Miller Smashes Oceania Championships Record on the final day of competition
Published Tue 07 Jun 2022
The 2022 Oceania Athletics Championships were held in Mackay, Queensland from June 7 - 11 with 20 South Australians competing across the five days of competition.
SA athletes recorded 10 Gold, seven Silver and three Bronze Medals. Congratulations to everyone that Medalled and competed for their country, as well as those who supported athletes in Queensland and officiated the Games.
Below is the full SA wrap from this year's Oceania Athletics Championships.
The Oceania Athletics Association incorporates 20 Member Federations and three Associate Member Federations, including Australia, American Samoa, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Niue and Willis and Futuna.
The last Oceania Athletics Championships were most recently held in Townsville, Queensland in 2019, with the first Championships held in 1990 in Fiji.
DAY 5
On the final day in Mackay Saints thrower Darcy Miller smashed the Men's U20 Discus Oceania Championships Record to win Gold in the very final Field event of the competition.
Miller, who will be representing Australia in the World Athletics U20 Championships in August, threw 56.16m to win the competition ahead of Australia's Bryce Nolan and Etienne Rousseau.
The existing record of 52.90m held by Samoa's Nathaniel Sulupo was always in jeapody with Nolan and Rousseau also breaking the 55m barrier.
“I’m happy with today, half of the throws were okay and the other half were pretty good up and around that 55m mark, but we still have a bit to work on which is exciting,” Miller told Athletics Australia.
“I need to be a bit more patient off the back of the circle, I felt like the throw was a bit disconnected today and I’m looking forward to fixing those things because there is definitely a few extra metres there.
“I would love to make the final and come top eight at world juniors. It will be tricky to get there but I have been up and around that 60m mark at training which should get me close."
SA Masters athlete Michael Cassidy won his second Gold Medal of the Championships, running 25.80 in the Men's Masters 200m.
Cassidy won Gold in the Men's Masters 100m yesterday.
Fellow SA Masters athlete Sarah Chinner also competed in the Women's Masters 800m this morning, winning Gold in a time of 2:44.07 to make it three Golds for SA on the final day of competition.
Northern Districts' Lillee Wakefield finished her busy week with a fourth place finish in the Women's Para Shot Put, recording 8.82m, as did Hills Districts' Sam Paech who also placed fourth in the Men's Para Shot Put with 10.90m.
Wakefield and Paech also competed in the Para Javelin and Discus competitions earlier in the week.
Darcy Miller. Photo: Athletics Australia
DAY 4
Hills athlete backs up his silver medal from Day one on a golden day for SA athletes.
SA athletes won four Medals on Day 4 of the Championships, including three Gold.
Hills Districts athlete Sam Paech backed up his Silver Medal performance from Day 1 to win Gold in the Men’s Para Discus with an attempt of 32.11m.
Southern Sharks teenager Angus Hincksman also collected a Gold Medal today, taking the victory in the Men’s Para 1500m with a time of 4:10.18.
SA Masters Athletics members Sarah Chinner and Michael Cassidy also picked up silverware on Day 4 of the Championships.
Chinner earnt herself a Silver Medal, running a 5:41.14 in the Women’s Masters 1500m, and backed up with a Silver Medal in the Masters 400m this afternoon, running 1:13.87.
Cassidy who ran in the Men’s Masters 100m (12.42) edged out Queensland’s Craig Parker (12.84) to snatch the Gold Medal.
Northern District’s Lillee Wakefield finished fifth in the Women’s Para Discus, throwing 22.60m.
Angus Hincksman. Photo: Athletics Australia
The above schedule is based on the entry list and time sheet from 5/6/22 - Start times are local to Mackay, Queensland.
DAY 3
Olivia Sandery continued her outstanding form across the 10,000m Race Walk, winning a Gold Medal and setting a new Oceania Championships U20 Record this morning.
The Pembroke Athletics Club member clocked 47:11.36 to smash the previous record of 56:46.40 by nearly 10 minutes, which was set by Anna Blackwell in 2019
Sandery will compete over this distance at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Columbia in August.
Tryphena Hewett was the other South Australian to Medal today.
The Tea Tree Gully jumper managed a clearance of 3.40m in the Women's U18 Pole Vault to secure the Silver Medal.
Southern Shark teenager Angus Hincksman ran in the Men's Para 400m, finishing fourth with a time of 55.51.
Olivia Sandery
DAY 2
Saints Athletics Club teenager Aidan Murphy has followed up his National Open Men's 200m Title by winning Gold in the same event at the Oceania Athletics Championships in Mackay this afternoon.
The 18-year-old - who won the 200m in 20.53 ahead of Jake Doran and Caleb Law at the Australian Track and Field Championships in April - again edged out the duo in today's Final.
Murphy ran 20.76 to claim the Open Men's 200m Oceania Title, ahead of Law (20.90) and Doran (20.91) who rounded out the Medal placings.
Murphy, Law and Doran were neck and neck on the final straight before the South Australian 100m and 200m Record holder burnt them off in the final 50m.
“It feels pretty good, it’s good to get another race out and to race Calab (Law) and (Jake) Doran again," Murphy told Athletics Australia.
"The wind conditions weren’t quite there but I’m just happy to be here in good shape.
“I had a bit of an interesting start with the headwind coming in, but I killed the finish."
SA's Aidan Murphy, second from right, won the Open Men's 200m Oceania Title today. Photo: Athletics Australia
Murphy will head to the World Athletics U20 Championships in Columbia in August (alongside fellow South Australians Darcy Miller, Marley Raikiwasa and Olivia Sandery), but said he also had his eyes on next month's World Athletics Championships in America.
"I’m happy to get another heavy run out after a huge block, this is really just a training experience for me every time I run," Murphy said.
“Qualification is looking good to head to Worlds (2022 World Athletics Championships)before World Juniors, luckily the Americans can’t bring more than three athletes because I would be stuffed."
Murphy was last month part of the Men’s Under 20 4x100m relay team which delivered a new Men's U20 National Record of 39.30.
SA's Lachlan Page (Open Discus), Jessica McManus (U18 800m), Jonathan Harris (U18 800m), Raikiwasa (Open Discus), Keira Post (Para 200m), Akeesha Snowden (Para 200m), Jack Netting (Para 200m) and Murphy (Open 200m) all competed in Mackay today.
McManus and Harris each won their second Medals of the Championships, both medalling in the U18 800m and 1500m events on the opening two days.
Port Adelaide's McManus, who won Gold in the Women's U18 1500m yesterday finished with a Silver Medal in the 800m today to cap off an outstanding debut Oceania Championships.
She ran 2:11.86 in today's 800m to finish behind Ivy Boothroyd, while Harris (Saints) was involved in an incredibly close Men's U18 800m.
The top four runners - New Zealand's James Ford (1:54.15), as well as Australia's Wolfgang Cotra-Nemesi (1:54.52), Harris (1:54.70) and Nicholas Rodgers (1:54.71) - finished within .56 of eachother, with Harris holding on for the Bronze by .01.
SA's Jessica McManus in second place behind Ivy Boothroyd in the Women's U18 800m today. McManus finished with a Silver Medal, her second Medal for the Championships. Photo: Athletics Australia
Page and Scroop were the other South Australians to Medal on Day 2, with Page (Northern Districts) picking up Silver in the Open Men's Discus, throwing 54.83m. New Zealand's Connor Bell won Gold with 57.51m.
Western Athletics Club's Scroop cleared 4.00m in the Open Women's Pole Vault, which was enough to claim the Bronze Medal, but she had to withdraw from the competition through injury after her first attempt at 4.10m.
New Zealand's Olivia McTaggart won with a clearance of 4.50m, while SA's Smallacombe (Western) finished fourth with 3.80m.
Sixteen-year-old Raikiwasa of the Tea Tree Gully Athletics Club threw in the Open Women's Discus competition and recorded 49.37m to finish fifth.
Snowden (31.52) finished fourth and Post fifth (32.00) in the Women's Para 200m, while Netting (28.86) finished seventh in the Men's Para 200m.
On the opening two days of competition SA athletes have combined for 11 Medals (three Gold, five Silver and three Bronze).
Tomorrow Sandery (U20 10,000m Walk), Michael Cassidy (Masters 60m), Angus Hincksman (Para 400m) and Tryphena Hewett (U18 Pole Vault) are scheduled to compete.
SA's Jack Netting following his Men's Para 200m today. Photo: Athletics Australia
The above schedule is based on the entry list and time sheet from 5/6/22 - Start times are local to Mackay, Queensland.
DAY 1
6 SA Medals on Day 1 of the 2022 Oceania Athletics Championships
With Lillee Wakefield, Sam Paech, Tryphena Hewett, Taylor Larsson, Nellie Langford, Jack Netting, Keira Post, Akeesha Snowden, Jonathan Harris and Jessica McManus competing on Day 1, South Australia got off to an outstanding start winning three Medals in the opening hour of competition.
SA's athletes won six Medals in total, including two Gold, three Silver and a Bronze.
In the opening event of the Championships, Northern Districts Athletics Club thrower Wakefield won a Gold Medal in the Women's Para Javelin, throwing 18.91m.
"I am really happy with a Gold, this means a lot," she said.
"I didn't think I had any chance for a Gold, I thought I had the Bronze and would have been thrilled with that, but to win Gold is pretty great.
"It wasn't the best I have thrown, but it is quite wet up here so I am happy with 18.91m."
Wakefield has a long stay in Queensland, also competing in the Para Discus and Shot Put competitions on Friday and Saturday.
"I am hoping to do well in the Shot, but in the Disc I am just going to go out there and have fun," she said.
"We are coming to the track every day to watch everyone, looking forward to watching Lachie (Page) in the Men's Discus tomorrow."
Lillee Wakefield at the State Track and Field Championships
Also in the early stages of competition on Tuesday, Hills Districts' Paech threw 31.53m in the Men's Para Javelin, while Tea Tree Gully's Hewett cleared 1.71m in the Women's U18 High Jump.
In what were outstanding runs from both McManus and Harris in their respective U18 1500m races, the SA pair walked away from their first Oceania event of the Championships with a piece of silverware.
Port Adelaide runner McManus timed her run perfectly to overtake NSW's Ada Rand for the first time of the race with 100m to go and bolted home to claim the Gold Medal in a PB 4:34.12.
"I was so happy with the PB because it is the middle of Cross Country season, so I haven't been doing a lot of work on the Track," McManus said.
"Coming in I had no clue about how I was going to go so the Gold Medal was a huge surprise.
"The New Zealand girl, Rosaria Gibson, had the fastest time coming in with a 4:31 on the board so it was great to race against her, and Ada also has a quick time in the low 4:30s so I knew it was going to be tough.
"I have been looking forward to this for so long and working to get into an Australian team for many years. I have been so inspired by others around me that have won Gold Medals for Australia, so to do that as well makes me so happy."
McManus and Rand managed to get some space on Gibson with 800m to go and it came down to a race betwen two in the final lap, which suited the Port Adelaide runner's strong finish.
"I was sitting in third for the first lap, but Rosaria sounded like she was struggling a bit and Ada was stretching away so I sat with her (Ada) until the final lap, and I was relying on my strong finish," McManus said.
"When the bell went I was feeling pretty tight, but I had to dig deep and stay with her and the pace was getting quicker with every step.
"I knew that I had to go at the 100m and I went hard - it was a great feeling running down that home straight with so many people there."
McManus won two Silver Medals at the 2022 Australian Track and Field Championships in April, in the U18 1500m and 800m.
It was a race for second for much of the Men's U18 1500m with Cameron Myers stretching away from the pack in the middle stages of the run to set a Championship Record 3:49.62, but Saints runner Harris engaged in a close contest for the Silver and Bronze with Nicolas Rodgers.
Harris - this year's Men's U18 1500m National Champion - passed Rogers at the 600m mark to take second place and charged away from the NSW runner to finish comfortably in Silver Medal position with a near PB 3:56.77.
Harris and McManus will both participate in the U18 800m tomorrow (Wednesday).
Jessica McManus, front middle, at the 2022 Australian Track and Field Championships in Sydney
Langford (Southern Sharks) finished with a Bronze Medal in the Women's U18 5000m Race Walk in 27:06.32, while Northern's Larsson finished fourth in the Women's U18 Shot Put with 14.68m.
Netting finished eighth in the Men's Para 100m, running 13.57, while Post (15.09) and Snowden (15.23) ran seventh and eighth respectively in the Women's Para 100m.
Courtney Smallacombe (Open Pole Vault), Jamie Scroop (Open Pole Vault), Lachlan Page (Open Discus), McManus (U18 800m), Harris (U18 800m), Marley Raikiwasa (Open Discus), Post (Para 200m), Snowden (Para 200m), Netting (Para 200m) and Aidan Murphy (Open 200m) are scheduled to compete tomorrow (Wednesday).
The above schedule is based on the entry list and time sheet from 5/6/22 - Start times are local to Mackay, Queensland.
By Josh Teakle - Athletics SA
