South Australian Stars to Run at Adelaide Invitational

With the likes of Rohan Browning, Peter Bol and Riley Day flying in from interstate to run in the Chemist Warehouse Adelaide Invitational on February 12, the event looks set to be the most high profile meet held at the SA Athletics Stadium since 2016. 

Add into that mix an array of local SA talent and the Adelaide Invitational will be one heck of a show across the track, throws and jumps program. 

SA's most recent Olympians Isobel Batt-Doyle and Matthew Clarke, as well as four-time Paralympian Michael Roeger will be running the 5000m at the Invitational, while a wide range of other talented athletes will be taking to the Stadium's track and field.

Batt-Doyle said the Adelaide Invitational was an exciting prospect for the sport of athletics in SA.

"It's going to be a great event - we haven't had anything like this in a number of years," she said. 

"It is always fun to race at home, and especially when there is a big crowd out there watching on - it just spurs you on.

"There is a lot of interstate talent coming across, in all events, so it should be a really great display of athletics for people to watch.

"I know that a lot of people love coming out to watch the State Championship events and seeing the level of talent that we have here in SA, which is exceptional already, but then to bring in these names from interstate it really turns it up a notch.

"This is a great chance for people to watch events like a 100m race with Rohan Browning running, and an 800m which includes Peter Bol - people are going to get a real show."

Some intriguing battles are set to take place on the track, with 18-year-old Athletics SA Emerging Athlete Program sprinter Aidan Murphy taking on Browning in the 100m race. 

Traditionally a 200m and 400m runner, Murphy last month broke the Open Men's 100m State Record during a Copyworld Toshiba Interclub meet, registering a time of 10.35.

Aidan Murphy, bib 82.

Browning ran a PB 10.01 in July last year and is currently ranked 13th in the World for the 100m discipline, making the semi final in Tokyo.

Murphy said he was excited to take on Australia's fastest man on his home track. 

"I am so excited to be a part of the Adelaide Invitational - it is a huge step from the club meets that I have been running in," the Saints Athletics Club prospect said.

"I can't wait to race Connor Diffey and of course Rohan Browning, this is a huge meet. 

"Running against Browning was something I never thought would happen this season, but I am pumped for it and I can't wait to see what it's like to race against an Olympian."

Murphy said the State 100m Record came as a shock to him, but gave him the belief to put his name in the ring for the Invitational 100m race.

"It was funny because I thought the Open 200m Record would go before anything else because I am feeling really strong in that event, but it was the 100m Record that went," he said. 

"When I found out that Browning was racing the 100m, I felt like I needed to enter as well just to see what he was like and to get used to running in a really strong 100m field.

"I have got the home ground and I am feeling excited rather than nervous - I can't wait to race."

Also recently breaking the U20 Men's 200m State Record (20.62), Murphy will also be lining up in the 200m at the Invitational and said he was keen to put on a show for the home crowd, with the Open Record of 20.59 in his sights.  

Roeger, who lives and Canberra and trains at the Australian Institute of Sport, said he was excited by the prospect of returning to Adelaide and running in front of friends and family. 

He was also excited by the depth of the entries in the 5000m race, which includes Paralympic medallist Jaryd Clifford, Isaac Heyne, Jack Bruce and Clarke. 

"It is always good to come back to SA and get a race in, I don't have many opportunities to do it and hopefully I run well," Roeger said. 

"I am good mates with Peter Bol, so when I saw that he was running in SA, I was pretty pumped.

"There are a lot of good names and hopefully this event gets everybody's 2022 off to a really good start."

Since running the T46 Marathon in Tokyo, Roeger has been recovering from a stress fracture in his leg, but said he was ready to go for the Invitational.

"After the disappointment of Tokyo (missing the podium), I had to have 12 weeks off through injury and that took a long time to process," he said.

"I have picked myself back up and the form is looking good.

"I have been building on my 5000m so it will be interesting to see how I go in Adelaide as I am really looking to fire at the National 5000m and run well under 14 minutes for the first time (14:00.25 PB).

"I always keep an eye on SA and if there is a live stream I will watch it and Isaac Heyne, Clarke and Max Stevens are flying in the middle distances - distance running in SA is really strong."

Clarke ran the Steeplechase in Tokyo and said the Adelaide Invitational was starting to look like "the event of the year".

"We are very fortunate that there are some big names competing, both locals and interstate athletes," he said. 

"It is exciting to be a part of - we want to put on a show.

"Our SA distance runners are starting to put Adelaide on the map with some really impressive times over the past couple of years so it will be good to have a good crowd come along and watch the event - there will be some really stacked fields.

"The 5000m race will be close, we are always battling it out over here domestically so it will be exciting to throw some strong interstate runners in there as well."

Others currently on the entry list include Ella Connolly, Bree Masters, Torrie Lewis, Connor Diffey, Jack Hale, Jake Doran, Alex Beck, Sam McEntee, Jack Bruce, Max Stevens, Joe Burgess and Rose Davies.

Purchase your tickets here

Adult - $15

Concession - $10

Child (U12) - FREE

Family (2 Adults + 2 Children OR 1 Adults + 3 Children) - $40

By Athletics South Australia
Posted: 5/02/2022