Athletics Australia – News – AUSTRALIAN ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Sally Pearson (Qld), Shannon McCann (WA) and Michelle Jenneke (NSW) are on track to rewrite the history books if all three earn nomination for selection to compete at Glasgow 2014.

Set to duel in the women's 100m hurdles at Lakeside Stadium in the coming days, the trio could deliver Australia's first full quota of female sprint hurdlers at the Commonwealth Games since Glynis Nunn-Cearns, Jenny Laurendet and Jane Flemming competed together in Auckland in 1990.

The recently crowned IAAF World Indoor Championships 60m hurdles silver medallist, Pearson will be automatically nominated for selection if she wins the finalthis Sunday afternoon. She has a season best of 12.59 from the Go for 2&5 Perth Track Classic, more than half a second quicker than the Commonwealth Games A-Standard, and with 11 national crowns across 100m, 200m and the 100m hurdles to her name she is a clear favourite for the gold.

McCann, who is the defending national champion, and Jenneke, who made the final of the event at the IAAF World Junior Championships, have lowered their personal bests on multiple occasions this season, with both now boasting a time that is less than 0.15 seconds outside of the Commonwealth Games A-Standard.

The duo can be automatically nominated for selection to the Glasgow 2014 team if they win the trial, with discretionary nomination at the conclusion of the Australian Athletics Championships an option if they can one again lower their PBs to quicker than the A-Qualifier of 13.10.

"When Sally hit the scene she was the only hurdler who was regularly in the mix for selection, so it is fantastic to see my event with a few athletes as possibilities for Australian selection. I hope it is a trend that continues and that the women's 100m hurdles becomes one of our strongest events at every major championship," McCann said.

"To make that happen this weekend I need to run the A-Qualifier so that'sdefinitely the goal. I'll need an ‘A' to even come close to beating Sally, and I need it to be discretionary at this point of the selection process if thebest I can manage is silver.

"Four years ago I missed the team for Delhi and it was devastating for me. Since then my coach and I have worked so hard to make sure that Glasgow was an option for me, and we have even decided to take the gamble and not peak domestically so that if I am selected and travel to Europe it will be in the best possible shape. That was a risk but I think it will pay off and I hope it leads to asub-13 second time and plenty more opportunities on the world stage in the coming years."

In the men's 110m event, it will be a race for the automatic spot for the Commonwealth Games B-Qualified Sam Baines (Vic) and Nicholas Hough (NSW).

Baines, who spent time training with world champion David Oliver (USA) when he was in town for the Sydney Track Classic and IAAF Melbourne World Challenge, is returning to the track in 2014 after an almost three-year hiatus. Nomination for selection will deliver his first appearance on the world stage with an open age Australian athletics team after he competed at the 2010 IAAF World Junior Championships in Moncton (CAN).

The 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships 110m hurdles silver medallist, Hough has shifted his attention back to the hurdles in 2014 after focusing on the flat sprints last year and earning selection to the Australian Flame 4x100m relay team at the IAAF World Championships. As an under 20 athlete, Hough won the 100m, 200m and 110m hurdles treble at the Australian Junior Athletics Championships, before going on to win silver in the men's 200m at last year's 91st Australian Athletics Championships in Sydney (NSW).

In other ‘sprints' and ‘hurdles' highlights at the 92nd Australian Athletics Championships & Commonwealth Games Selection Trials:

–        The new national record holder Melissa Breen (ACT) will launch alongside Pearson in the women's 100m, with both boasting multiple performances better than the Commonwealth Games A-Standard of 11.35.

–        Up and comers Ella Nelson (NSW) and Jarrod Geddes (NSW) will look to take victory in the women's and men's 200m to ensure their automatic nomination for selection to Glasgow 2014. Both boast Commonwealth Games B-Qualifiers for the event, and for both it would be there first open age selection to an individual event if they are successful.

–        London 2012 and Moscow 2013 semi-finalist Lauren Boden (ACT) will start as favourite in the women's 400m hurdles. If she wins her 7th national title in the event she will be automatically nominated to the Australian Commonwealth Games Association for selection.

–        Para-athlete Sean Roberts (SA) can all but secure his spot on the plane for Glasgow 2014 if he is the first T37 (cerebral palsy) class athlete to cross in the men's ambulant 200m.

–        Featuring in one of the best races at IAAF World Championships Selection Trial last year, Ian Dewhurst (NSW) and Tristan Thomas (Tas) will once again duel in the men's 400m hurdles.

Tickets to the Australian Athletics Championships are not pre-sold. All tickets will be sold ‘on the gate' at Lakeside Stadium on each of the four days of competition.

The final timetable and entry lists for the 92nd Australian Athletics Championships, the last event on the 2014 National Athletics Series, are available for download by clicking here.

Please note that the entry lists are subject to change, and that events will be seeded into heats and qualification groups closer to the commencement of competition.

Commonwealth Games Qualification Status
The Athletics Australia High Performance Department has prepared two documents that detail the Qualification Status of all athletes who have nominated for selection to the Australian team for the 2014 Commonwealth Games (excluding10,000m, marathon, relays and multi-events).

These documents, which are split into male athletes and female athletes, have been designed to highlight which athletes have achieved a qualification standard, and provide guidance on the stages of the selection process that they can be considered for nomination according to the 2014 Commonwealth Games Selection Policy, which is available for download here.

Please note that athletes who have not yet nominated for selection are not included in these documents.

To view and download these documents, please click here to visit the Commonwealth Games home page at athletics.com.au.

 

 Athletics Australia – News