They did. Not sure whether it was strictly kosher by their own rules and regulations, but I know of two young guys in their first senior nationals who qualified in one event (100 or 200, respectively) but not in the other. Yet both sprinted a double (actually one had a bad case of flu and didn’t run the 200m but he had been accepted to start). Maybe it was also because Perth is the most isolated major city in the world and they wanted good fields to show support for the WA Govt who built the beautiful new high performance facility. That sporting precinct just outside Subiaco is tremendous. I was speaking with Alex Parnov and he told me he uses six separate venues for his pole vault training.
The vast manicured grass playing fields (used for warmup at these nationals) belongs to the university so the chances of wacking a synthetic track out there are minimal. But the grass parklands - at least 3km in circumference - which included a regulation eight or nine lane marked track, are to die for … way better than the lush grassed area at York Uni in Toronto.
Charlie you would love this place.
As for Subiaco itself, apart from the $28 steaks, the parade of 6ft glamours in micro mini-skirts was just ridiculous - never ending. Pity none of them ventured the 3km out to the track… 