Athletics Australia – News – Day 4 Nationals

Dani Samuels (NSW) has stamped her authority on the women's discus at the 92nd Australian Athletics Championships and Commonwealth Games Selection Trials, with her personal best throw of 66.81m to win ensuring her automatic nomination alongside 13 other track and field charges on day four.

Saving her huge mark for the sixth and final round, Samuel's throw delivers a personal best to the 25-year-old for the first time since 2010 when she threw 65.84m at the Sydney Track Classic. It continues a strong domestic season that also includes two other throws beyond 65 metres and ensures that she will start as favourite in Glasgow 2014, with the second best performance in the Commonwealth more than six metres shy of Samuels' throw today. 

"I knew that I had nailed it, I felt it straight away, and to see almost 67 metres come up is amazing. All the training I have done over the years has now paid off, it hasn't been for nothing despite not hitting what I thought I could," Samuels said. 

"Throws like that don't come along everyday so it's a great result. I'm very happy."

Samuels is joined on the nominee list by Sally Pearson (Qld, 100m hurdles), Robbie Crowther (Qld, long jump), Brittany McGowan (Qld, 1500m), Emily Brichacek (ACT, 5000m), Ian Dewhurst (NSW, 400m hurdles), Ella Nelson (NSW, 200m), Damien Birkinhead (Vic, shot put), Joel Pocklington (Vic, pole vault), Eleanor Patterson (Vic, high jump), Brooke Stratton (Vic, long jump), Lauren Wells (ACT, 400m hurdles) and Jeff Riseley (Vic, 1500m).

Dominant in her favoured event, the Olympic champion and IAAF World Indoor Championships silver medallist Pearson crossed to win the final in 12.72 (w: +0.1) from Shannon McCann (WA, second, 13.21) and Michelle Jenneke (NSW, third, 13.34). The win delivers Pearson's 13th national crown and ensures that she will line-up in both the 100m flat and the 100m hurdles at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. 

Crowther won the long jump with a leap of 8.03m (w: +1.7) from Fabrice Lapierre (NSW, second, 7.87m) and Thomas Soliman (Qld, third, 7.59m) to ensure his automatic nomination to the Australian Commonwealth Games Association.

Improving on what he described as a motivating performance at the IAAF Melbourne World Challenge, the result ensures his appearance in the cauldron that is a major international event for the first time since the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Daegu (KOR).

"It's been a while since I've jumped like that. Last year I was working full time and playing touch footy, I'd pretty much stopped jumping and to be back out there is awesome, Crowther said.

"I didn't jump too well at Melbourne and I think Henry motivated me a bit. I'm back in Brisbane with my family, loving the sunshine and it's great to be back jumping well." 

McGowan, Brichacek, Dewhurst, Nelson, Birkinhead, Pocklington, Patterson and Stratton in winning the Australian Athletics Championships gold medal will all compete in individual events at an open age major international championship for the first time.  

Boasting a B-Standard from the Queensland Track Classic coming into the women's 800m final today, McGowan stopped the clock at 2:02.15 to edge out Selma Kajan (NSW, second, 2:02.59) and the IAAF World Junior Championships bound Georgia Wassall (NSW, third, 2:02.82). The win is McGowan's first national title, and the Australian uniform she will receive if officially selected will sit alongside her Summer Universide kit from the Kazan (RUS) in 2013.

Sitting on the shoulder of Eloise Wellings (NSW, second, 15:53.62), who broke away from the pack with about 700 metres to go, Brichacek made her move past the two-time Commonwealth Games representative to ensure her nomination for selection by winning in a time of 15:52.65. Brichacek's win is her first national crown in the 5000m, and it will sit alongside previous gold at the Australian Cross-Country Championships and in the women's 10,000m at the Zatopek:10 last year.

Launching from lane six, Dewhurst was able to respond to the challenge laid down by London Olympic semi-finalist Tristan Thomas (Tas, second, 50.13), who went around the first bend and into the back straight very hard. He held on to the narrow lead he had coming into the home straight to cross victorious in a personal best time of 49.52, to win his first national title and a second consecutive appearance in the green and gold after he ran at the Summer Universiade in Kazan (RUS) last year.

Nelson battled it out up the straight with Ash Whittaker (Vic, second, 23.55) to win in 23.47 (w: +0.5), with Melissa Breen (ACT) the bronze medallist in 23.88. A member of the women's 4x100m relay team at the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships, Nelson is proud now to have cut it as a senior athlete after admitting that she found the initial transition from junior competition difficult.

"I knew I had to work that bend with Ash on my outside. She was always going to push me and then I had Mel to deal with on the straight as well so I am very excited to come away with the win and the spot on the team for Glasgow," Nelson said. 

"I took a while to come up from juniors to seniors. It was tough, but I have trained so hard this season to make it possible and I am just pumped to reap the rewards. It has all paid off. It's awesome." 

The gold medallist in the men's shot put, Birkinhead narrowly missed the personal best he threw at the IAAF Melbourne World Challenge two weeks ago with his best mark of 19.04m. Joined in the thrower's circle by London 2012 Olympian Dale Stevenson (Vic, second, 17.93m), Birkinhead will now aim to add to his bronze medal from the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships under the guidance of his coach Scott Martin.

Pocklington boasted an impressive 11 Commonwealth Games B-Qualifiers coming into today's national championship, and required simply the win to ensure his nomination for Glasgow. Entering the competition at 5.05m, he cleared the height on his second attempt before success at 5.15m and a stumble at the B-Standard height of 5.25m. A jump off between Pocklington and the silver medallist Matthew Boyd (Qld, second, 5.15m) was then required, with the new national champion clearing the height on his first attempt. 

With a personal best of 1.96m, Patterson was always going to be hard to beat in the women's high jump. Entering the competition at 1.83m and making light work of 1.86m, the 17-year-old needed all three attempts to raise the bar to the final height of 1.92m, which is a Commonwealth Games A-Qualifier. 

Edging out visiting New Zealander Sarah Cowley (NZL, second, 1.89m), Patterson was thrilled to come away with the win against someone that is likely to challenge her for the crown at Glasgow 2014. 

"It has been a big build up and it was a tough competition, that's for sure. I'm just glad to be on that plane to Glasgow if I am going to be honest," Patterson said.

"I've had a good preparation for this event, I've enjoyed some good competition to get here and it was nice to wrap it up well. I'm not someone that pays attention to favouritism or anything like that, I just want to perform well for myself and it is pleasing to have done that across the course of the year. 

"Everything changed in Townsville. To jump the 1.96 there was great, and I was undecided until then. That gold medal made this a possibility and I am glad to have chosen what I have." 

Stratton's jump of 6.70m (w: +1.4) is a new personal best and her first Commonwealth Games A-Standard. It ensures that the former IAAF World Youth and IAAF World Junior Championships finalist will have her chance at competing at an open age major international championship, and importantly, as an A-Qualifier, provides an opportunity for three athletes to be selected in the women's long jump with six athletes B-Qualified coming into today's final.

Wells and Riseley round out the automatic nominees today, with Wells the winner in the 400m hurdles (56.76) and Riseley the first to cross in the men's 1500m (3:46.47).

The win for Wells ensures a 7th national title in the one-lap sticks and her second appearance at the Commonwealth Games, while Riseley's automatic nomination brings to a close a tumultuous time since the London Olympic Games that has included surgery, a change of coach and the need to withdraw from last year's IAAF World Championships.

"I was really badly injured after the Olympics and have had to have surgery and miss the World Championships. It was a 12-month layoff and it has been tough and even included a change of coach. This is a great reward because we have been working hard," Riseley said.

"The season probably hasn't gone how I wanted it to if I am going to be honest, I've been beaten a couple of times in the 800m and didn't find the right place in the 1500m in Sydney. It's been a tough weekend and I am proud that I've achieved some good results after a hard year so far." 

The final highlight on day four came at the men's javelin, with Joshua Robinson (Qld) throwing a Commonwealth Games A-Standard of 82.46m to win.  The performance, after injury forced him to miss much of the National Athletics Series, brings him into discretionary nomination for selection consideration in the coming days, and ensures that Australia can now field three athletes in the men's javelin from the six qualified. 

Athletics Australia will now nominate its initial squad of athletes to the Australian Commonwealth Games Association for ratification ahead of a media event announcing the first segment of the team this Wednesday 9 April. Additional details about this will be issued tomorrow. 

For more information on the 92nd Australian Athletics Championships and Commonwealth Games Selection Trials, including results, please click here.

 

Athletics Australia – News