The ZATOPEK:10 returned to Melbourne over the weekend, with a perfect summer day greeting the 4,500 spectators and racers at the Lakeside Stadium. The final stop for the On Track Night 2024 tour was action-packed with festival vibes, tattoo giveaways, and, of course, fast races that saw world and national records tumble.
On Athletic Club Oceania Members and Paris Olympians, Claudia Hollingsworth and Peyton Craig drew in the first crowd as they led out the 5K community run, joined by over 200 local runners for a lap around Alber Park Lake. Speaking on the experience, Hollingsworth said: “It was so good running in the community run, it was so nice to see so many athletes coming out. With such a great atmosphere and vibe, it was great to be able to get amongst it all and chat to all of the up-and-coming athletes.”
A Four-Time Australian Champion
Then, it was time to compete. From shotput to high jump to the 10,000m Australian Championships, there was something for everyone. Jack Rayner made his mark on the track as the undisputed king of Australia in the 10,000m, claiming his fourth consecutive title that day. He raced to victory in 28:26.12 and became only the second male athlete to win four consecutive Australian titles over the distance. Samuel Clifford and Brett Robinson followed Rayner.
In the women’s 10,000m championship, Rose Davies claimed the title in 32:21.71. This marked Davies’s third national title. She had to fend off defending champion Lauren Ryan and former winner Leanne Pompeanie to raise the crown.
Record-Breaking Men’s 3000m
In the 3,000m men’s race, 18-year-old Cameron Myers raised the roof as he broke the Australian and Oceanian U20 3,000m record in 7:41.11. He improved his personal best and previous Australian record by more than five seconds, running at 25km/h on average. Zach Facioni, On Athletics Club Oceania member, finished nearly 10 seconds behind Myers in fifth place. In 13th place, Sam Ruth of New Zealand celebrated a new U16 record as he crossed the finish line in 8:06.56, lowering his previously set age group record.
Linden Hall dominated the women’s 3,000m race, winning in 8:43.02, nearly 10 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Abbey Caldwell, who clocked an 8:51.49. Amy Robinson rounded off the all Victorian podium with a time of 8:56.53. Carley Thomas of the On Athletics Club Oceania ended her season in sixth place with a time of 9:08.49. Speaking after the race, she said: “Having a crack at a longer distance built into my training really well and now I’m looking forward to continuing to build into next year and the World Championships in Tokyo. It was special to have an OTN in our home OAC Oceania city Melbourne and have all our family and friends around! While we’ve got our noses to the grindstone in OAC at the moment, it was great to come together for a track meet and remember what it’s all about!”
60m Showdowns Bring the Heat
In the 60m showdown, Ella Connolly came close to breaking her Australian record for the distance, crossing the finish line in 7.27 seconds, just 0.2 seconds shy of the record. In the men’s 60m showdown, Jacob Despard edged out Tayleb Willis by 0.02 to claim the title, winning in 6.72 seconds.
All results are available here
