Tokyo Hopefuls Enter Final Straight with Oceania Competitions

For domestic-based athletes, competition resumes this month in Queensland with three events on the Gold Coast and in Townsville. For Olympic hopefuls it will be an opportunity to qualify, or boost their World Athletics ranking ahead of the June 29 deadline. While for Paralympic prospects we may see athletes seeking to reach their first B standard or upgrade their B qualifier to an A ahead of team selections in July. The first two competitions on the Gold Coast, the Oceania Invitationals tomorrow and next Saturday, integrate the Australian junior team in a match against New Zealand.

Some events to watch are:

Javelin – women

Australia’s two longest javelin throwers in history Kathryn Mitchell (Uwe Hohn) and Kelsey-Lee Barber (Mike Barber) head this strong field which also includes number six all-time Mackenzie Little (Angus McEntyre) and New Zealand record holder Tori Peeters.

World champion Barber has already been selected for Tokyo, while Mitchell is 51cm from the qualification standard. Little is in a strong ranking position to earn selection.

4x100m relay – women

This is the scenario for the Aussies; they need to be world ranked top-16 by June 29. They are currently number 17 and need to run 43.04 to be 16th or 43.03 takes them to number 15. The Australian women’s 100m depth is at record levels with seven at 11.50 or quicker, headed by Hana Basic’s (John Nicolosi) great form, so it is possible. In 2019 the national team of Sally Pearson, Maddie Coates, Riley Day and Naa Anang clocked 43.19. The Australian record of 42.99 dates back to 2000.

4x100m - Men

For the men, the task looks more difficult than the women, but definitely still looks achievable. Australia is 21st on the rankings with 38.83. They need 38.46 to rank 16th and 38.45 to go to 15th. The Australian record is 38.17 and most recently they ran 38.58 at the Commonwealth Games with the team of Trae Williams, Rohan Browning, Jack Hale and Josh Clarke.

400m – Women

With the 4x400m women’s relay team for Tokyo looking safe in the World Rankings (number 13th) team places will be on the line. Many have credentials or form to press their case for selection. Most recently the team at the 2019 World Championships comprised Bendere Oboya (John Quinn), Ellie Beer (Brett Robinson), Rebecca Bennett (Mike Hurst), Lauren Boden (Matt Beckenham), Caitlin Jones (Eric Brown) and Bella O’Grady (Penny Gillies). The spearhead of the 2016 Rio team, which made the final, Anneliese Rubie-Renshaw (Peter Fortune), missed the 2019 world championships with injury but has returned to form in 2021.

100m - women

Hana Basic is a fraction (0.03 hundredths) short of the Tokyo qualifier with her 11.18 best at the Queensland Track Classic. These meets will be a clear opportunity for her to nail the standard, although on World Athletics points she is also looking strong. In addition to the record depth in the event, the future looks rosy with two teenagers Taylah Cruttenden (Braiden Clarke) and Torrie Lewis (Gerrard Keating), along with 20-year-old Monique Quirk (Mark Ladbrook) part of the future of this event. Paralympic champion Isis Holt (Paul Pearce) has her own T35 world record of 13.43 in her sights.

100m hurdles – women

A field of just four Hannah Jones (Sally Pearson), Celeste Mucci (Darren Clark), Abbie Taddeo (Penny Gillies) and Brianna Beahan (Ryan Purcell), but they are all quality as four of the 10 fastest in Australian history in our most successful women’s event across Olympics, world championships and Commonwealth Games.

Javelin – men

Australia’s 2020 Para Athlete of the Year Corey Anderson (Des Davis) will be looking at getting back to his 2019/20 levels. Months after winning the 2019 world title, he smashed the world record in the F38 javelin with a throw of 58.18m. In a late start to his 2021 campaign, he has thrown 50.51m and 51.95m this year. Sitting on a B qualifier, 2017 world champion Jayden Sawyer will be looking to launch the 800g implement over 50 metres for a qualifying period best. National champion Liam O’Brien is just outside the World Athletics rankings, but can enhance his selection prospects here.

10,000m walk – men and women

A tremendous field of quality young race walkers on the start line here highlight how, after a few retirements, Australia has a cohort capable of returning to the levels of the last two decades which saw our race walkers win half our Olympic medals.

Two of our Tokyo Olympic selected athletes, Jemima Montag (Brent Vallance) and Rhydian Cowley (Brent Vallance) head up the fields. World University Games champion and 3-time Tokyo qualified Katie Hayward (Steve Langley) should see herself named for Tokyo in July. The race will be critical for rising young race walkers Kyle Swan (Brent Vallance) and Bec Henderson (Simon Baker) attempting to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics by points.

Four juniors Will Thompson (Brent Vallance), Corey Dickson (Donna Dickson), Olivia Sandery (Bob Cruise) and Alana Peart (Wayne Peart) are brimming with talent to continue the strong tradition we have in this event. 

Decathletes

World top-4 decathletes in 2020, Ashley Moloney (Eric Brown) and Cedric Dubler (Eric Brown), are in preparation for their next 10 eventer in Townsville and will compete across the program on the Gold Coast. Moloney competes in the 100m, 110m hurdles and discus, while Dubler lines up for the 110m hurdles, pole vault and discus.

Shot Put and secured shot – men

Rio Olympic finalist Damien Birkinhead (Scott Martin) sits just outside a ranking position for the Tokyo Olympics and will be looking to improve his prospects in this competition. In his last competition, London Paralympic champion Todd Hodgetts (F20, Scott Martin) nailed a putt of 15.92m at the Australian University Games – his best mark for four years. He will be looking to continue that momentum towards a Paralympic A qualifier of 16.40m.

800m - men

It was a near perfect domestic season for Peter Bol (Justin Rinaldi) running quick times of 1:45.23 and 1:45.48, undefeated by any Aussies and claiming the national title. His World Athletics looks strong for selection, but he would like to make Tokyo selection safe with a 1:45.20 qualifier, a standard just missed mid-week by training partner Jeff Riseley (Justin Rinaldi).

Also hitting the Runaway Bay track will be selected Tokyo Olympian Rohan Browning (Andrew Murphy) and Paralympian Jaryd Clifford (Philo Saunders).

100m ambulant - men

Paralympic gold medallists Evan O'Hanlon and Scott Reardon, both coached by Iryna Dvoskina, take to the track for the first time this domestic season.  O'Hanlon makes his return to the track in the Gold Coast, from the Czech Republic where he resides, after competing for Australia at the World Bobsleigh Championships. Reardon, who has B-qualifiers to his name, has battled with injury since his withdrawal from the World Para Athletics Championships in 2019, but will be competing for another qualifier to prove himself to selectors ahead of July's Tokyo selection. 

They will also be joined by their training partners James Turner (T36) and Chad Perris (T13) who will be looking to get in crucial competition practise ahead of the Tokyo Paralympics, for which they've already been selected. 

Juniors

While each event above mentions our junior stars on the rise, what's most noteable is that our Under 20 athletes will compete under the 'Australian Under 20 Team' in lieu of the representatives not competing at the World Under 20 Championships in Kenya this August. The Australian Under 20 side will compete for glory against their trans-tasman counterparts, and at the end of the second meet, one nation will be declared as winners of this event. For many this will be the first time they don the Australian kit, as they now look ahead to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Athletics Australia would like to thank Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) for their support of the  Australian Under 20 Team, under the  CGA's Green To Gold To Great program, as well as the City of Gold Coast, who have proudly supported the camp. 

Competition calendar:

Sat 5 June – Oceania Invitational I, Runaway Bay, Gold Coast (12.30pm)

Sat 12 June – Oceania Invitational II, Runaway Bay, Gold Coast (1.00pm)

Start List/ Live Results: http://oceaniaaths.link/1

Technical Information: http://oceaniaaths.link/2

These competitions are run by Oceania Athletics, and proudly supported by the City of Gold Coast. 

By David Tarbotton for Athletics Australia
Posted: 4/6/2021