With athletes competing all over the globe, including Birmingham UK in near freezing conditions, Lake Biwa Japan, Melbourne, Canberra and Blacktown, it was certainly a big weekend for Sydney University Athletics Club (SUAC).
In Birmingham at the IAAF World Indoor championships, Nick Hough and Michelle Jenneke continued their impressive national representative team selection. Both athletes made it to the semi–finals in what were very strong fields. Hough broke the SUAC club record posting a 7.76 in the heat narrowly missing Kyle Vander Kyup’s Australian record of 7.73. Jenneke was just outside her personal best, with both athletes in very good shape going into the Commonwealth Games.
At Lake Biwa in Japan Bradley Croker annihilated his personal best time, running a 2:17:28 marathon, running a huge negative split to do so. Croker ran through the half in 69:32 which had him placed 72nd, he covered the 2nd half of the race in 67:56 passing an incredible 52 athletes to finish 20th overall.
A number of SUAC athletes travelled to Melbourne for the Victorian Track and Field Championships. The star of the show was Catriona Bisset who ran a huge PB of 2:04.28 to finsh 2nd to Commonwealth Games representative Georgia Griffith. Joanna Cubis was 9th in the same race. Lachlan Bird ran a big programme contesting 6 races in 45 hours to finish 6th in both the 200m and 400m. Courtney Schultz made the semi finals of the 400m.
In Canberra Josh Clarke continued his run of success in 2018 winning the 100m in a slick 10.29. Ella Nelson won the women’s 200m with Emily Brichacek also taking out the 3000m. Nick Van Gelder won the Long Jump in 7.01 and Hugo Whithead was 2nd in the 200m running 21.63.
At Blacktown at the NSW Masters Championship Andrew Heil brought home two medals for SUAC winning Gold in the 400m and Silver in the 800m in a season’s best time.
In other great news, Rio Olympian Brendon Reading has been selected in Australia’s IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships team to compete over 20km in China in May.
SUAC athletes will next compete at the Sydney Track Classic and the National Junior Championships in the next fortnight.
Be sure to follow SUAC on Facebook and Instagram for weekend photos and for the latest athletics news.
