Despite dismal conditions, meet records fall - Brisbane Telstra A-Series Report
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Friday 3 March 2006
Brisbane, Australia - In attrocious weather at the Telstra A-series Athens Olympic relay silver medallists Clinton Hill and John Steffensen both shattered the 400m meet record in a high quality warmup for the Commonwealth Games.
Hill, who anchored Australia’s “silver bullets” 4x400m team at the 2004 Games, won a length of the straight battle to clock 45.28sec from Steffensen (45.36) in driving rain and cool, gusting wind.
Clinton Hill winning in Brisbane
(Getty Images)
Trinidad’s Ato Modibo (45.60), England’s Robert Tobin (46.14), Melbourne’s Sean Wroe (46.23) all beat 2001 World Champion Avard Moncur (46.58) with Adelaide’s Mark Ormrod, another member of Australia’s Olympic relay surprise packet, seventh in 46.76 from England’s Andrew Steele in the same time.
“The important 400m races are coming up at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne on March 20, 21, 22 and I think we have two or three guys who can step up to the final,” said Steffensen, who made a career breakthrough last year in reaching the individual 400m final at the Helsinki world championships.
Hill, who lost his Australian Championship three weeks ago to Steffensen (45.14 to 45.54) reversed the result last night but admitted he very nearly withdrew before the race.
Patrick Johnson defeats Michael Frater in Brisbane
(Getty Images)
“I was so freezing cold and wet during the warmup I was contemplating not even running,” Hill confessed. "But if you pull out it can become too easy (to avoid the issue) and I’ve always been one to grab the bull by the horns.
“We’ve got to continue and run under 45 now. It’s not far away, especially when we get a big, supportive crowd in Melbourne.”
The Melbourne Cricket Ground, venue for athletics at the Games, seats more than 100,000 and if last night’s rain-drenched meet proved anything it is that the local crowd will have plenty to cheer about later this month.
Pittman: ‘Twenty days to go. I’m ready to go’
And Jana Pittman, the 2003 World 400m Hurdles champion, will unquestionably be one of the biggest drawcards especially following her runaway win over England’s Nicole Sanders, the breakthrough performer of the British indoor season this year.
A fortnight ago Sanders smashed the meet record to win the British indoor championship 400m in 50.72sec in Sheffield - sixth fastest in the world so far this year - yet she was selected to represent in the 400m hurdles in Melbourne.
But Sanders had trouble changing down at the fifth hurdle and Pittman pounced, charging to the line to win in a meet record 54.49sec from Sanders (55.93) and Scotland’s Lee McConnell (58.14).
“I feel fantastic, really strong over the last 100 metres,” Pittman said. "Twenty days to go. I’m ready to go.
"The biggest thing here is it is obviously going to be a very strong rivalry (with Sanders) and I coped with it in my mind, which shows my strength is back.
“I could really vividly see her stuff up the fifth hurdle and that’s something that happens when you are young in the event and are very fast over 400m. If she can iron that out she could be competition.”
Johnson battles strong wind to beat back strong field
Patrick Johnson, the world’s fastest man at 9.93sec in 2003, is another who made a personal breakthrough when he reached the Helsinki World Championship 200m final and that strength was in evidence last night when he finished over the top of a high class field to win the Brisbane 100m.
“It’s nice to come out and win but now these guys will want to take me,” said Johnson who cut through a 2.2m/s headwind and torrential rain to win in 10.53sec.
Jamaica’s World title silver medallist Michael Frater has yet to find his legs after arriving earlier in the week and could finish only seventh in 10.66sec.
Johnson beat Welshman Christian Malcolm (10.59), Australian titleholder Joshua Ross (10.60), Daniel Batman (10.61), England’s Mark Lewis-Francis (10.62) and Matt Shirvington (10.63). The other heat was won by England’s Marlon Devonish in 10.60 (headwind 1.2m/s) from Jamaica’s Ainsley Waugh (10.73).
“These guys like Frater and (Asafa) Powell, they’re going to come back hungry now. I was hoping to stay off the radar,” Johnson said with a wry smile.
Victoria’s Sarah Jamieson continued her impressive buildup to the Games to take two seconds off the meet record in winning the 1500m in 4:05.18 from Canberra’s Lisa Corrigan (4:11.42) and English steeplechaser Joanna Ankier (4:21.21).
Jamieson will race 3000m against 2003 World Cross-Country champion Benita Johnson at the Melbourne Grand Prix on 9 March before before freshening up for the Games.
“I’m rapt with that performance. My coach told me to go out there and scare a few people and I think I did that,” Jamieson said.
Queensland teenager Sally McLellan lost her first race over any distance this season to Jamaican veteran Brigitte Foster in the 100m hurdles but bounced back to win the 100m sprint.
Foster, 32, the 2003 World championships silver medallist, was first over the barriers in 13.23sec (nil wind) with former World Youth champion McLellan second in 13.33 before returning to win the flat dash in 11.80sec (headwind 2.4m/s) from England’s Laura Turner (11.85), Cayman Islander Cydonie Mothersill (11.92) and Olympic long jump fourth placer Bronwyn Thompson (12.03).
Mike Hurst (Sydney Daily Telegraph) for the IAAF