Two of the USA’s top male throwers will challenge Australia’s best at this month’s Hunter Track Classic. Reigning US Javelin Champ Mike Hazle and shot put/discus utility Russ Winger will blow off the winter cobwebs as they prepare for London with some competitions down under.
Hazle was 12th in the Beijing Olympics and has a javelin personal best of a whopping 82.21m! He will be looking to get close to the 82.00m mark which is the qualifying distance for him to make the US team for London. The javelin event is developing into a terrific event with 7 of the 9 in the field with bests well over 70m. Ben Baker from Taree and Hamish Peacock from Tasmania will lead the Australian charge.
At the heavier end of the throwing spectrum Russ Winger will be out to challenge the best Australia can throw at him in both the discus and shot put events! The Hunter’s own Benn Harradine will have some work ahead of him to quieten the big American who boasts a discus PB of 66.04m, just a touch short of Benn’s mark of 66.45m. 2009 World Champion Dani Samuels will also be in the mix throwing the women’s discus and likely to surpass the 60m with the Winger and Harradine.
Following the discus Winger will turn his attention to the shot put where his personal best of 21.25m may prove his class over Victorian Dale Stevenson (20.05m) and NSW’s Emanuele Fuamatu (19.99m).
Added to the international flavour of the meet current New Zealand 1500m champion; Hamish Carson will contest the blue ribbon 1500m. “We are really pleased to see that these international athletes have the Hunter Track Classic on their radar” said event organiser Scott Westcott. “It is clear that the event’s reputation is growing and level of competition is of an international standard” Westcott continued.
The fields for the Hunter Track Classic were released yesterday and boast some of the biggest names in Australian Track and Field including Dani Samuels (discus), Tamsyn Manou (400m), Benn Harradine (discus) and Sean Wroe (200m).
Local athletes looking to make an impact include Liam Gander (100m), Laura Whaler (100m,200m), Pirenee Steinert (400m), Celia Sullohern (1500m), Trudy Thompson (high jump) and Mark Taylor, Nick Moroney and Miles Cole-Clark who will all contest the unique shoot-out style men’s high jump.
