Nina Kennedy, Kurtis Marschall and Peter Bol shine at Queensland Track Classic
Pole vaulters Nina Kennedy and Kurtis Marschall and middle distance runner Peter Bol impressed on route to wins at the Queensland Track Classic on Saturday 27 March, 2021.
23-year-old Kennedy who set a new Australian Record two weeks ago in Sydney showed why she is one of the best pole vaulters in the world.
The final athlete to enter the competition at 4.60m, Kennedy missed her first two attempts at the opening height, before returning to the dominant form she has had the last three months.
A 15cm rise to 4.75m didn’t trouble Kennedy who made easy work of the height before looking towards a new Australian Record of 4.85m. While a new record was not on the cards in Queensland, Kennedy will now turn her attention to the 2021 Australian Track and Field Championships in Sydney in April.
“I think it was a really great mental challenge for me. If your third attempt in the qualifying round at the Olympic Games you need to clear that bar. It was just a mental challenge on that third attempt and I pulled through,” said Kennedy.
“I came off that third attempt at 60 and went strait to 75, just told myself first attempt lets do it so it was good. A good clearance as well.”
Liz Parnov continued her upward progression clearing 4.45m, backing up her season best of 4.50m from two weeks ago.
Victorian based Peter Bol continued his unbeatable form in the 800m, clocking up another win in 1min 45.48secs, just outside the Olympic qualifier of 1:45.20.
“It is a bit of mixed emotions, you win races but we are after a time and I think maybe that’s the issue. Just coming out here and chasing times and I think going in to the next races just focus on running what we did in training basically,” said Bol.
Despite just missing booking his ticket To Tokyo, Bol was please with his ongoing consistency of running one minute 45 seconds every race.
“I spoke to Justin [Rinaldi] and my manager James and said we got to run 1:45 every time, the bad races having to be 1:45. That’s the standard we want to start hitting and the 1:44’s become the normal ones,” Bol explained post race. “So we have done that we have normalised 1:45 now so its just a disappointing race now 1:45. We have come a long way, two years ago were happy with 1:46.”
In the men’s pole vault Kurtis Marschall was again producing a world class performance, clearing 5.70m and just missing an outdoor personal best of 5.82m
“Yeah I was so close. Happy with the 5.70. I thought you know I will take a couple of steps to get to 5.90 this time. I went there a bit early in Sydney and a little bit underdone so I thought I would go 82. Got on the same pole as I attempted 90 at last competition, but just didn’t quite make it work,” said Marschall.
“Still a few refinements to come, I’ve got two more comps including Nationals so hopefully get it together by then.”
Brianna Beahan finished fifth in the women’s 100m hurdles with a time of 13.22 seconds.
Target Talent Program athlete Taylah Cruttenden was again on form clocking a new personal best. The 17-year-old finished third in 11.49secs, equalling her personal best set in January at the WA Athletics Stadium.