SA athletes heading to the Oceania Athletics Championships

Eighteen SA athletes will be heading to the Queensland city of Mackay for the 2022 Oceania Athletics Championships in June.

South Australians representing Team Australia will be Aidan Murphy (Open Men's 200m, U20 4X100m Relay), Dylan Stenson (Open Men's 800m), Caitlin Adams (Open Women's 10,000m), Jamie Scroop (Open Women's Pole Vault), Courtney Smallacombe (Open Women's Pole Vault), Lachlan Page (Open Men's Discus), Darcy Miller (Open Men's and U20 Discus), Angus Hincksman T38 (Men's Para 400m and 1500m), Jack Netting T35 (Men's Para 100m and 200m), Keira Post T37 (Women's Para 100m and 200m), Akeesha Snowden T37 (Women's Para 100m and 200m), Olivia Sandery (Women's U20 5000m Race Walk and 10,000m Race Walk), Jessica McManus (Women's U18 800m and 1500m), Jonathan Harris (Men's U18 800m and 1500m), Nellie Langford (Women's U18 5000m Race Walk), Tryphena Hewett (Women's U18 High Jump and Pole Vault), and Taylor Larsson (Women's U18 Shot Put). Hugo Taheny T21 will represent Regional Australia in the Senior Men's Para Discus and Shot Put

Athletics Australia announced the team today, and claimed it to be the "strongest ever team selected for the Oceania Athletics Championships", which will take place in Mackay from June 7 to 11.

Find the full team lists here:

Australian Open Athletes at the Oceania Championships (104) 
Australian Para Athletes at the Oceania Athletics Championships (35) 
Australian Under 20 Athletes at the Oceania Athletics Championships (109) 
Australian Under 18 Athletes at the Oceania Athletics Championships (87) 

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.

25 Olympians, including Tokyo top-8 finisher and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Jemima Montag, and 16 Paralympians including Commonwealth Games medal hopefuls Sarah Edmiston and Evan O’Hanlon, will headline the contingent of 335, with many using the meet as an opportunity to finesse their preparations for the Oregon 2022 World Athletics Championships and Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Without a World Para Athletics Championships occurring this year, the home Championships will also serve as an important stepping-stone in the lead up to next year’s World Para Athletics Championships in Paris, and the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Almost 200 juniors will join Australia’s elite, competing across both Under 20 and Under 18 events, as they build towards the World Under 20 Championships in Cali.

For many fresh-faced Australian representatives, this will also serve as an opportunity to lay down their foundations as they work towards selection for future Australian teams.

Athletics Australia General Manager, Andrew Faichney said the team announced, as per the Athletics Australia selection policy, will be primed for tough competition, with the high scoring meet crucial in determining the Australian team travelling to Oregon and Birmingham.

“An Area Championships is an important competition for any athlete and to be Oceania Champion is great recognition," he said. 

"The Oceania Athletics Championships are also the highest level competition to score world ranking points in our Area, as such, it’s an extremely important competition for our athletes, and as such we have selected a very strong Australian team for the Area Championships.

“The ranking points accrued from these Championships carry over for two years, meaning that competition is set to be fiercer than ever in Mackay, as athletes look to be selected for the Australian team travelling to Oregon and begin their journey to Paris.

"It will also be a chance to impress selectors before the end of the Commonwealth Games qualifying period.

“We’re looking forward to seeing this mix of youth and experience put their best foot forward in what is set to be one of the most competitive meets in the region for many years.”  

Two-time Olympian and co-captain of the Australian athletics team in Tokyo Steve Solomon said he was looking forward to seeing Australia’s best athletes come together in a team and competition environment before traveling to Oregon and Birmingham.

“The Oceania Championships is a fantastic way to prepare for Worlds and Commonwealth Games," he said. 

"We’ll have the chance to practise our race tactics through the rounds, and the congregation of some of the best athletes in the country will create a special atmosphere for the entire Australian team.

“The ranking points available at these championships also present a great opportunity for Australians to get access to ranking points without the requirements of travelling overseas. These rankings have become all the more important as a vehicle to major championship qualification, and it is a bonus for Australian athletes and the Australian sporting community to have such an opportunity available to us.”

Josh Teakle, Athletics SA & Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia
Posted: 2/5/2022