Hull Tokyo bound as NSW dominate Melbourne Track Classic

7 February 2020

Hull Tokyo bound as NSW dominate Melbourne Track Classic

As the Melbourne Track Classic returned to the Coles Summer Super Series last evening, Jessica Hull led a dominant performance by NSW athletes including John Gikas, Liz Clay, Lauren Reid and Alex Hulley.

Women 5000m

In style, Jessica Hull (BAN) won the national 5000 metre championships and Tokyo Olympic nomination trials with a powerful last 600m, by nine seconds in 15:06.12, from Japan’s Hitomi Niiya (15:15.41) and Gen Gregson (15:20.60). The national bronze medal was claimed by Rio Olympic 1500m semi-finalists Jenny Blundell (SYU, 15:22.14), who might finally have put few years of injury behind her.

Hitomi Niiya led for most of the race, with Hull getting a great ride in second.

“Hitomi was ticking the laps off and every time I registered the K split it was pretty much 3:03 bang on and rolling very steady - that is a possibly the most comfortable way to run a five Ks,” said Hull.

As the winner and with a Tokyo qualifier, she is automatically nominated for the event to the Tokyo Olympics, however she has shown stronger form over the 1500m and as you can’t run both, she is likely to concentrate on the shorter distance. Also maybe pushing her to the shorter distance is her inexperience of just two major races over the 5000m.

“I need to run a few more fives to judge if I really like it. Last time I ran was in a packed stadium in Berlin which was an incredible atmosphere and then tonight it was on a home track, so on both occasions I’m run I’ve had a good experience.”

Women 100m Hurdles

The Olympic year can toss up extraordinary performances and we witnessed another emerging in the 100m hurdles. Former Sydney-sider, now based on the Gold Coast, Liz Clay broke through for a stunning time of 12.94 (0.6m/s) to moved to fourth fastest Australia ever. It was also a 0.32 seconds PB.

“I am honestly lost for words. Where did that come from – I’m stoked,” said Clay.

But she is was not an overnight success and she has followed on the same pathway that we saw Bella O’Grady and Georgia Winkcup show in 2019. Clay was a late selection for the 2014 world juniors in the 100m hurdles, but in the rush to take up the team position she succumb to injury and withdrew. In 2017 she made her international debut at the World University Games. The intervening years were tough, sitting just outside the top few nationally, then in March 2019 a major injury, a fracture of her fibula in training, which put her out of the nationals and any chase of going to her second World University Games. But it appeared to be a watershed moment.

“We have been working so hard since April after I had a massive injury and didn’t compete at nationals and then put heaps of months and months together and been really consistent and it has paid off – I honestly can’t believe it. I’m in shock.”

After school, Clay had made the big move north.

“It has almost been four years since I moved there (GC) and it was three years since my last PB the other week, so it is all coming together. I’m so lucky all my coaches, Sharon (Hannon) and David (Reid, S&C) work really hard and I’m really grateful for them.”

Women 400m

The women’s 400m was a tale of two NSW athletes. Teenager Bendere Oboya (UTN), continuing to blossom, winning comfortably in a quick time of 52.06 and Annelise Rubie-Renshaw (SYU) stepping out for her first individual race in 2020 and running a solid 53.73 for second.

“I’m really happy with that run. My coach wanted me to go out hard, so I tried to do that and just held on,” said Oboya.

Lots has been going on for the 19-year-old Oboya in recent months, including making the semi-final at the world championships and changing coaches.

“I did a lot of growing up in the last couple of months and I’ve learnt that mental health comes first. I’ve joined John (Quinn, her new coach); I’m happy now and that is all I could ask for.”

Is she feeling any expectation and pressure?

“Not really, if you focus on your own race and do what you have got to do, you don’t really feel the pressure.”

After missing the Doha world championships and managing a few recent setbacks, Rubie-Renshaw started her push back on to the national team and passed her first test.

“I’ve been preparing to comeback since December, but I keep getting knocked around with a few things. It is finally nice to get the full lap out. You have to start somewhere. I’m not in love with the time, but we can work on it. The first race is always a bit funny trying to get your rhythm back and I suppose it is something I need to work on in training and replicating how a 400 feels, especially in the first half of the race. But I feel like I have pulled up in one piece so that is the main thin and so I’ll just keep trying to tick off half a second in each race. My coach just said finish feeling like you could run another one in 45 minutes, so I just wanted to make sure I got around and felt okay. I’ll work on getting out a little faster towards the end of the season.”

Men 200m

John Gikas (UNS), claimed his third consecutive win over 5-time national champion, Alex Hartmann, but he was made to work for it. Hartmann led comfortably coming into the straight and Gikas was forced to setup a notch in the last 40m to move past Hartmann, which he did, finishing in 20.91 to 21.05.

“Alex definitely gets me on the bend but it was a good race and happy to be out here and able to perform in-front of a great crowd,” Gikas said. “It was an okay run, it is still a learning process and it is about completing this season and seeing what happens next.”

Women 1500m

Leading most of the way, Lauren Reid won the 1500m by two seconds in 4:16.52.

“I didn’t mean to get out in front,” said Reid who has an interesting range from 800m to 5000m. But what is her best distance?

“We are trying to establish that at the moment. That is why I did the 5000m at NSW state, but was not quite good enough to make the cut tonight, so I am honing in on the 1500m and hopefully get that time down.”

Other major NSW results were:

Alex Hulley – 1st hammer throw 65.58m

Ian Dewhurst – 1st 400m hurdles 50.91

Connor Murphy - Triple Jump 15.68m (1.3) – 33cm PB, 2cm from World U20 qualifier.

Luke Young - 800m 1:48.69 – 1.32 seconds PB, World U20 Champs qualifier

Rose Davies - 5000m 15:30.15 – 15.76 seconds PB

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Image: Jessica Hull (courtesy of Athletics Australia)