Albie Thomas Mile Review: Olympic qualifier for Carli as Edwards and Small shine in mile

20 December 2020

Albie Thomas Mile Review: Olympic qualifier for Carli as Edwards and Small shine in mile

In what has been a challenging year, the performances at the end of 2020 at the Albie Thomas Mile last night, provided much hope for a number of groups of athletes - some teenagers, some returning to form and some fulfilling potential.

Superlatives & highlights

Aged 26, Sarah Carli nailing her first Olympic qualifier in the 400m hurdles.

Youth Olympic Games champion, Keely Small confirming she is back into top form winning the mile.

Jye Edwards put behind years of injury to win the mile and defeat two of the event’s best.

Three teenagers, Keely Small, Imogen Gardiner and Imogen Stewart clocking the 3rd, 5th and 6th fastest junior miles in Australian history.

NSW junior records for Imogen Stewart (U16 mile) and Tomas Palfrey (U18 mile).

Return to the track for Olympic finalist Steve Solomon with a solid win in the 400m.

Season’s best for Bendere Oboya as she continues to pepper 52 seconds.

Significant 800 PBs from 16-year-old Charlie Jeffreson and former world junior Lachlan Raper breaking his nearly 3 year-old PB. Two teenagers under 1:50.

Outstanding 80m and 60m javelin throws, respectively, by Angus McEntyre and Mackenzie Little. (see article later)

400M HURDLES - WOMEN

Sarah Carli (KEJ) defies all the typical pathways in athletics. An outstanding teenager she drifted from the sport for a few years, it has not been until her mid-20s she has found her groove. He run in wet conditions at Bankstown last evening was outstanding.

As a semi-finalist at the 2019 world Championships, she ran a breakthough time of 55.43 seconds, but last evening she smashed her PB by 0.34 seconds to clock 55.09, nailing her first Tokyo Olympic qualifier, as she moved to number four Australian all-time and fifth ranked in the world in 2020.

Did she expect such a result?

“To be honest I was quietly confident. I ran a 2:06 800m the other week and a PB in the 200m and 400m so the speed was there and I have the fitness. I know the first hurdle of the season can be a bit rusty, but I was quietly confident I was going to run fast – but not this fast.”

It was just her second sub-56 second time.

“I’ve run only two 55 seconds races, but I want to be a 54 second runner and I know to do that I need to be running regularly in the low 55s. The consistency is probably the biggest thing for me this season.”

Her speed was obvious from her stride pattern.

“I ran 15 strides to hurdle four, then 16 strides home, which I’ve never done before, usually I drop down to 17 strides, so the backend of my race I was feeling really good.”

She is obviously one athlete who managed well her lost year due to COVID.

“My whole squad trained amazing. The whole squad all put our head down together and it was a massive team effort. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without all of us going through it together. Training over winter was probably the biggest block of training ever.”

MILE – MEN

It was a crack field with the COVID outbreak on the northern beaches not effecting the start list. Three-time Olympian Jeff Riseley (VIC) and NSW 3000m bronze medallists Jye Edwards (BAN), were set to challenge number four miler in the world in 2020, Ollie Hoare (SUT). Edwards and Hoare were positioned perfectly, just behind the pace provided by Will Austin-Cray as they clocked 59.5 for the first lap, while Riseley was sitting well back in tenth.

A fall 500m into the race effected Riseley.

“Unfortunately I got caught in that big fall and I had to lead the second group back up to the first group meaning I couldn’t relax down the back straight and I was left wanting a bit and I couldn’t get on it,” said Riseley.

Austin-Cray dropped out well into lap three, leaving Edwards in the lead, Hoare on his heels, Riseley back in contact as James Nipperess joined the leaders. Hoare led into the straight just ahead of Edwards, but gradually took the lead and ran away with the race in a swift 3:57.30, from Hoare who ran 3:58.26 and Riseley with 3:59.99. Edwards had clocked sub-58 for the last lap, taking nearly three seconds from his PB, moving up to 32^nd on the Australian all-time list as he became the 74^th Australian to clock a sub-four minute mile.

“I’m in shock, I didn’t expect that,” said Edwards. “I’ve watched this event for many years and always wanted to be part of it so to finally have everything lined up and I had a crack at it. I’m stocked.”

After running 4:00.2 nearly four years ago as an 18-year-old, his pathway to here has been patched, including injury. How does he feel about starting to fulfill that young potential?

“I’m not sure how to put it into words. It is unbelievable really to finally string some good training and compete. I’ve got into some pretty good shape but I just haven’t been able to pull it together and race. So, to have it all come together I’m stocked and excited about what is to come.”

A little disappointed, Ollie Hoare was pleased to be running at home.

“I don’t get much opportunity to race in Australia so anytime I get that opportunity I’ll take it even in hard training. It is a good hit out for me as it has been a long time since I’ve been able to compete in an event like this. I’m really happy to be here and enjoy the competition. Congrats to Jye he had a great race.”

Considering Jeff Riseley was caught up in the fall, he clearly is in good shape.

“I didn’t feel comfortable during the race, but training has been going really well so I can keep pushing. It is just a matter of getting these races under the belt,” he said.

“Unfortunately I got caught in that big fall and I had to lead the second group back up to the first group meant I couldn’t relax down the back straight and I was left wanting a bit and I couldn’t get on it. I just need to get used to racing again, the mentality, and ruthful-ness and disrespect for everyone,” he joked.

MILE - WOMEN

The race may have lost the favourite, Victorian Linden Hall due to the COVID cluster on the Northern Beaches, but that didn’t lessen the excitement. On paper it looked a Jenny Blundell (SYU) show with a group of about five capable of filling the podium. But two factors changed that – Blundell has been this year moving more towards the 5000m and Canberra’s Keely Small, the fastest junior half-miler in Australian history, has been increasing her milage during the COVID-hampered year.

From the gun the pace was solid but not fast and as a result a pack of eight remained at the bell. But quickly Blundell and Small moved away from the field, gapping the pack by as much as 30 metres by the finish. It remained a battled between the two in the home straight with Small breaking clear over the last 40 metres, to win in a PB time of 4:33.57, from Blundell with 4:34.05. Teenager Imogen Gardiner grabbed the final podium spot with a time of 4:39.23. After laps of 72, 69 and 69 seconds, Small smoked a 63 final lap. Her time missed the Australian under-20 mile record by less than a second.

“I definitely thought I was going to run well, but I didn’t think I was run that fast,” said Small.

“I was actually feeling pretty bad on the second lap and I was thinking hold on for another lap and pretend it is like the last lap of an 800, then I got to the back straining and I was thinking I’m starting to feel a bit better and I tried to stick with Jenny and treat the last 100m like I was in training. It paid off well and I’m really happy I had such good cross country races in the off season.”

After an outstanding 2017/18 season where she broke the Australian under-20 800m record, the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons have been lean for the teenager. But her form in the cross country events in 2020 and on the track this summer have seen her return to her best.

“Philo (Saunders, her coach) has been so happy with how I’m going and he has been such good support and had full faith in me that I was going to run well and I’m happy I got the win.”

Imogen Gardiner’s time of 3:39.23 moved her to number five Australian junior all-time. It was a season track debut for Gardiner.

“I’ve very surprised to be honest,” she said of the result. ”During the HSC I really enjoyed going to training and didn’t miss a session during exams. Then after that I had schoolies and relaxed a little more and haven’t been hitting the times at training so I was just coming out here for a race as I haven’t raced for ages and ended up recording something a lot better than I expected.”

Fifth placegetter, 15-year-old Imogen Stewart (ILL), also ran a PB 4:39.99, moving her to seventh under-20 all-time and smashing the NSW under-16 record.

Before the race only four Australian junior women had broken 4:40 for a mile, but the race produced three new.

Other highlights:

• Olympic finalist Steve Solomon (RBH) made his season debut over 400m with a solid time of 46.11.
• 2019 World Championships 400m semifinalist Bendere Oboya (UTN), continues to impressive with consistently fast domestic times, clocking 52.44 for a comfortable win.
• A small PB from 2021 World U20 Championships hopeful, Matilda Ryan (BLM) clocking 2:06.43 to win the open women’s race.
• Significant 800 PBs from 16year-old Charlie Jeffreson (Kings) and former world junior Lachlan Raper (SYU) breaking his nearly 3year-old PB. Two teenagers under 1:50 with Jefferson and Luke Young (NEW) also running 1:49.93.

The evening was another outstanding success from Bankstown Athletics Club courtesy of over 35 hard working club volunteers, led by President Colin Whitbread. They working on the field events, gate, canteen, athlete checkin, equipment supply and live stream.

Full results: http://www.nswathletics.info/liveresults/2020/albie/index.htm

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW
Image: Jye Edwards leads Ollie Hoare in the men’s mile.