WAIS Track and Field Athletes Compete in Sydney

Australian track and field enjoyed a busy weekend, with the Sydney Track Classic and the Australian Junior Athletics Championships both hosted in the harbour city.

With the Australian National Championships approaching, the Sydney Track Classic represented one of the few remaining opportunities for the country’s best talent to prepare for the titles that will also double as selection trials for this year’s Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Dual Australian Paralympian and WAIS scholarship holder Madison de Rozario won a star-studded women’s 1500m wheelchair race after clocking 3:44.86 to win ahead of her Australian Flame teammates Christie Dawes and Angie Ballard.

The Parnov sisters produced some solid jumping in the women’s pole vault competition, with both WAIS athletes clearing 4.30m behind competition winner and former WAIS athlete Alana Boyd (4.40m).

Liz Parnov was awarded second place ahead of her sibling Vicky Parnov on countback – with both women recording secondary B-Qualifying heights for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, having also registered heights at the recent Perth Track Classic.

The Parnov’s younger training partners Emma Philippe and Nina Kennedy also took to the runway, with Philippe fourth (4.10m) and Kennedy equal fifth (4.10m) with Queensland’s Charmaine Lucock on countback.

WAIS javelin thrower Cruz Hogan competed in the men’s event in Sydney, recording a best throw of 65.73m for eighth place. Gold went to Victorian Luke Cann who threw 76.71m.

The weekend action also saw Australia’s best up and comers in competition at the 2014 Australian Junior Athletics Championships.

WAIS had three athletes in competition, all in the pole vault. Nina Kennedy performed well in the women’s U20 event, clearing 4.15m for victory, with Emma Philippe second on 4.05m. Young WAIS vaulter Henri Brown tackled the men’s U20 competition – finishing fourth with a best clearance of 4.85m, with the competition won by NSW’s Jack Hicking (5.05m).