Titles and Medals for WA Track and Field Stars at 2019 Aus Champs
WA athletes have earned national titles in a strong campaign at the 2019 Australian Athletics Championships in Sydney.
Competing in both age and open senior events, 16 year-old prodigy Sasha Zhoya won three gold medals at the Championships which included an U18 world lead in the U20 men’s pole vault competition.
Zhoya’s mark of 5.56m stands as the best jump ever achieved by an athlete aged under 18, and he followed that up with a dominant victory in the men’s U20 200m dash and a 16 year-old world best in the U18 110m hurdles – which he won in a national junior record time of 13.05sec.
Angus Armstrong earned national honours in the open men’s pole vault, claiming victory with a best height of 5.50m. WA competitors Stephen Clough and Declan Carruthers shared bronze with a 5.30m mark, whilst Kurtis Marschall jumping off a shortened approach, cleared 5.30m but was behind on countback.
Lauren Hyde-Cooling earned a silver medal in the women’s open pole vault with a best jump of 4.10m. New Zealand athlete Olivia McTaggart won the meet with a jump of 5.30m, with the Australian title going to Queenslander Lisa Campbell (5.30m).
Ian Dewhurst maintained his dominance of the men’s 400m hurdles competition, taking another national crown in 50.29sec.
Ella Pardy scored a pair of national title victories in women’s 100m and 200m ambulant races, finishing ahead of fellow West Australian Rhiannon Clarke in both finals. Very little separated the pair however, with Pardy clocking 13.14 to Clarke’s 13.43 in the 100, and setting a 27.27 to Clarke’s 27.95 in the 200.
Clarke would claim a national title of her own too, becoming the Australian 400m ambulant winner with an excellent performance to the line in 1:06.38min, finishing nearly two seconds clear of second place.
Brianna Beahan has had an injury interrupted 2019 domestic season, but she was still classy enough to earn a silver medal in the final of the women’s 100m hurdles.
Heptathlon national champion Celeste Mucci added a second title to her impressive campaign, winning in 13.09sec ahead of Beahan’s 13.11sec and Michelle Jenneke’s 13.12sec, meaning a photo finish was needed to determine the podium order.
There were also silver medals for Sarah Edmiston in the women’s discus ambulant throw (34.84m) and for Robyn Lambird in the 100m wheelchair final (20.78sec).
High jumper Grant Szalek picked up a national bronze medal with a clearance at 2.15m with the Australian title going to Victorian Joel Baden (2.30m).
Javelin throwers Cruz Hogan and Lara ilievski closed out their domestic campaigns with season bests, with Hogan fourth in the men’s, with a best throw of 73.51m and Ilievski recording fifth place with a 49.15m.
Matthew Ramsden was fourth in the men’s 1500m final with a high quality race won by Luke Mathews. Ramsden was competing off limited preparation, after he just last week debuted at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Denmark.
Mathews was victorious in 3:43.15min, ahead of Ryan Gregson (3:43.03), Rorey Hunter (3:44.05) and Ramsden (3:44.63).