Record fields for the NSW 3000m titles where Campbell & St Lawrence are favourites
Published Wed 06 Nov 2019
6 November 2019
Record fields for the NSW 3000m titles where Campbell & St Lawrence are favourites
The first senior track and field championship of the 2019/20 summer season gets underway this Saturday night with record entries of over 300 in the State 3000m Championship to be held at Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre, Homebush.
With pre-entries closed, but later entries accepted on the day, Paige Campbell (SYU) and Ben St Lawrence (Run Crew) start favourite for the titles, but they both will have hot competition from some inform athletes and rising stars.
Campbell faces Doha steeplechase teammate Georgia Winkcup (UTS) who is destined to destroy her old 3000m PB of 9:33, as she has already run 9:37 in the 3000m steeplechase. South Australian 20-year-old Sarah Eckel looks capable of improving on her 9:23 PB. The 2018 World Junior/U20 representative has 4:14 1500m speed. Others to watchout for will be Kate Spencer (UTN, PB 9:09), Abigail Nordberg (RUN CREW, PB 9:12), Imogen Gardiner (UTN, PB 9:38), Amy O’Halloran, Anna Laman (SYU, PB 9:50) and Belinda Martin (ILL, PB 9:18)
A darkhorse is Lauren Reid (TRT), just back from a maternity break. The speedy 2:03 (800m)/4:14 (1500m) athlete, recently ran 72:38 in the half-marathon in Melbourne. The 34-year-old, with just two years experience in the sport could easily follow the Sinead Diver trajectory.
The inform favourite, defending champion (9:06 last year) Paige Campbell, who recovered from a mid-year injury, ran a lifetime best in the 3000m steeplechase at last month’s world championships in Doha. She clocked 9:44.80 in Doha to remain the eighth fastest Australian ever. The performance came on the back of a breakthrough 2018/19 summer where she placed second in the national 5000m (15:31), was fourth Aussie in the Zatopek 10,000m (32:39), fourth at the World Cross Country trial and 29th at the championships in Aarhus (Denmark) and also won the NSW, Australian and Oceania steeplechase titles.
National 10,000m record holder, Ben St Lawrence who this year has been in good form with a win in the Sydney:10 and 2:14 in just his second ever marathon, heads the prospects in the men’s race. But he will have a host of rising stars on contend with. Former South Coast junior star, Jye Edwards (BAN), now 21, is making his first track race for well over two years. Continuing his comeback from injury, his 8:13 PB dates back three years and is under threat. The distance is also perfect for two terrific juniors Luke Young (NFR) and Oli Raimond (SUT) who both have 8:18 PBs. The last time they raced, the teenagers both ran under 3:50 in the 1500m at the NSW All Schools. Others to watch include: Joe Burgess (SYU, PB 8:15), Will Austin-Cray (UTN, PB 8:40), Kieren Tall (UTN, PB 8:27) and Tom Do Canto (HDA).
Timetable, entries and other details https://www.nswathletics.org.au/events/list/
David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW
Image: Paige Campbell at the 2019 IAAF World championships.
