Adelaide Invitational: How our SA stars fared

More than 2000 people packed into the SA Athletics Stadium on Saturday night to see some of Australia's best athletes perform at the Chemist Warehouse Adelaide Invitational.

Interstate Olympians Rohan Browning (Men's 100m), Peter Bol (Men's 800m), Riley Day (Women's 200m), Bendere Oboya (Women's 800m), Sam McEntee (Men's 5000m) and Ben Buckingham (Men's 3000m Steeplechase) each won their events, while four SA athletes claimed wins on Saturday night.

Full Results

Local Olympian Izzi Batt-Doyle won the Women's 5000m, Courtney Smallacombe won the Women's Pole Vault, young sprinter Aidan Murphy crossed the line first in the Men's 200m and Darcy Miller threw the furthest distance in a split Men's Open and U20 Discus competition. 

One of the highlights of the Invitational came in the final race of the night - the Men's 5000m - where SA Paralympian Michael Roeger smashed his own T46 World Record.

Roeger - who currently lives and trains at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra - ran 13:52.05, to break the record and crack the 14-minute barrier for the first time.

"That was one of the most special races of my career," Roeger said. 

“I didn’t think that I would have the chance to talk about a World Record in the 5000m at this meet.

"It goes to show that if you come into the night and the race relaxed, it goes a long way, and the home crowd and the Adelaide track really helped me."

Michael Roeger, front right, running alongside Jaryd Clifford in the Men's 5000m. Roeger set a new T46 5000m World Record .

Roeger - who is a member of the Hills Districts Athletics Club - also holds the Men's T46 1500m and Marathon World Records. 

Hills District's Isaac Heyne finished fourth in the Men's 5000m with 13:39.33 and was the best placed SA runner across the 21-athlete start list. 

Flinders Athletics Club's Batt-Doyle had the opportunity to run her Tokyo discipline on her home track.

Batt-Doyle, NSW’s Rose Davies and SA’s Caitlin Adams (Hills Districts) stretched away from the pack as soon as the pacer pulled away from the field.

Batt-Doyle and Davies went head-to-head for the middle portion of the race, but urged home by a strong home crowd, Batt-Doyle led by 40m at the bell lap and crossed the line in 15:13.35.

“I loved the experience," Batt-Doyle said. 

"I didn’t quite get the qualifying standard (for World Championships or Commonwealth Games), but it was so good to get the win on the home track.

“Rose and I are great competitors, but in the second half of the race I ran the way I needed to run my best. I am so happy to get the win over her after she got me at Zatopek:10, we have a great relationship and we will continue to strengthen each other’s running over the years.

“The home track really helped, knowing that so many people were out here to watch me and knowing that I have been running out here since I was nine years old really helped.”

The Saints Athletics Club's Miller threw a 56.36m Men's U20 Discus State Record on Saturday night, while SA's Lachlan Schoepf (43.94m) and William Evans (43.46m) also threw in the U20 competition.

"I got a real lift from the crowd and the atmosphere," Miller said.

"The competition was a buzz, and I think that helped me set a new PB, which broke the State Record.

"I threw really well in the Interclub the night before so I knew that if I could hold it together I would perform well on Saturday."

Miller's throw was 14cm off the World Athletics U20 Championships qualifying distance (56.50m), and for a moment he thought he had it.

"When I threw it, it hit the tape for the World U20 qualifier and I got really excited, I ran over to the EDM and it was just short," Miller said. 

"I was extremely happy with my performance, and I hope to throw a qualifier soon."

SA's Lachlan Page (53.60m), Victorian Declen Carman (52.32m) and Tasmania's Jackson Mellor (47.55m) threw in the Open Men's competition.

Darcy Miller.

Murphy had the opportunity to run against Browning in the 100m, finishing in eighth place with a time of 10.38 (.03 off his State Record PB). 

Browning took out the race in 10.12, ahead of New Zealand's Edward Osei-Nketia (10.19) and Jack Hale (10.26) of Tasmania.

"I loved running against those guys, such as Browning and Osei-Nketia, and see how they go about it," Murphy said. 

"In the actual race, I got smashed - it was funny because I looked up at the 20m mark and thought 'they are already 3m out in front of me', so I just had to stay in my own lane and finish the race.

"I learnt so much from the event, and everything I learnt from the Adelaide Invitational I am going to put into the next meet."

Aidan Murphy during the 200m race.

The 18-year-old Saints sprinter backed up for the Men's 200m later in the night, posting 20.66 to cross the line first ahead of Queensland's Jake Doran (20.91), Tasmania's Jacob Despared (20.94) and SA's Harrison Hunt (21.22).

"The 200m was awesome - it showed me that I am ready to race against the big boys," Murphy said.

"Coming up against Doran, I knew that he was an incredible athlete and I just thought 'he is going to do his thing and I am going to do mine' - he went out hard in the first 80m and I could feel him tightening up at the bend and I knew I had him on the back straight.

"The atmosphere was unreal and to see the stadium packed was crazy. 

"I signed my first autograph so that's one for the memory bank."

Smallacombe cleared 4.15m to win the Women's Pole Vault, ahead of SA's Jamie Scroop (4.05m) and Maddie Lawson (3.95m).

Young Tea Tree Gully Pole Vaulter Tryphena Hewett finished sixth with 3.70m

"I loved the event," Smallacombe said

"I was surprised how differently the stadium felt to training and during Interclub events, I have never seen so many people there before and to have so many friends and family there to watch in that environment was really special.

"Having the sprinters finish down the back straight where the Pole Vault was taking place and to see that hill full, it was magic.

"I felt like I had a lot to prove, and I felt like I needed to win so to be able to do that was great."

Tryphena Hewett.

In other competitions, Queensland's Julian Konle took out the first competition on the event program - the Men's Triple Jump with 16.22m - with SA locals, Western Athetics Club's Jack Grosser (13.56m) and Flinders' Fraser Western (13.15m) finishing in sixth and seventh place. 

Max Stevens of the Hills Districts Athletics Club finished second in the Men's 3000m Steeplechase, running 8:53.86, while Queensland's Cara Feain-Ryan won the Women's 3000m Steeplechase in 9:45.14.

It was an all SA affair in the Women's 100m B Final as Saints' Jordi McMillan took it out (11.93), ahead of Kayla Lemm (12.17), Helena Schwerdt (12.54) and Amelie Burge (12.65), while Jacob Aston finished as the highest ranked SA runner in the Men's 100m B Final (second, 10.86), which contained six local athletes - Cailen Hejka (10.87), Jayden Chambers (10.91), Tomas Semmler (10.96), Jack Doney (10.98) and Josh Love (11.66).

McMillan and Lemm later backed up for the Women's 200m, running 24.76 (eighth) and 24.99 (ninth) respectively. 

Saints' Emilaya Ellis finished second in the Women's Triple Jump with an attempt of 12.57m. Desliegh Owusu of NSW won the competition with 12.78m.

The Men's and Women's 800m were dominated by Interstate athletes, with Saints' Dylan Stenson (fifth, 1:48.36) the best placed SA male and Port Adelaide's Jessica McManus (sixth, 2:11.41) the best placed SA female. 

This weekend is the State Track and Field Championships at the SA Athletics Stadium (February 18-20), which will be live streamed via The Advertiser website.

Jack Grosser.