Events to tune into at #AAC17
Published Tue 28 Mar 2017
The 2017 Australian Athletics Championships are set to reach a thrilling crescendo as the open age athletes take to Sydney Olympic Park - Athletic Centre in the quest for national titles.
Set to span five days from Wednesday afternoon, Athletics Australia's LIVE STREAM will cover all the track and field action across the junior and open events. With a huge program on the cards, we've earmarked a few fascinating open age events to keep an eye on over the weekend:
Women’s 800m – Teenager Keely Small in the mix
Round 1: Friday 31st March
Semi-final: Saturday 1st April
Final: Sunday 2nd April
The women’s 800m has fast become one of the most competitive events on the program with six runners capable of coming away with the title given their form or prior achievements.
It must start with three-time defending champion Brittany McGowan who has returned from injury in time to make a bid for her fourth consecutive title despite not having raced this year.
She will need to be somewhere near her best to contend with 15-year-old sensation Keely Small who set a new under 18 national record of 2:01.46 to win the Canberra SummerOfAths Grand Prix.
Small is so far the closest this season to the qualifying mark of 2:01.00 for the upcoming world championships in London with New South Wales runner Lora
A challenge will come from three-time 1500m national champion Zoe Buckman who boasts at personal best of 2:00.93 from 2014 and has raced just a handful of times so far this domestic season.
Others in contention are Olympic 400m semi-finalist Anneliese Rubie who has run 2:03.27 this season and Abbie De La Motte from Victoria who clocked 2:02.19 at the Grand Prix in Canberra.
Women’s 100m hurdles – Pearson going for eight
Round 1: Sunday 2nd April
Final: Sunday 2nd April
Recent form and fitness of Australia’s two best hurdlers in Sally Pearson and Michelle Jenneke could lead to an exciting race for this year’s national crown with a few young guns chasing the pair.
Jenneke is the defending champion and has hit her stride with a season’s best of 12.99 after a slow start to the season following a break post the Olympic Games.
Given her
Nipping at their heals should be Brianna Beahan who will likely be aiming to break through that 13-second barrier following a promising run of 13.18 in Canberra, not far off her best of 13.03 from last year.
Also in contention for a medal will be Elizabeth Clay who recently ran a personal best and World University Games qualifier of 13.36 and Abbie Taddeo who has run 13.30 last season.
Women’s pole vault – Kennedy eyeing maiden title
Qualification: Thursday 30th March
Final: Saturday 1st April
A battle for national supremacy in the women’s pole vault will
Kennedy recently cleared 4.55m to win her state championships, which was also a world championships qualifier, defeating three-time national champion Parnov who has a season’s best of 4.45m following her return from injury.
Yet the gold medal will likely go to Olympic bronze medallist from Rio and two-time New Zealand champion Eliza McCartney who recently recorded a personal best of 4.82m and a new Oceania record.
Men’s 800m – Good luck making the final
Round 1: Thursday 30th March
Semi-finals: Friday 31st March 2:10pm (if necessary)
Final: Saturday 1st April
Undoubtedly the most competitive event on the nationals program is the men’s 800m which features the equal national record holder, three former national champions and two Olympians.
Looking to defend his national crown last year, which sent him to the Rio Olympics, will be Luke Mathews from Victoria who has raced sparingly this season following the Nitro Athletics series.
The fastest Australian this year over two laps is the other Olympian in the field Peter Bol, who has a season’s best of 1:46.98 from earlier this year in Canberra.
The fastest man on the start line will be equal national record holder and 2013 champion Alex Rowe who enters nationals with a season’s best of 1:47.78 and a string of races under his belt.
Two others that could be around the mark will be Dylan Stenson, the South Australian champion over 400m, 800m and 1500m and Jordan
Men’s 200m – Kiwi can push Gamble to qualifier
Round 1: Sunday 2nd April
Final: Sunday 2nd April
Leading Australian sprinter over 200m Tom Gamble will likely have to run another personal best in Sydney to hold off pre-race favourite and New Zealand rising star Joseph Millar.
Gamble ran a lifetime best of 20.61 in Canberra earlier this year and is closing in on the qualifying mark of 20.44 for the world championships later this year in London.
Millar might help Gamble reach that qualifier given the Kiwi sprinter recently clocked a national record 20.37 in Hamilton and has also run a personal best in the 100m this season.
Two-time national 200m champion Alex Hartmann will be in the mix with a season’s best of 20.82 along with Will Johns who will line up with a personal best of 20.95 set this year.
Men’s long jump – Lapierre absence leaves door open
Final: Sunday 2nd April
The men’s long jump will also have good depth, despite the absence of five-time national champion Fabrice Lapierre, and also includes a world-class international athlete.
Christopher Mitrevski enters nationals with the strongest form this season after his recent personal best of 7.97m set in Canberra only a few weeks ago.
Sri Lankan national champion VPA Jayasiri features on the start list with a fresh personal best of 8.15m that has qualified him for the London world championships.
World junior championships bronze medallist Darcy Roper has jumped the furthest out of the Australians with a personal best of 8.01m in 2015.
Others in contention include Liam Adcock who has jumped 7.90m this year and Youth Olympic Games bronze medallist Shemaiah James who recently recorded a 7.88m jump in Brisbane.
More athletes to watch at nationals:
Running the 100m in Sydney is national record holder and four-time national champion over the distance Melissa Breen, who will also contest the 200m against Olympic semi-finalist Ella Nelson.
Nelson will be aiming for her fourth consecutive national crown in the 200m following her impressive performance in Rio where she ran a personal best and missed the final by a hundredth of a second.
Another Olympian that will feature in the 200m is Morgan Mitchell, who will be more worried about winning her third title in the 400m and confirm her spot on the team for London.
Reigning 1500m champion Heidi See will have to be at her best to win a third consecutive national title with Olympic semi-final duo Linden Hall and Jenny Blundell in good form this season.
Two consistent performers at nationals will be out for even more success in Sydney with Lauren Wells aiming for her tenth 400m hurdles title and Dani Stevens in line for her twelfth discus crown.
The men’s sprints will be headlined by the return of reigning national champion and London Olympic 400m finalist Steve Solomon to domestic competition.
The four-time title winner has a season’s best of 46.18
In the 110m
Also featuring in the field events will be Damien Birkinhead who has thrown a world championships qualifier in the shot put this season and Hamish Peacock who has also done so in the javelin.
Cedric Dubler will contest the decathlon again after his Olympics experience in Rio while walker Dane Bird-Smith will be hard to beat in the 10,000m walk previously announcing he would like to chase the national record in the event.
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