Multis Preview - Aussie multi-stars ready

Men’s Decathlon

After a tremendous junior career, Cedric Dubler (Qld) is now Australia’s leading decathlete. His personal best was set when winning the 2016 Olympic trials where he scored 8114 points to become the third best in Australian history. In qualifying for the Rio Olympic Games Dubler broke a drought for Australian decathletes extending back to the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He went on to place 14th in Rio with a score of 8,024 points which was the best by an Aussie for 28 years.

Over the 2017/18 summer, he made outstanding progress in the hurdles (13.86), discus and pole vault. On day one at the Commonwealth Games trials, he smashed his 100m and shot put personal bests with 10.63 and 13.01m respectively. His overnight score was just 23 points shy of his lifetime best. He opened day two with a decathlon 110 hurdles personal best of 14.21, then surpassed two more new standards in the pole vault and javelin. He closed with a solid 1500m for yet another all-time best score of 8229 which was the best by an Australian for nearly 20 years.

World University Games champion Kyle Cranston (NSW) has also had an outstanding summer. Scoring 7687 points at the Commonwealth Trials behind teammate Dubler, he set a new personal best score of 7786 which makes him the 13th best ever Australian ever.

The Australians is set for a showdown with Canadian Damian Warner who hopes to defend the title he won in Glasgow. England's Ashley Bryant is also likely to feature in the ten-eventer.

Women’s Heptathlon

Victorian Celeste Mucci, has made great progress in the Heptathlon over the last few years.

Early in 2017, she added a massive 248pts to her personal best when winning the Victorian title. In April she travelled to her former hometown, Florence in Italy, to compete in the Multistars senior international competition where she added nearly 100 points to her best ever with 5721 points. Her competition included individual bests in the shot put, high jump and javelin and was 67 points short of the national under-20 record.

In her first heptathlon of the domestic season in December, she captured that record as she set a new Australian junior record with 5870 points, a mark set by the late Peta Kennedy that had stood for 27 years.

At the Australian Championships, the 18-year-old won the national heptathlon title with a score of 5812 points guaranteeing her selection for the Commonwealth Games.

After a strong junior career, Alysha Burnett’s debut last year in the senior ranks was a medal-winning one. She first won the national title then a silver medal at the 2017 World University Games in Taipei and scored over 5800 points in all her three competitions.

Her new personal best of 5835 points set in Taipei at the University Games, lifted her to number 11 on the Australian all-time list and was the highest score by an Australian for nine years.

England’s best, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, looks a strong chance to add the Commonwealth title to the pentathlon gold she won in the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham last month. In jumping events, she is particularly outstanding. She is the British record holder for the high jump with 1.98m and recently new set a national indoor record of 6.93m in the long jump. Her best score in the heptathlon is from the annual meet in Gotzis, Austria where last year she scored 6691.

Pat Birgan for Athletics Australia

Follow all the action of the XXI Commonwealth Games

The 2018 Commonwealth Games will be held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, from Wednesday 4 April to Sunday 15 April 2018.

Athletics action kicks off on Sunday 8 April and continues until Sunday 15 April.

• Athletics Australia on Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Media Guide for 2018 Commonwealth Games (PDF)
• Commonwealth Games Australia
• Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games

Tickets 

You can still buy athletics tickets for Gold Coast Commonwealth Games including for finals sessions;

Don’t miss your chance to witness world-class competition live and cheer on the Aussie team.

TV and Digital

The Seven Network will broadcast content on all three of their TV channels - 7, 7TWO and 7Mate.

You can download the 7CommGames app from both the Google Play and Apple store or watch via the website version.

The app and website will have all events on TV and every medal event live, in full and available for free. 

Athletics will be hosted by a huge team of athletics specialist led by Bruce McAvaney and inlcudeLord Sebastian Coe, Dave Culbert, Steve Hooker, Tamsyn Lewis. 

With Pat Welsh trackside and Melinda Gainsford-Taylor and Jane Flemming providing additional commentary.

How to listen on radio

ABC Local and Regional Stations â€“ Updates throughout the day with live continuous
coverage from 7.00 pm
The ABC Listen App â€“ on Google Play and Apple store featuring a dedicated Commonwealth Games channel
Grandstand Digital DAB+ â€“ broadcasting 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
ABC Online â€“ ABC Grandstand will stream its Games coverage

Karen Tighe will host the broadcast with Quentin Hill covering Athletics along with Australia’s fastest man, Patrick Johnson providing expert commentary.