Hop, Step and Jumping to London
02 Feb 2012
HOP, STEP AND JUMPING TO LONDON
2011 was a year to remember for Australian Flame star Henry Frayne.
Beginning with a Tasmanian All comers record and personal best of 16.91m, Frayne continued in 2011 to place 9th at the World Championships in Korea and the 21 year old returns to Hobart on Saturday night for the men’s triple jump at the Briggs Athletics Classic.
That’s a long way, when you consider the average length of a bus is 14.6metres.
On the way to becoming a world championship finalist, he bettered his lifetime best to 17.04m in Barcelona, to now sit at number four on the Australian all time list.
Both Frayne and former Briggs winner Alwyn Jones, will be out in search of the Olympic A qualifier of 17.20m, a distance that only two Australians have ever attained.
Adding some international flavour to the event will be Nigerian Tosin Oke.
The African champion has a lifetime best of 17.22m and has been competing at the highest level since 1999.
Conditions are typically favourable for triple jumping at the Domain, with evidence coming from Nicole Mladenis in 2002. Her effort of 14.04m, remains the Australian record and was aided by a perfect legal wind of +2.0metres per second.
Prior to that, at the 1998 Briggs Athletics Classic, Mariklud Viduka leapt 13.54m and Viduka still sits at number three on the Australian all time list with that effort.
At 7:15pm on Saturday night, Australia’s top female triple jumpers will be hoping for similar conditions.
Headlining the women’s field will be Linda Allen, Australia’s second furthest triple jumper of all time.
With a personal best set in China last year 13.82m, Allen will have the 14m target firmly in her sights as she joins the long list of athletes searching for Olympic qualification on Saturday night.
Commonwealth Games high jump finalist Ellen Pettitt will make a rare appearance in the women’s triple jump. Pettitt, who is a surprise inclusion in the triple jump, could be a surprise packet when the girls let fly.
Local eyes will also be on TIS teenager Kaitlin Morgan. Already with multiple qualifiers for the World Junior Championships in the high jump, Morgan will try her hand at the hop, step and jump on Saturday, with the firm intention of improving her personal best of 12.50m.
The big time performing Morgan could very well use Saturday nights competition to elevate her to the 12.90m barrier required for the World Juniors.
Competition gets underway at 5:30pm this Saturday, with tickets available at the gate or Centertainment.
