Day 1 - Starc soars into High Jump Final
Published Sat 31 Jul 2021
Day 1 saw four (4) NSW athletes take on the world, with Brandon Starc (Alex Stewart) the highlight as he qualified for the final in fine fashion.
Starc was almost flawless, only failing one attempt at 2.25m on his way to his 2.28m qualifying performance. The Australian record holder looked in sublime form throughout the competition, clearing 2.28m on his first attempt as he cruised towards Sunday’s Olympic final.
"I felt really good out there. Run-up was good, take-off was good, got the job done and that’s all I needed to do and now move on to Sunday,” he said.
“I didn’t even worry about the placing, just height and how I was feeling out there. One miss, pretty good.”
The 27-year-old holds a season’s best of 2.33m – a mark that only three men have bettered this year, leaving him optimistic ahead of his first Olympic final.
“All I know is I’m feeling good now and going into the final I’m pretty confident,” he said.
Whilst Starc established himself as a medal contender, the other NSW athletes that were in action throughout the day acheived mixed results – with all of them able to hold their head high.
Men's Steeplechase
Ed Trippas (Jason Vigilante) clocked 8:29.90 in brutal conditions that were worsened by a challenging pace set by the world’s best barrier-men. The US-based Australian was one of the surprise packets of the qualifying period, rightfully earning his Olympic debut, and fought on in one of the quickest Steeplechase heats ever run at the Olympic Games.
Women's 5000m
It was a challenging evening for Australia’s 5000m women in brutal conditions for distance running. The trio of Rose Davies (Scott Wescott), Jenny Blundell (James Fitzgerald) and Izzi Batt-Doyle (Nic Bideau) took on the brilliance that is global 5000m running in 2021.
Davies was valiant in heat one when hanging on to stop the clock in 15:50.07 despite losing contact with the main group, finishing in 18th place. The 21-year-old gains invaluable experience on her Olympic debut and will be one to watch in the coming years.
In heat two, Blundell adopted an aggressive strategy to lead the race and control proceedings. It was a bold and admirable strategy from Blundell at her second Olympic Games, and her first at the 5000m Olympic distance – one that resulted in a time of 15:11.27 and 11th for a fantastic peformance in very muggy, warm conditions that affected distance running performance throughout the day for all athletes
Day 2 - Team NSW Program
Today will feature the incredible Sarah Carli - who's position behind the blocks is under the most extradionary of circumstances considering the adversity she has faced in the last 6 months. To listen to Sarah speak on what happened, and how she has got to Tokyo, check out the full-length interview with us here.
Charlie Hunter is a very good chance at moving thorugh to the semi-finals for the Men's 800m, and Dani Stevens will be looking to win yet another major international medal as she goes in the Women's Discus Qualifying this morning.
Tonight, Australia will get it's first sighting of Rohan Browning, the second-fastest Australian in history, as he looks to move through his heat into the semi-final without issue.
Morning session
10:24am: Women’s 400m Hurdles Heat 4 - Sarah Carli
11:06am: Men’s 800m Heat 3 - Charlie Hunter
11:55am: Women’s Discus Qualifying - Dani Stevens
Night session
8:45pm: Men’s 100m Round 1 - Rohan Browning
The following article is adapted from Lachlan Moorehouse & Athletics Australia's "Roomies Deliver as Tiernan Becomes an Instant Hero"
For the full article, see the AA article here
