2024 Outdoor season

white lightning

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Are you of sure Kallen

This is his family.


Kalen-Walker-with-his-parents-and-siblings.jpg
 

mastermulti

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a lot of people here won't like this one bit - but the fact remains, a young lad of Sudanese parentage but born here in 2007 (and sounding just as Aussie as the next guy) just ran the 4th fastest 200 ever recorded by an Australian. Could possibly take down Peter Norman's 56 year record of 20.06 while still a junior since he is still 16. Little doubt he will spend a future on the 2nd leg of our 4 x 100m relay team
A legal 20.29 makes him world 2024 under 18 leader and 4th world all-time.

I noted Brit, Thomas Somers, is still world number 6 all-time with his 20.37 at Eugene in 2014; he badly injured his hamstring the next year 2015 and in 10 years of competing since has never beaten 20.62.
What a disappointment for a 17 year old running that time a decade ago and never matching it. It's a tough sport.
 
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mastermulti

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With our new season starting I'm watching the Australian schools championships now in Queensland. It's great to see these fntastic youngsters. I just saw 16yrs 2months Mason McGroder jump 7.86 (25'9.25"). He had an apparent 8 metre jump but just over the board.
Tiny little 16 year old teenage girl Thewbelle Philp (indigenous/Filipino lass) ran 11.38 legal to win her 100m yesterday. Commentators were saying they've never seen a faster start on a young athlete - but her team-mate 16 year old Amaya Mearns who is much taller closes like a train to within a tenth and is the favourite for the 200 coming up. Queensland is only our 3rd most populous state but with it's all round warm yearly climate are seeming to produce many of the sprinters.
Then Amaya reversed the order in the 200 to run 23.17 legal

Gout Gout won the men's under 18 100m in 10.17 legal. He's not yet 17 for another 3 weeks

Now, watch as we lose athletes like these to football codes in coming years

### that 16 years and 11 months old GOUT GOUT just won the 200m boys under 18 final with a new Australian 200m record - he broke Peter Norman's 56 year old record to run 20.04 (1.6). "Just a kid" exclaimed the commentators who are still in shock.
Overtakes Usain Bolt and 2nd all -time to Erriyan Knighton.
He won't get a chance at Knighton's world all-time record even though he had more tha a year to go at still 17 because, like Browning, his birthday falls end of December. He could still become world all time 17 year old though
 
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mastermulti

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Some fantastic results from Down Under.
But very sorry to see Peter Norman's Aussie record fall.
interestingly, Peter Norman's daughter was full of praise. Her dad never thought it would last into this century.
Anyhow, I know it will irk many here that it was done by a young black man (even though he was born and raised here) but I just look to our relay stocks and see a potential team capable of close to mid 37 second range - that 29 year old record went down slightly this year to 38.12 but it needs another 1/2 second off to jump to world top tier times.
 

white is right

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interestingly, Peter Norman's daughter was full of praise. Her dad never thought it would last into this century.
Anyhow, I know it will irk many here that it was done by a young black man (even though he was born and raised here) but I just look to our relay stocks and see a potential team capable of close to mid 37 second range - that 29 year old record went down slightly this year to 38.12 but it needs another 1/2 second off to jump to world top tier times.
Considering Australian has had a plethora of world level finalists since the record was set you would think somebody would have nipped the record even if they had to go to altitude meets in South Africa which has a similar outdoor season starting point as Australia.

I think part of the reason the record lasted so long is the lack of sponsorship for being a world elite 200m runner is similar to what a cruiserweight boxer will earn to what a heavyweight boxer will earn. Patrick Johnson probably could have broken the record around the time he set the Australian 100m record but the money is in setting a 100m record.
 

mastermulti

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sad to say, I think we're a bit lazy over 200m - we had Steve Brimacombe. Damien Marsh and Dean Capobianco in the early to mid 90s capable of sub 20.30 but no-one since. I think they gravitate to the glamour event.
This was the last time I was excited about an Australian making a 200 final. Marsh was still 2 seasons from reaching his peak but a good experience for him to see where he had to be against world class sprinters.
I'd forgotten Mike Marsh was the American record holder at this time - AND that Pietro Mennea was still the world record holder from 14 years earliier


2 years later Marsh hit his straps. Here he is chasing Donovan Bailey on the final leg of the 1995 World Champs men's 4 x 100m.
Then he beat Bailey, Christie, Drummond et al at the Monte Carlo season finale Grand Prix

 
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sprintstar

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Its interesting in the fact that I am Canadian and I watched this race on TV back in '95 and I was rooting for the Aussies as I do not consider any of the 4 running for Canada as real Canadians... all transplants. I have met Glenroy Gilbert and Robert Esmie, nice guys but not true Canadians...
 

mastermulti

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I remember the year before this in 1994 you had the Com Games in British Columbia. In the heat, Glenroy led Damien Marsh to the line but they both had similar speed, easily better than the rest of the field. The depth of sprinters in each event is so much better now.
We finished 2nd in that relay too - so the teams knew each other quite well and showed good rapport.
We became number 8 4x100m men world all-time with that 38.17 but we haven't kept pace since then. We broke it in the Olympics this year but heat was so fast we only finished 6th with 38.12 - faster than even the winner of the 2nd heat but of course not getting a finals berth.
Because of that I've never been able to even watch re-runs with the Australian boys running that time
 
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