Preview: Sydney next stop for the Coles Summer Super Series

The fourth meet in Athletics Australia’s Coles Summer Super Series arrives in Sydney this Saturday night when the Sydney Track Classic is held at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre at Homebush. National record holders Linden Hall (1500m), Jo Deng (800m), Brooke Stratton (long jump) and another high jump clash between Eleanor Patterson and Nicola McDermott, highlight a quality meet.

The Sydney Track Classic becomes part of history as the inaugural World Athletics Continental Tour meet. A bronze level meet, Sydney is part of the new series of World Athletics competitions held throughout the world in 2020. With its new status, the meet has attracted dozens of athletes from the Oceania region, Pacific Rim, America, Canada and Europe.

Women's High Jump

Round two of the Nicola McDermott and Eleanor Patterson high jumping exhibition hits the Homebush track. In Canberra last week they both cleared 1.96m – Olympic qualifiers, equal personal bests and the highest leap by Aussies on Australian soil. They both made good attempts at the Australian record of 1.98m - what can we expect in Sydney?

NSW’s McDermott and Sydney-based Patterson are particularly looking forward to competing at their ‘home’ track classic.

“I’m really excited (about the meet) as I now live in Sydney and I can wake up in my own bed, go to that track that I train at, and be surrounded by the extended family that I have now made with the people I train with,” said Patterson.

McDermott concurred.

“I’m looking forward to the Sydney crowd – both of our home-towns now, and to have a crowd that knows us, that supports us, it will be no greater honour to try and break the two-metre barrier there.”

Far from being afraid of the challenge by Patterson, McDermott has embraced it.

“I think the two of us are having fun together and when you are having fun you are jumping highest. She is just a gift and I’m so thankful that she is jumping so high,” said McDermott.

One of McDermott’s sporting ambitions from 2017 is looking a reality.

“I want Australia to get to the next level for high jumping and that is for a female to jump over two metres.”

Women 100m hurdles

After a breakthrough run in Melbourne and confirmation of her standing as Australia’s new leading sprint hurdler with a second win in Canberra, the Gold Coast-based Liz Clay arrives in her home-town chasing the Olympic qualifier, where she needs to improve her PB from 12.94 to 12.84.

“Every race since Melbourne, I have to go in with the same mentality, just execute, run fast and try and get the win,” said Clay. “If I put all that together, the time will be there.”

Homebush is where Clay grew-up doing her athletics.

“All my best friends live in Sydney so it will be great to see all them and all the athletes I know from NSW. Also, I haven’t seen my family as much as I would have like this year so it will be great to go home.”

However, she has to contend with a strong field she has leapfrogged in the last month, including Oceania champion Brianna Beahan and 20-year-old national champion Celeste Mucci. Beahan was particularly impressive last week in Canberra just centimetres behind Clay at the last hurdle.

Men High Jump

For the first occasion in two years, equal national record holder Brandon Starc, jumps in his hometown. Injured last summer, when he last jumped in Sydney his best was 2.31m, but in the ensuring two years he has reached 2.36m and jumped higher than 2.31m on five occasions. In Canberra last week, Starc cleared 2.25m and took a shot at 2.33m – the Olympic qualifier.

There is a support cast of 2.30m athletes, Joel Baden, Nauraj Singh Randhawa (MAS), Sanghyeok Woo (KOR) and Hamish Kerr (NZL).

Women 1500m

The clash between national record holder Linden Hall and in-form Doha semi-finalist Georgia Griffith is much anticipated. Adding to the interest will be the performance of Rio 1500m semi-finalist, Jenny Blundell, following her return to form in the national 5000m, where she ran a 32 second PB and claimed the bronze medal. Hall was three seconds behind Blundell in that 5000m race, while Griffith is coming off a super 800m performance in Canberra where she ran 2:00.88 and comfortably defeated the national 800m record holder Catriona Bisset.

Saturday night will be Hall’s first outing over 1500m this summer and since she made the semi-finals at the 2019 world championships.

“I'm really looking forward to getting back to racing over 1500m, after the 5000m in Melbourne,” Hall said. “After having more of a 5km focus through December and January, I've managed to surprise myself in the recent more 1500m specific sessions and hopefully that's a positive sign for this weekend, certainly gives me a lot confidence!”

The race will signal Hall’s Olympic build-up is well underway.

“Our main goal for the race is to welcome the legs back to 1500m racing and see where we are at right now. It's really exciting to start racing in my preferred event in such a big and exciting year, after four years it feels like the Olympic year is officially beginning.”

Men 800m

After a history making 2018 season for Jo Deng and Peter Bol, 2019 was rather quiet. But the Sydney Track Classic marks their push towards Tokyo qualification (1:45.20). Both just need to repeat their 2018 marks – the national record of 1:44.21 for Deng and 1:44.56 for Bol, to book a place for Tokyo.

Bol is ready for his season debut.

“Preparation has been going well and I’m excited to race in Sydney and looking forward to the competition,” he said.

Men 200m

Boom Sydney-sprinter John Gikas remains largely a mystery. What is known, is his outstanding performances which have this summer included a 20.66 200m and 45.87 400m. He has also clocked wind assisted times of 10.37 (100m) and 20.43 (200m). The King’s School alumni is this season racing more regularly after grimaces of brilliance over the last three years during his late teens. Coach Penny Gillies has harnessed his potential which has witnessed his extraordinary sprint range, while he is still only aged 20.

While we await, the sprint clash of the summer against Rohan Browning, in Sydney Gikas will race 5-time Australian champion Alex Hartman (Pb 20.45), North Queensland teenager Jake Doran (PB 20.76), Anas Abu-Ganaba (PB 20.89) and Asim Abdoulie (PB 20.76).

Men 1500m Para

Multi-world record holders Jaryd Clifford and Michael Roeger, race over 1500m. Both competed at the recent World Para-Athletics Championships in Dubai, Clifford won gold in the T13 1500m, while Roeger was second in the T46 1500m. Both are coming from different directions this month; Clifford building his summer after a rest post the World Championships, while Roeger recently ran an outstanding marathon time of 2:19.33. Clifford’s 1500m world record of 3:47.78 is under threat this summer on the strength of a 3:48.90 in January.

Homebush holds fond memories for Clifford. At the 2018 Sydney Track Classic, he set his personal best of 3:45.18 in a very memorable race. He had won the World U20 Championships trial, but remained without a qualifier and therefore unable to be selected. He had one last-ditch chance to qualify, at the Sydney Track Classic the next day. He had an added challenge, the Sydney Track Classic would be run in the evening and for Clifford with visual impairment, it was an added hurdle to overcome. Fortunately, his Paralympic Games teammate Michael Roeger wore a fluro singlet, which Clifford was able to follow. With Roeger’s help, Clifford qualified that night and went on to make history as the only Australian para athlete to be selected to compete at an able-bodied world championship.

Women 400m

Australia’s two quickest quarter-milers for the last three years Bendere Oboya and Annelise Rubie-Renshaw go head-to-head here and are joined by two rising stars Ellie Beer and Rebecca Bennett. Oboya and Rubie-Renshaw are at different stages of their preparation and hopeful Tokyo selection. Oboya is in sharp summer form after making the world championships semi-final last October and placing the highest junior in the field, while Rubie-Renshaw continues to race herself into form after missing 2019 due to a toe injury.

After her first race back, in Melbourne two weeks ago, Rubie-Renshaw put in perspective her progress.

“It is finally nice to get the full lap out. You have to start somewhere. I’m not in love with the time, but we can work on it. The first race is always a bit funny trying to get your rhythm back. My coach just said finish feeling like you could run another one in 45 minutes, so I just wanted to make sure I got around and felt okay. I’ll work on getting out a little faster towards the end of the season.”

Women Hammer Throw

The Australian All Comers record looks under threat in the women’s hammer throw when American Gwen Berry competes on Saturday night. In 2018 she broke the US record with a throw of 77.78m, over six metres above the longest throw on Australian soil. In addition, the field is a fantastic line up of throwers set to challenge Australia’s best Alex Hulley, who has a PB of 68.66m and is in good form indicated by a throw of 67.15m in Hamilton last week. New Zealand 67m throwers Nicola Bradley and Lauren Bruce, are joined in the event by Japan’s Akane Watanabe who threw 66.24m to win the 2016 Australian Championships in Sydney.

All that and more, including Australia’s long jump record holder Brooke Stratton who is confident of a big jump this season, Australia’s equal highest placed male at the world championships discus thrower Matt Denny and world championships steeplechaser Paige Campbell.

David Tarbotton for Athletics Australia