Tasmanian athletes were in the thick of the action as Australia’s finest chased Commonwealth Games selection on the Gold Coast.
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After a heated national championships, Tasmania remains on course for a record representation at the same venue in April.
As expected, Hamish Peacock cemented his position as Australia’s dominant javelin thrower to join distance runner Stewart McSweyn on the team.
Sprinters Sam Walker and Jack Hale appear destined to join them while Abbey de la Motte could take the state’s track and field contingent to five.
But there was heartbreak for several others, not least Launceston’s James Hansen who produced a brilliant run in the 1500-metres but had to settle for fourth and may have missed a spot on the Commonwealth Games team by 0.05 of a second.
The only Tasmanian to make the final after Mitchell Cashion, Doug Hamerlok and Jordan Tyler missed out, Hansen almost hit the front in the final sprint before being run down.
Victorians Ryan Gregson (3:39.66) and Jordan Williamsz took first and second and automatic qualification but Rorey Hunter (3:40.12), of NSW, held off Hansen (3:40.17) and sits just above the Tasmanian’s best B-qualification time.
While nowhere near his best, Peacock eased to another national javelin title to confirm his spot for the Gold Coast where he will be looking to improve on his bronze medal from Glasgow in 2014.
“I was a bit sore with a few niggles but still came away with the win which was the major goal so I’ve got to the Games now,” said the Hobart thrower, who has also represented his country at two world championships and the Rio Olympics.
Well short of his season’s best of 84.36 metres, Peacock threw 74.16m to qualify then 79.38m to win with two other throws over 77m.
New Zealander Ben Langton Burnell was second with 78.20m and Queenslander Josh Robinson the next best Aussie with 77.21m.
“I’m not a fan of heat and humidity being from Tassie but you’ve got to deal with it,” Peacock added.
“The javelin’s in mid-April so I don’t expect it to be anywhere near as warm as this so I’ll just be coming up for the camp prior to Com Games and maybe a session or two just to get used to it.”
“I need to get some quality training in and it’s just a case of freshening up and getting the technique right at the right time which is the key to major championship competing.”
King Islander McSweyn clocked 8:49.25 to come third in the 3000m steeplechase but is now considered more proficient as a flat runner and another third in the 5000m should see him selected to contest that as well as the 10,000m.
By winning the 100m T38 (for athletes with mild cerebral palsy) teenager Walker can expect to be selected and despite pulling up in the 100m final, fellow Hobartian Hale is likely to be considered for the sprint relay based on his consistency over the season.
Originally from Launceston but now based in Melbourne, De La Motte ran 2:03.62 in a super-fast 800m won by Queenslander Brittany McGowan in a blistering 2:00.24.
The Tasmanian finished fifth, but was the third Australian so still in with chance of joining McGowan and third-placed Victorian Georgia Griffith unless the Australian track and field team reaches its cap of 88.
In other Tasmanian results from Sunday, Matt Hosie came 10th in the pole vault with a clearance of 4.80m, the women’s 200m saw Morgan Gaffney finish 10th (24.39) and Kiara Chambers 19th (24.94) while Inessa Corney was 16th (12:29.53) and Harvey Chilcott 21st (9:48.78) in their respective steeplechases.