Samuels impressive for seventh consecutive Australian title
Dani Samuels (NSW) has shown impressive form to win the women’s discus throw at the 90th Australian Athletics Championships today, as competition concluded at Lakeside Stadium.
Samuels, the 2009 world champion, won her seventh consecutive national crown with anoutstanding 62.34m heave, from Kim Mulhall (Vic, second, 56.02m) and Alifatou Djibril (SA, third, 52.74m).
Bettering the Athletics Australia standard for the Olympic Games (62.00m) for the first time since the Diamond League in Birmingham last July, Samuels’ performance is her best since May 2010 and falls just 30 centimetres shy of her best domestic throw in the year she won her world crown.
Samuels series today was consistent, with 61.67m in the opening round before 61.95m, a foul, 62.34m, 59.99m and 58.34m to close. She has this weekend, also, won the women’s shot put with a 16.65m best mark.
Samuels said: “I’m really happy, you always want a touch further in these conditions, but to get out there and hit the Olympic mark is a big boost.
“The validation of seeing the mark on the board makes all my hard work and progress worth it, I’ve been creeping up with my distances across the season and the confidence it gives me heading into the Shanghai Diamond League where the big girls come out to play is fantastic.
“My consistency today was pretty good too, there were realistically three auto qualifiers for the Olympic final in my series, and that’s another bonus that I can take away from today.
“I’ve been throwing the shot put, which is something I have done in the past to find lift in my discus throw, and it has been a big help. I entered on a whim atstate champs, did well there, and now have continued it in my program.”
Meanwhile in the United States, Olympic nominee Julian Wruck (Qld) threw a monster 64.84m in the sixth round to win the RAFER-JJK Meet at UCLA as his preparations for London continue on scholarship at the Californian university.
On track, Australian Flame and IAAF world junior championships bound Steven Solomon (NSW) clocked a personal best 45.54 to win his second consecutive 400m crown.
Strong from the outset, Solomon’s final bend was flawless before continuing his push for the finish line up the straight to take home the gold from 2010 world junior championships representative Alex Beck (Qld, second, 46.30) and dual major championship relay medallist Ben Offereins (WA, third, 46.30), who were split by the photo finish judge.
Solomon said: “That was very pleasing, to run a PB in the final is great. We didn’t taper for this event, it was a last minute decision that has paid off. I was pretty flat earlier in the week after a long block of hard training so this is a great reward.
“I hope that the 45.30 is there, but the priority is the 4x400m team at the Penn Relays in a couple of weeks, getting us back in the top-16 and on the road to London.”
Across the shorter 200m, Melissa Breen (ACT) clocked yet another personal best of 23.30 (w: -0.3) to win her second Australian title in the event, while line honours in the men’s event went to Joseph Millar (21.27, w: 0.2) of New Zealand. Matt Davies (Qld) was the first Australian in 21.36.
The middle distance highlight came from Jeff Riseley (Vic).
Adding a third national crown for the event to his burgeoning trophy cabinet, the Olympic 800m nominee clocked 3:47.88 to outclass James Kaan (NSW, second, 3:48.00) and Jeremy Roff (NSW, 3:49.40).
Riseley said: “I’ve done a lot of work to get to here today, it’s been some serious training before competition this weekend.
“The last four years have been about my 1500m, but this year I’ve been nominated in the 800m so that’s a bit strange. I am still keen to push for this event though already have a qualifier so if I am added later on we will make a call about what to do from there.”
In the women’s event, Kaila McKnight (Vic) clocked 4:18.02 to add the 1500m gold medal to her 5000m crown on Friday evening. The 2011 IAAF world championships representative McKnight only just edged out silver medallist Bridey Delaney (NSW, 4:18.26), as Camille Buscomb (NZL, 4:22.98) won bronze.
In other highlights on day three at the 90th Australian Athletics Championships:
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Joshua Robinson (Qld) heaved his winning throw of 78.31m in the first round to take out the men’s javelin. Hamish Peacock (Tas, 75.62m) won silver, and Benjamin Baker (NSW, 74.66m) bronze. -
Frenchman Erin Frederic won the men’s long jump with a leap of 7.70m (w: -0.7), with Scott Crowe (Vic, 7.69m) the national champion and first Australian. -
The women’s long jump was won by Kerrie Perkins (ACT) after a wind assisted 6.70m (w: +3.1) leap, with Perkins stealing the gold from Brooke Stratton (Vic, 6.56m) on the very last jump. -
Rheed McCracken (Qld, 29.74) won a third gold medal in the wheelchair 200m, while Rosemary Little (NSW, 38.95) added to her world record performance win in the wheelchair 100m yesterday with goldacross the 200m today. -
Joel Pocklington (VIC) won his second consecutive Australian pole vault title with a 5.15m leap, from James FIlshie (Vic, second, 4.90m) and Max Mischenko (Vic, third, 4.75m). -
The men’s and women’s secured javelin throw was won by Australian Flame Damien Bowen (ACT, 33.50m) and Brydee Moore (Vic, 12.78m), who has won three gold medals at these championships. -
IPC Athletics World Championships Representative Scott Reardon (ACT), who is an above the knee leg amputee, won the men’s ambulant 200m in a time of 26.38. (w: -1.3). The women’s race was won by intellectually disabled athlete Stephanie Schweitzer (NSW) in 26.70 (w: -0.7). -
Richard Colman (Vic, 1:49.80) and Angela Ballard (NSW, 2:08.25) were crowned Australian wheelchair 800m champions.
Competition today concludes the 90th Australian Athletics Championships, with additional information, including full results, available here.
Attention now shifts to the international circuit, with the Penn Relays in Philadelphia (USA) and Round 1 of the Samsung Diamond League in Doha (QAT) among the events only weeks away.