Australian javelin thrower Mackenzie Little (© AFP / Getty Images)
Mackenzie Little earned world bronze in Budapest last year and will be in the hunt for the medals again at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. That much she showed in winning the javelin at the Oceania Championships in Suva with 61.09m.
In fact, any of her six throws would have been enough to win the title comfortably. She opened with a modest 53.23m, then improved to 56.45m before producing her winning throw in round three. She rounded out her series with throws of 60.93m, 57.91m and 57.00m, eventually winning the competition by more than 13 metres.
For Little, the Oceania Championships are a stepping stone along the way to Paris. For the majority of her Australian teammates and international opponents in the Fijian capital, however, the bonus world ranking points on offer at area championships represent their best pathway to Olympic selection. You scrap and fight for every point you can get.
There was plenty of scrapping and fighting on the last two days of senior competition at the championships, typified by an almighty battle between Peyton Craig and Luke Boyes in the men’s 800m. Craig has been one of the revelations of the Australian domestic season, twice setting national U20 records. Boyes, less than 18 months senior to his rival, gave Craig his first loss of the year when beating him by 0.01 in Sydney, then beat him into fourth place as he beat Peter Bol to win the national title in Adelaide.
Friday in Suva’s HFC Stadium came down to a two-man battle after Boyes led through the bell in something just under 54 seconds. Craig challenged in the back-straight; Boyes successfully repelled him. He was poised to try again at the 200m mark but prudently tucked in behind on the bend.
Craig’s first try off the bend was also repulsed, but just as Boyes looked the winner Craig came again to snatch victory in a championship record, 1:46.33 to 1:46.39. Close, though in their four meetings thus far in 2024 it ranks as a moderately comfortable margin. Both men remain on the cusp of the 48 athletes who will make up the Olympic entry.
It was like that through an entertaining final day for the senior athletes. In the men’s 110m hurdles, Tayleb Willis reversed the Australian Championships result on Chris Douglas, winning in a personal best of 13.56 (-0.4m/s) to 13.69.
Liz Clay won the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.99 (-1.7m/s) which improves her chances of making Paris via her ranking position.
Other winners to consolidate their chances of making it to Paris included New Zealand’s Lauren Bruce with a 69.99m victory in the women’s hammer and Australian steeplechasers Amy Cashin, winner of the women’s event in 9:41.54, and Matthew Clarke, winner of the men’s in 8:31.00, both breaking the championship records.
In other highlights of the second-last day’s competition, Liam Adcock produced wind-legal jumps of 8.05m and 8.00m to defeat Australian teammate Henry Frayne (7.92w) in the long jump, while World Relays teammates Luke Van Ratingen and Cooper Sherman fought out a close men’s 400m, Van Ratingen prevailing in a championship record, 45.84 to 45.97. Australia’s Ellie Beer won the women’s 400m in 51.91.
Among Thursday’s field results, Nash Lowis of Australia won the men’s javelin with a championship record of 79.67m.
Australian junior Torrie Lewis, who made a winning Wanda Diamond League debut in defeating world 100m champion Sha-Carri Richardson over 200m in Xiamen at the end of April, ran a championship record of 23.14 (-1.7m/s) to take the 200m. In an entertaining race, Mia Gross (23.51) and Riley Day (23.63) took the minor medals just ahead of New Zealand’s Georgia Hulls (23.652) and Papua New Guinea’s Leonie Beu (23.653).
Australia’s Calab Law and Aidan Murphy, 20.74 (-3.9m/s) to 21.11, went 1-2 in the men’s 200m with Papua New Guinea’s Tovetuna Timothy Tuna taking the bronze medal in 21.63.
New Zealand took the gold and bronze medals in the women’s 800m. Australia’s Carley Thomas was the favourite and led most of the way, going through the first 400m in just on 60 seconds. Alison Andrews-Paul tracked her closely, however, pouncing half-way round the final bend. Andrews-Paul went on to win by just over a second in 2:03.94. Stella Pearless was third in 2:06.96.
Relays rounded out the final day, Papua New Guinea taking the men’s 4x100m from Fiji and Samoa after the favoured New Zealand team failed to complete the first baton change. New Zealand’s women’s team had an error-free run, however, taking the gold medal in the 4x100m ahead of host nation Fiji.
Len Johnson for World Athletics
