Women's 100m Hurdle preview - Queensland Track Classic
If you had to think of an event that is absolutely on fire right now, hopefully, you came to the same conclusion as us, the women’s 100m hurdles.
Spurred on by the exploits of the absolute legend that is Sally Pearson, 2021 has rearranged the women’s Australian all-time list like no other event.
This year we welcomed two more athletes to the sub-13 club, and we have a few more potential members knocking on the door. Leading the charge is Gold Coast based Liz Clay, who, on her season debut over the sticks, clocked a 12.84 and hit the Tokyo Olympic qualifier spot on. This wasn’t her first trip into 12s territory, as she dipped under the barrier for the first time back at the 2020 Melbourne Track Classic, winning the race in 12.94s. Clay has since gone on a tear, running four times in 2021 and winning all four race all under 13 seconds. In fact, Clay hasn’t lost a hurdles since the 23rd of March 2019 at that year’s edition of the Queensland Track Classic. A streak of 9 wins over the distance.
Could this Saturday be her 10th? She currently sits second all-time (12.72) now behind the aforementioned Pearson, but she’s not the only athlete sitting on the all-time list who’ll feature this weekend. A total of six of Australia’s top 10 female hurdlers will feature on the 27th of March.
New sub club member Celeste Mucci dipped under 13 at the ACT Championships, running 12.98, becoming just the fifth Australian to do so.
Next in line is Hannah Jones, who’s been peppering the 13s barrier with runs of 13.03 at the Canberra Summer Series and 13.01 at the Sydney Track Classic. Next off the line is Abbie Taddeo, who took a bunch of scalps on route to victory at the Canberra Track Classic and has run 13.05 and 13.06 this season. It’s only a matter of time before they’re let into the club. We’ve never had more than two Australian athletes go under 13s in the same race before, and we think is Saturday is the day.
The field just gets deeper and deeper, with Oceania Champion Brianna Beahan running her fastest flat 100s of her career and sits the highest on the world rankings out of the Australian’s not already qualified.
Michelle Jenneke has been slowly working her way back from injury, with only a handful of races under her belt since the 2019 Doha World Championships. This race is where she set her 12.82 personal best back in 2015 and she’ll be hoping some of that magic is still out there this weekend.
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Full field for the Women’s 100m hurdles this weekend
Brianna |
Beahan |
Imogen |
Breslin |
Liz |
Clay |
Taneille |
Crase |
Michelle |
Jenneke |
Hannah |
Jones |
Celeste |
Mucci |
Emelia |
Surch |
Abbie |
Taddeo |