Aidan Murphy on his way to a 200m win at the Oceania Championships (© Athletics Australia)
Australia completed a sweep of the men’s individual sprint titles and New Zealand did likewise in the women’s races on the second day of the Oceania Championships in Mackay on Wednesday (8).
Trans-Tasman rivalry is a given for sport in this region. It is more often expressed on the rugby and cricket fields, but it carries over into most other contests as well. In athletics, it has been best seen in the middle and long-distances best encapsulated in the unresolved, and unresolvable (given they never raced over the mile or 1500m), debate as to whether Herb Elliott would have beaten Peter Snell, or vice versa.
Teenagers Aidan Murphy and Calab Law went 1-2 in the men’s 200m, and first-day 100m winner Jake Doran finished third, as Australia took all three medals. Despite the late withdrawal of Steve Solomon, Alex Beck took the 400m to complete the host nation’s dominance of the sprints.
In response, Georgia Hulls took the women’s 200m for New Zealand and Rosie Elliott and Izzy Neal finished first and second in the 400m. With Zoe Hobbs having already won the 100m on day one, the Kiwi sprinters matched the Australians’ haul.
If nothing else, the results on the first two days in Mackay will add piquancy to the 4x100m and 4x400m relays on Thursday, day three (9). In a remarkable coincidence of timing, New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern arrives in Australia that same day for talks with the newly-elected prime minister Anthony Albanese. The Oceania Championships results may be a late addition to the agenda.
Teens Murphy and Law rule men’s 200m; Hulls way too strong in women’s
Ostensibly, the 200m events were run with helpful tailwinds - 1.8m/s for the men’s race and 1.0m/s for the women’s. That may have been true in the straight, but life was more difficult for the sprinters on the bend as a fresh breeze blew across the track into their faces. Murphy’s winning time of ‘only’ 20.76 and Hulls’ 23.35 were probably worth a couple of metres faster.
"It feels pretty good, it’s good to get another race out and to race Calab (Law) and (Jake) Doran again,” Murphy said. “The wind conditions weren’t quite there but I’m just happy to be here in good shape.”
Murphy, who does not turn 19 until October, ran 20.41 earlier in the year to break the long-standing Australian U20 record set by Fred Martin in 1985. Law is two months younger and ran a personal best 20.50 in defeating Murphy at the Melbourne Track Classic in March.
In Mackay, Murphy, Law and Doran entered the straight pretty well on even terms, but it was Murphy who proved the strongest in the run to the line. He finished 0.14 clear of Law, with Doran just one-hundredth of a second behind in third.
Murphy will run the 200m at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali this August, while Law has been selected to run both sprints. The pair are also likely to be part of a 4x100m relay that could challenge for a medal.
Hulls’ victory was far more clear cut. She had over four metres to spare at the line in 23.35, with Ella Connolly just edging fellow Australian Bree Masters for second, 23.82 to 23.87. Hulls also defeated Connolly at the Australian Championships in Sydney in April.
Hobbs had already taken out the 100m on the opening day and Elliott took the 400m on day two in 52.97 from teammate Neal with 53.47 and Australia’s Jess Thornton with 53.71.
Kirsopp-Cole thwarts Hollingsworth 800-1500m double
Claudia Hollingsworth is even younger than Murphy and Law. She celebrated her 17th birthday in April. On day one, she upset the applecart when she defeated Abbey Caldwell in the 1500m. She returned on day two with the 800m – the event she will focus on in Cali - in her sights.
It was not to be, however. The race was a typical championship 800m, with not much pace on. Tess Kirsopp-Cole led at the bell in 63 seconds, with Hollingsworth at her shoulder. Where the younger woman had found the strength to get by Caldwell in the straight in the 1500m, Kirsopp-Cole held her off every step of the way to take a narrow win, 2:04.63 to 2:04.79.
In other events, Tokyo Olympian Sarah Carli won the 400m hurdles in 55.98, New Zealand’s Olivia McTaggart won the pole vault at 4.50m and Taneille Crase won the heptathlon with a personal best 5945 points.
Australia and New Zealand swapped victories in the discus with Connor Bell taking the men’s title with a best of 57.51m and Taryn Gollshewsky winning the women’s event for the hosts with a distance of 57.39m.
The championships continue with day three on Thursday, when most of the remaining events will be concluded.
Len Johnson for World Athletics
