Semi final starts for Beck & Carli, Barber and Bol begin their campaign

A reigning world champion, a Tokyo sensation, a debutant, and two semi-finalists.

Day 6 of the World Athletics Championships in Oregon may be void of Australian finals action in the wake of Eleanor Patterson’s historic gold, but while medals can’t be won in early rounds – they can certainly be lost.

After Tokyo heartache when missing the semi-finals by 0.03 seconds, Alex Beck has rewritten the script in Oregon with a run of 45.99 in the first round to advance to the semi-finals – a place reserved for the 24 fastest men in the world.

“It was a huge goal to get to an individual semi. Last year in Tokyo I was oh-so-close, missing out by 0.03. Track and field is a pretty unforgiving sport and being in it for so long I’ve learned that you make your own luck,” Beck said.

“Last year was tough but me and my coach Mark Ladbrook have gone back home and we have worked our arse off to get here, that isn’t the world owing me one, that’s just me putting in the work to get here.”

The four-time national champion is evergreen at 30-years-old, producing a personal best of 45.54 in Tokyo which he is looking to lower tomorrow at one of the biggest occasions of his career.

“I always tell myself to go fast, relax, go fast, relax. I was fast but I wasn’t overly relaxed so I know if I can settle down and breathe a little bit harder, relax into that home straight, I’m in really good shape and I am going to put myself in a position to do something really special,” Beck said.

“I’ve come here, I’ve gone to the semi-finals. This is my race. This is my one and only chance and I don’t get another one. Let’s do it.” 

Also booking a semi-finals berth was Sarah Carli in the 400m hurdles when securing automatic qualification with a third-place finish in her heat when running 55.89. The result is an improvement on Carli’s Tokyo output but making it to the blocks at the Olympics was an achievement in itself after a life-threatening accident in the gym.

“Coming back from Tokyo was a pretty big smack in the face to realise how unfit I was. I had to be as positive as possible in the lead up but afterwards I let it all hit me. I took some time to actually process what happened and it was a pretty hard slog, especially with a hamstring strain in February,” Carli said.

“The last eight weeks everything has gone to plan, everything has gone so well and when I got really nervous today I just told myself that I committed to the Olympics off six weeks of training – this is easy!”

While Carli is happy to find herself in the round of 24, the 27-year-old deems the job far from done, hinting that a personal best under her current mark of 55.09 is on the cards tomorrow night.

“I hit my stride pattern which was really exciting, and once I made that last hurdle I was able to switch off a little bit, I know that there is more there because that actually felt pretty comfortable,” Carli said.

“I’m in shape and I am ready to go sub-55 [seconds], that’s the goal for tomorrow.”

There aren’t many athletes as accustomed to the cut-throat nature of major championships than reigning world champion Kelsey-Lee Barber who followed up her feat with an Olympic bronze last year, earning a reputation as a clutch performer in the big moments.

Barber has not been without setback in recent years, but it is her ability to deliver when it counts that has seen her succeed on the global stage. With a season’s best of 61.40m to her name, Barber will have to come much closer to her Tokyo throw of 64.56m to find herself in medal contention but tomorrow’s qualification round will provide her the opportunity to grow her confidence.

Fellow Tokyo finalists Mackenzie Little and Kathryn Mitchell form a formidable trio in the event, with Little enjoying a breakout season to date – undefeated on her way to the Australian and Oceania titles. Mitchell has only thrown twice in 2022 and will relish the opportunity to force her way into another global final.

Peter Bol went from a good athlete to a national icon following his Tokyo campaign, when finishing in fourth place, and with the Men’s 800m in Oregon wide open – Bol is presented with the chance to strengthen his legacy. Bol’s talent and tactical prowess shapes him as a medal contender, and will arrive in form after lowering his Australian record to 1:44.00 and finishing in the top two in nine out of his 10 last races.  Joseph Deng was also set to compete in the Men’s 800m alongside his training partner Bol, but has withdrawn from the competition due to injury.

National 10,000m champion Rose Davies and Australian debutant Natalie Rule will compete tomorrow in the Women’s 5000m heats. Training partners and friends, the duo has clocked countless kilometres together and will be looking to punch their tickets to a finals date for 12.5 laps at Hayward Field.  Similar in their lifetime bests, Rule (15:06.50) and Davies (15:07.49) will compete in their respective heats and prepare for a fast finish as they aim for the 5000m final later this week.

Jessica Hull has withdrawn from the Women’s 500m following a positive COVID test result. Hull underwent testing after the Women’s 1500m final and has since gone into isolation. She will make her next appearance at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 20/7/2022