TOP Tasmanian track and field athletes will compete at the state open and masters championships in Hobart this weekend.
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Many stars will use the Domain Athletics Centre-held event as preparation for next week’s national championships in Sydney.
Olympian Hamish Peacock is the favourite to take out the men’s open javelin on Saturday after throwing a world championships qualifier (83.02 metres) two weeks ago, while sprinter Jack Hale will run for the first time since the Nitro Series.
Vandy Kanneth and Jack Colgrave will be Hale’s closest opponents in the men’s 100m with North-West runner Morgan Gaffney the favourite in the women’s meet with a career-best time of 11.72 seconds.
The women’s 400m features Samantha Lind, who recorded 54.58 in Melbourne last month and a plethora of young talent such as Northerners Courtney Stanley and Kysha Hill.
The men’s long jump will be a close contest between Brandon Clark, Hale and noted pole vaulter Matthew Hosie.
Jane Hickie will be hard to beat in the hurdles, high jump and long jump having moved up to 15th on the all-time list with 5.63m at the state age championships in February.
Middle distance runners Douglas Hammerlock and Grant Page (NS) will be challenged by Jordan Tyler in the men’s 1500m race, after he clocked clocked 3.54.85 at the Canberra Grand Prix.
In the women’s Ebony Webb, Ruby Smee and Hannah Cummins will all be around the 4.30-minute mark in the women’s 1500m.
Launceston’s Josh Harris will run in the 5000m event having just completed a marathon in Japan.
The weekend also includes the masters championships with Tasmania’s best athletes aged 30-plus to compete in a host of track and field disciplines.