, led by London Paralympic champion Todd Hodgetts (F20, Scott Martin), back-to-back World Para champion Cameron Crombie (F38, Hamish McDonald) and bronze medallist Marty Jackson (F38, John Eden).

Catch all the action on Day Three of the 2023 Australian Track and Field Championships on 7plus from 12:00pm to 6:05pm local time (AEST).

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 1/4/2023