Johnson’s love affair with Perth continues
The new Western Australian athletics stadium is fast becoming a favourite amongst the nation’s best athletes after producing two Commonwealth Games A-qualifying performances on a cool and breezy Friday night.
Australian record-holder Patrick Johnson, last night set a blistering benchmark for the rest of the nation’s sprinters to chase, clocking an A-qualifier in stunning fashion.
The 37-year-old Queenslander scorched the fresh surface in 10.18 seconds (wind +1.5m/s), his fastest run since 2007.
He was chased all the way by Matt Davies who is emerging as a major talent. Davies ran 10.23 to finish second in the 100m but earlier in the night recorded an A-qualifier of 20.54 in the 200m.
Davies stopped the clock 22-one hundredths quicker than his previous personal best set a fortnight earlier in Brisbane, showing strong form as the Australian Athletics Tour heats up for the Sydney leg next Saturday night.
His time would have placed him fourth in 2006 Commonwealth Games final, and positions him firmly on the map for the remainder of the Australian season and moving on toward New Delhi.
With the Perth track bringing unparalleled results, Johnson is contemplating permanent residency in Perth having now run four of Australia’s fastest six times at the venue in 2010.
Johnson will start a strong favourite at the Go for 2 & 5 Australian Athletics Championships and Selection Trials, to be held from April 16 – 18 at the Perth track, and will receive a warm reception from the Western Australian crowd who have adopted him after the show he has put on over the past month.
In other results from Perth:
· Australian Flame athlete and Perth local Jody Henry posted a personal best and nation-leading 23.68 in the 200m.
· Queenslander Jacinta Boyd ran a Commonwealth B-Qualifier, 11.49, which ranks her second in the country behind Canberra’s Melissa Breen in the 100m. Boyd then backed that up by leaping 6.48m in her favoured event, long jump, to post a second B-Qualifier and creep ever closer to the A-mark of 6.55m.
Thanks to Athletics Western Australia.