Plastic tuna thrown for a record

 

TUNA toss record holder and Commonwealth Games gold medal hammer thrower Brooke Billet took the new plastic tuna in her stride at this year’s Tunarama, managing the biggest throw for the weekend, further than the men.

She didn’t break her own professional women’s record of 21.25 metres, but got close throwing the tuna 19.96 metres.

Professional men’s winner Steve Hitch from Buckleboo did his best to beat this throw, but 19.26 metres was the best of his two attempts.

Billett has retired from competitive hammer throwing but hopes to continue tuna tossing.

However fellow winner Hitch said this would be his last year after eight years and three wins.

Billett is also helping groom the next generation of tuna tossers, with her niece Leticia Krueger throwing 7.92 metres to come first in the amateur women’s section.

Leticia said she had been out to training for hammer throwing with her aunt but this year was her first tuna toss.

Amatuer men’s winner, Alan Sperling from Adelaide, also comes from an athletic background as a javelin thrower but said tossing a tuna was “completely different”.

He tossed it 15.6 metres.

Acting festival manager Merriwyne Hore said the new polyurethane tuna “fared amazingly well” but it will be back to the drawing board to perfect a more robust design after two of the three tuna lost their tails.

“We knew the weakest point was at its tail because it’s such a small area and the times it broke the tuna came down right on the tail,” Mrs Hore said.

She said competitors reported that the plastic tuna was easier to handle and get momentum than the real thing.

“I think it was a huge success and it certainly stood up to some huge throws and some even bigger landings on the path.”

Mrs Hore said the female professional winner Brooke Billet had been a great ambassador for Tunarama.

“Brooke’s an amazing woman and she deserves all the credit for having the longest throw.”

In the professional women’s section Lara Asinari came second with a throw of 11.44 metres followed by Katrina Vlassco with 9.65 metres.

Ollie Flanagan came second in the professional men’s section with 17.3 metres and Mick Proude was third with 16.84 metres.

Kieran Fraser was runner up in the amateur men’s section with a 14.12-metre throw and third was Luke Treagus, who threw 13.74 metres.

Zoe Casbolt was second in the amateur women’s section with 6.8 metres, followed by Jacqui Hockaday, who threw 6.79 metres.