NSW athletes on track to International Competitions on the Gold Coast

29 May 2022

NSW athletes on track to International Competitions on the Gold Coast

After two months of limited domestic track and field competition, ahead of a number of key International championships, the Australian junior team and many seniors were in action at the Gold Coast Invitational on Saturday.

Connor Bond (UTN) joined team mates to break the Australian Under-20 4x100m relay and later run 21.07 in the 200m, just outside his PB. In the relay Connor ran the third leg on the team which ran an impressive 39.30, to take down the 10-year-old record of 39.34, set in 2012 at the Barcelona World U20 Championships by a team which included NSW pair Nick Hough and Ben Jaworski. The team yesterday on the Gold Coast didn’t include the Australian U20 100m champion Jai Gordon, so potentially have more improvement in them.

There medal prospects are strong in Cali Columbia in August. At every World U20 Championships except the last in 2021, a low 39 seconds time would have put them on the podium.

Similarly the women’s 4x100m is in tremendous form when two NSW athletes Olivia Rose Inkster (UTN) and Aleksandra Stoilova (WES) were members of the team which ran 44.85 – the second fastest time in Australian junior history. Later at the meet a different team, including Olivia Rose, broke the National record clocking 44.73, but were disqualified. There medal prospects are more difficult with historically a low 44 time won a medal, but in 2021 bronze was claimed in a quick 43.90.

In the long jump, Katie Gunn (GOS) nudged her PB up 2cm to 6.23m in the last round, while senior jumper Samantha Dale (CHE) had a good series of three 6.40m+ jumps, with a slightly wind assisted best of 6.46m.

Delta Amidzovski (WOL) was just outside her PB in the 100m hurdles clocking 13.83 (1.9m/s wind) placing third behind Celest Mucci.

NSW athletes were involved in the National senior team relays. The women’s A team, which included Monique Quirk (ILL) on leg three, they clocked times of 43.87 and 43.72. The later time equal to the 22nd fastest ever by an Aussie team. In the men’s Josh Azzopardi assisted the national team to times of 39.08 and 39.16.

In the 400m hurdles Tokyo Olympian Sarah Carli (KEJ) continues to push her claims for World Champs and Commonwealth Games selection. She clocked 56.43 to win ahead of another excellent time by junior Bella Guthrie (UTN) with 58.76.

Results: https://www.qldathletics.org.au/index.cfm/results/

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Image: Katie Gunn (image courtesy of Fred Etter)