Beahan Second at ACT Champs
Commonwealth Games hopeful Brianna Beahan has run second in the women’s 100m hurdles at the weekend ACT Championships in Canberra.
The 26 year-old had earlier in the summer, run narrowly shy of an A-qualifying standard at the Perth Track Classic but conditions in the nation’s capital made fast times harder to come by.
Running into a headwind, Beahan clocked 13.15sec (-1.2) to register another B-qualifier, with victory going to hurdles queen Sally Pearson in 12.87 (-1.2).
Pearson – the reigning world champion in the discipline – said the conditions in Canberra had made a repeat of the quick times seen in Perth, difficult to replicate.
“Two weeks ago in Perth I ran about 12.5 and smashed three hurdles, so to come out today and with a headwind like that and run times like that, I was pretty disappointed.It is not a setback, these things happen the human body does what the human body wants.It’s only January and I’ve got plenty of time before the Commonwealth Games.”
“I’m going really well in training, obviously I don’t peak for these type of competitions, we peak for the majors, so training is going really well. It is just a matter of putting out the races in times I like to see. Hopefully the times will come down, which I know they will.”
Beahan is considered a strong chance to earn selection for the Australian team at April’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast with Athletics Australia set to select from a full quota of athletes for the meet.
The Innaloo resident is just a fraction off the A-qualifying time for the hurdles (.01 of a second) and is also expected to be a prominent member of the Australian women’s relay squad for the Gold Coast.
In the men’s 400m hurdles, reigning national champion Ian Dewhurst continued his build up for the Australian Athletics Championships with a second place effort behind Kiwi hurdler Cameron French.
Dewhurst ran home in 50.04sec and will be aiming to make his first Australian representative appearance since the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Fellow 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games representative Zoe Timmers missed adding another B-qualifier to her summer collection after she had three unsuccessful attempts at 1.85m. The 28 year-old sailed over 1.75m and 1.80m at the first time of asking and finished in third place in Canberra behind Nicola McDermott (1.90m) and Eleanor Patterson (1.85m).
Grant Szalek (2.05m) was sixth in the men’s high jump which was won by Malaysia’s Lee Hup Wei (2.28m).
Javelin thrower Cruz Hogan recently collected a B-qualifier at the Perth Track Classic as he continues back to full fitness from elbow and knee injuries. In Canberra, he was just shy of B-mark again, registering a best throw of 73.02m behind reigning national champion Hamish Peacock (76.07m).
Hogan’s training partner Luke Cann was third, with a best effort of 70.04m.
In the women’s 400m hurdles in Canberra, 2016 U20 World Championship representative Alanah Yukich ran sixth behind winner Lauren Wells, in a time of 59.64, whilst in the women’s 100m wheelchair sprint, Robyn Lambird (19.90) took out third place behind race winner Angie Ballard (17.56).