Preview NSW Decathlon and Heptathlon Championships

Published Thu 13 Jan 2022

13 January 2022

Preview NSW Decathlon and Heptathlon Championships

This weekend the 90th NSW decathlon and 69th NSW heptathlon titles will be held in Woden in the ACT. The 2022 open titles look set to be the best for a few years with some leading Australian athletes Alec Diamond and Tori West competing. Defending champions Chloe Davis and Sam Taylor also add strength to the fields. A number of events will include good competition from local ACT athletes.

One of the most under rated athletes in NSW is decathlete Alec Diamond. Last year he broke the NSW record scoring 8000 points, and in 2019 won silver at the World University Games.

“I have been really happy with how all my events have been progressing and been really enjoying my training. I have a lot of confidence in my training after scoring 8000 last year,” said Diamond.

This summer positions in national teams for the World Championships and Commonwealth Games are on the line and Diamond will certainly be in the mix.

“This competition will hopefully be a good stepping stone in building towards nationals, where a good result will be pivotal for international competitions later in the year considering how strong the decathlon ranks are currently being ranked fourth in Australian but sixth in the Commonwealth,” said Diamond.

However, Diamond’s pathway to the nationals in April could be very unique. He has been training and competing with the national Bobsleigh team which are very close to qualifying for the Beijing Winter Olympics in February.

“We will have to see what happens with qualifying for the Winter Olympics between now and then. We are sitting just outside the quota but with some luck, we may get a call up after the qualification period finishes on the 16th January.”

This weekend in Canberra, Diamond will get solid competition from defending champion Sam Taylor. The fifth placegetter at last year’s nationals with a score of 6971, has been in good sprinting form, assisting his Newcastle Flyers club team to state titles in the NSW Relays.

The women’s heptathlon this weekend sees former Queenslander Tori West headline the event. In 2020 West scored over 6000, becoming just the sixth Australian to achieve this. It was also the highest score by an Aussie for 12 years.

Ahead of the weekend Tori West outlined how she was been progressing.

“Training has been trending well and my body is healthy which is the main thing,” said West. “This competition is just about seeing where we are at and making adjustments where required leading into nationals. It's the first heptathlon I have done in a long while where I don't have a score on my mind.”

She made some big changes in 2021.

“I moved to the Central Coast to better balance my life. Committing to athletics at a high level is extremely tough, especially with the uncertainty of the times. The lifestyle, friends and networks I have here in NSW work better for me. I'm happier. And I think this will help my performances.”

She has also made some changes to her coaching team.

“Eric Brown is still my head coach for programming and technical oversight. We work via correspondence. I have outsourced my face-to-face technical work locally here on the coast to Mick Zisti (sprints/hurdles), Matt Horsnell (high/long jump) and Stuart Ferrier (shot Put/javelin). It's worked out really well so far, I am enjoying the fresh stimulus and grateful for everyone's input.”

In the last year, there has been growing competition for West.

“We now have Taneille Crase making moves through the ranks and Alysha Burnett back in too. So, it's exciting, I hope the competition continues to build.”

Winner of the last two NSW titles, Chloe Davis (UTN) and fifth placegetter at nationals, Amie Bowrey, will also be chasing places on the podium.

The NSW Combined Event Championships will showcase a rising group of junior talent.

U20 Heptathlon

This will be an intriguing competition with three in the mix for a very close competition. National under-20 silver medallist, Grafton’s Hanna Tait arrives with the highest PB score of 4846. Third at nationals, Ella Koster (UTN) has a best score of 4512 points, while graduating from the under-18s is national silver medallist Lily Tilt (Hills) with a score of 4544. All three are well matched across the seven events, ensuring a close competition throughout.

U20 Decathlon

We can expect another terrific battle in the under-20 decathlon between Thomas Noakes (WOL) and Blake Archer (HIL). Last year, Noakes with a strong finish in the last three events, set him up for a 400 point win.

Some others to watch will be Jozef Cluff (TRI) under-16s and Angus Clues (BM) under-18s, along with a strong 10-person field in the under-16 girls heptathlon. Also competing in the under-16 boys event will be North Canberra’s Blake Deery. His dad knows a little about combined events, winning the NSW open decathlon title in 1998.

Full entries:

Entries: http://d1161551-42591.myweb.iinethosting.net.au/AACT/Season2021_22/Championships/CE/Web/

Athletics Australia is now taking entries for the national under-18 to 15 championships to be held in Sydney. Enter here: https://www.athletics.com.au/events/125468/

2021 NSW Combined Event Champions

MALE

Open Sam Taylor NEW 6460

U20 Tom Noakes WOL 6148

U18 Robbie Cullen CHE 5868

U16 Angus Clues BLM 4176

U14 Jozef Cluff TRI 2019

FEMALE

Open Chloe Davis UTN 4287

U20 Ella Koster UTN 4408

U18 Karina Bell TRI 4485

U16 Talahn Paki HIL 4497