Australian Stars of Track and Field Fly into Adelaide for Classic

The Athletics Australia Tour officially launches with the Qantas Adelaide Track Classic, which takes place on the 28th January. After completing meetings in Brisbane and Newcastle, the Adelaide Track Classic is the first meeting where we get to see some of our biggest stars of athletics in Australia - such as Steve Hooker, Jeff Riseley, Ryan Gregson and Alana Boyd. We will also see other World and Olympic representatives such as Benn Harradine, Dani Samuels and Sally Pearson in what shapes as an excellent meeting across many events.

National Update - Brisbane, Newcastle plus Vaulters Flying High in Perth

Although some may suggest that it has been a quiet start to the domestic season, there have been some very encouraging results from around Australia. The official Qantas AA Tour commences with the Adelaide Track Classic on the 28th of January, although we have already see AA Tour events in Brisbane and Newcastle.

We first take a look at some of the top performances from the Brisbane Track Classic on the 14th January:

AA Tour Preview: Brisbane Track Classic

We continue to focus on up and coming athletes throughout the domestic season, with the Brisbane Track Classic showcasing many athletes who are looking to become the next big star of track and field in Australia. In Brisbane the women's 800m looks set to be one of the more hotly contested events, so we decided to focus in on a middle distance star on the rise - Kelly Hetherington.

Eliza Curnow - Ready to Fire at the Top Level

We continue our series of profiling our up and coming stars of Australian track and field with a look at rising star of the 800m - Eliza Curnow.

It was a breakthrough year in 2011 for the young Victorian, which included a National junior title in the 800m and an unexpected 5th placing (2.04.83) in open company at the Australian Championships in April. In Melbourne it was not only Curnow's 5th placing that impressed many at the track, it was the fact that she smashed her PB by close to 3.5 seconds that surprised even Curnow herself.

2011 Review and Road to London - Australian Women

2011 was a year that we saw Sally Pearson become one of Australia's all-time greats of track and field. Put simply she was in a class of her own in the 100m hurdles, and in the process she not only smashed a quality field in Daegu whilst winning gold at the World Championships she also produced the =7th fastest performance of all-time.

Previews, Reviews, Statistics of All AA Tour Events

Well 2012 has commenced and with it a new and exciting series of AA track and field meetings across the country. It all kicks off with the Brisbane Track Classic on the 14th January, and culminates with the Melbourne Track Classic in March - which also doubles as the Olympic trials for London.

Top Performances in 2011 - The Road to London 2012

The excitement of the London Olympics is building, and when the first event commences on the 3rd August the expectations of our Australian athletes will again be high. We are very fortunate to have the likes of Jared Tallent, Mitchell Watt, Steve Hooker and the IAAF Female Athlete of the Year, Sally Pearson, leading the way, but we will also be looking for the next up and coming star to step into the limelight.

Clarke Powering Towards Australian 100m Record

Just over 12 months ago we were admiring just how talented Josh Clarke was, after his impressive Australian U/16 record at the Australian All-Schools Championships. In Melbourne he broke the record with a time of 10.72sec - breaking the existing record of David Pearson (10.80sec), which was set back in 1998. It was probably overshadowed by the amazing run of Steve Solomon in the 400m at that particular championships, but still didn't go unnoticed by many in the stands.

Fast forward just over a year and Clarke is at it again, this time closing in on an even older record - the Australian U/18 record held by Phil Chiodo of 10.46sec. Interesting to note that Chiodo also broke the record at the Australian All-Schools in Melbourne, a record that has stood since 1991. Well that is until Clarke entered the picture.

Quick Times for Hetherington in Melbourne, Jaworski Impresses in Sydney

In a great sign for 2012, Kelly Hetherington has produced an excellent time of 2.40.9h over 1000m at the Victorian Milers Club meeting on Tuesday night. Moving away from Eliza Curnow over the final 200m, Hetherington delivered a final lap of 62sec to produce the 5th fastest time in Australian history for the rarely run event.

Wruck Impresses in Geelong - Posts Olympic Qualifier

In a dominant performance in Geelong, Victoria, 20 year-old Julian Wruck has smashed his personal best in the men's discus throw, and in the process posted his first Olympic "A" qualifier for London 2012. Wruck's throw of 65.73m bettered his previous PB of 63.42m set back in May and moved the Brisbane based athlete to no.2 on the Australian all-time ranking list - moving past the great Werner Reiterer (65.62m).