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2009 Highlights in Summary
As with Australia's junior women there were some fantastic individual performances by our Australian junior men in 2009. Some of the years highlights are as follows:
Richard Everest opened the year with a stunning Australian record in the 3000m, just missing out on breaking the 8 minute mark with a time of 8.00.76 (21 January - Adelaide). The time bettered the previous junior record held by Ryan Gregson of 8.01.26 set at the end of 2007. Everest went onto record personal bests of 5.40.74 in the 2000m steeple and 13.49.25 in the 5000m.
Less than two months after Everest had broken the 3000m Australian junior record, Ryan Gregson decided he wanted the record back. Competing in Christchurch, New Zealand (13th March), Gregson smashed through the 8 minute barrier with a 7.57.45 (a time that has Gregson ranked 41st on the Australian all-time senior list). Even more amazing was the fact that Gregson had 14 days prior run an astonishing 3.37.24 for the 1500m, again breaking an existing Australian junior record. This time however Gregson broke a long standing record, with the 1500m junior record previously being held by the great Australian middle distance runner, Mike Hillardt, recorded back in 1980 (a time of 3.39.67). In between these record breaking performances Gregson also ran a 13.56.83 over 5000m at the World Athletics meeting in Melbourne (which also doubled as the Australian 5000m Championships). Truly an amazing two weeks of record breaking performances from the junior star of the domestic season.
Henry Frayne also shined over the domestic season, producing the third best ever long jump by a Australian junior. His 7.99m jump at the ACT Championships was a shock for many, but for Frayne himself he had always suggested that he was as good a long jumper as triple jumper. Frayne also took his form overseas, with an excellent 16.62m triple jump in the qualifying rounds of the World University Games in Belgrade. This was after he injured himself at the Australian Championships in March (hamstring), and was not to register a jump in either the long jump or triple jump competitions.
The record breaking performances also included Daniel Martin's effort in the 110m hurdles (99cm). Martin produced a 13.60sec run at the Australian Junior Championships, a time that had him ranked 18th in the world in 2009.
The continued improvement in the pole vault from Box Hill athlete Blake Lucas. At the end of the year Lucas' 5.55m personal best had him ranked as the number one junior in the world. The performance also moved him to no.7 on the Australian all-time senior list.
The exciting performances from our youth athletes - Kane Grimster (1500m, 3000m), Jordan Williamsz (800m, 1500m), Dane Bird-Smith (Walks) and Alex Rowe (800m). We also saw 16 year-old Kuey Diew end the year with impressive personal bests of 47.63sec for the 400m and 1.50.30 for the 800m.
Overall we had 48 junior male performances rank in the world's top-100 in 2009, with Blake Lucas leading the way as the no.1 ranked athlete in the men's pole vault. This is compared with 36 performances in 2008 and 48 in 2007 (see graph below). The interesting point to note is the fact that we had 10 athletes ranked in the top-100 in the 1500m, while we had only a combined total of 12 performances in the field rank in the worlds top-100 in 2009. Apart from Lucas, Frayne and Julian Wruck (discus), our performances in the field have clearly been the worst from the past five years. Hopefully this can change in 2010.
The statistics clearly show that our middle distance stocks are at an all-time high, and with the likes of Jake Hammond and Daniel Martin leading the charge in the sprinting divisions, our future on the track looks extremely promising. It will now be interesting to see how our youth athletes perform at the World Junior Championships in 2010. The performances of Williamsz and Grimster at the recent Zatopek meeting would suggest that we should send a strong team over to Canada.
World Junior Rankings - Australian's in the World's Top-100
Based on the IAAF scoring tables the top rated performance by an Australian junior male for 2009 was Ryan Gregson's 3.37.24 in the 1500m, which ranks him at no.5 on the World Junior ranking lists, while the top field athlete was Blake Lucas, who's 5.55m personal best pole vault seeing him rank at no.2 on the Australian junior performance list (see full top-50 list at the bottom of this page) and rank no.1 on the world ranking lists.
So who do I rate as my top-5 performers of 2009? Well it was a little easier than the junior women, although there was again athletes who just missed out. In the end Ryan Gregson (no real surprise) took the top honor from Henry Frayne, Blake Lucas, Daniel Martin and Richard Everest. The interesting aspect of the rankings was the fact that there are so many athletes competing in the 400m, 800m or 1500m ranked in the top-50. Hopefully we can continue to see athletes such as Jeff Riseley and John Steffensen come from the current crop of junior sprinters/middle distance runners.
Who Do I Rate as My Top-5 Australian Junior Male Athletes for 2009:
Summary:
How can you go past Ryan Gregson as the best performed male junior athlete for 2009. Not only did he manage to break two Australian junior records (1500m/3000m) he also managed to run the third fastest mile by an Australian junior (3.58.90) and also placed 24th at the World Junior Cross Country Championships. Just to top the season off Gregson surged away from James Nipperess to win the Zatopek U20 3000m in another fast time of 8.02.56 (which was also a race record - previously held by Mike Power). Gregson also placed 4th at the World University Games in the 1500m (3.43.10) and finished in 10th place in his heat of the 1500m at the World Championships in Berlin (3.44.79). Gregson's 2009 year in summary is as follows:
All in all it has been a very impressive junior career from Gregson, and we will surely see him battle it out for an individual position in the 1500m for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. Gregson finished his junior career with a 5th placing at the 2007 World Youth Championships (1500m), a 5th placing at the 2008 World Junior Championships (1500m) and was placed 31st the World Cross Country Championships in 2008 and 24th in 2009. He also holds the Australian junior records in the 1500m and 3000m and ranks 3rd in the mile and 5th in the 800m on the Australian junior all-time lists. Bring on 2010 for this superstar from Bulli, where his first race will be over 800m in Newcastle on February 6.
Summary:
Although you wouldn't say that Henry Frayne had as an impressive year as Gregson, what you can say is that he is definitely a star of the future. In many ways he could have matched Gregson if not for an untimely hamstring injury that occurred in the long jump qualifying rounds at the Australian Championships. Even with this setback Frayne did manage to improve on his own Australian junior record in the triple jump (with a 16.62m jump in qualifying at the World University Games). Earlier in the year he improved his long jump best to 7.99m (the 3rd best jump from an Australian junior) and also defeated Alwyn Jones for the first time at the Melbourne GP in March (producing a quality jump of 16.51m).
At the end of the year Frayne was ranked 4th in the world for the long jump and 5th in the triple jump, one of the best ranking combinations (long jump/triple jump) from an Australian junior in history. Now entering the senior ranks in 2010 Frayne will be looking at keeping Jones on his toes leading into the Commonwealth Games. Some quality 200m performances in 2009 (including a 21.4sec (h) in November) all points to another big year for the young Victorian.
Summary:
It was one of the most consistent years for Blake Lucas in 2009, with 10 performances of 5.20m or above, with his 5.55m personal best ranking him as the worlds no.1 junior pole vaulter in 2009. Lucas started the year with a 3rd placing at the Sydney Track Classic and a 5th placing in Melbourne at the World Athletics Tour event (both times producing a best jump of 5.30m). Lucas then produced a personal best of 5.45m to win the Australian Open title in March, only to better it 8 days later with an impressive 5.55m clearance (to rank as the 7th best vaulter in Australian history).
Lucas then went overseas, with the main intention to perform well at the World University Games. Although his 9th placing (5.15m) wasn't exactly what he was looking for, he did finish his international travels with a quality 5.40m performance to place 2nd at a meeting in Taipei. Overall it was the international experience that should see Lucas move seamlessly into the senior ranks in 2010.
Summary:
In many ways Daniel Martin is just as an exciting prospect as the three athletes mentioned above him (Gregson, Frayne and Lucas). The talented hurdler ran a scintillating Australian junior record in the 110m hurdles (99cm's) of 13.60sec (into a 0.6 m/s headwind) in winning the Australian junior title in April and has followed it up with consistent sub 10.70sec 100m performances and an excellent 20.96sec (PB) 200m to round out a wonderful 2009.
Martin also went overseas to compete at the Osaka Grand Prix (7th in 14.23sec) and Newcastle, GBR (3rd in 14.15sec - Australia v's England test match). Both races will only add to the experience required for next years Commonwealth Games. Martin then rounded off a very good year with a solid 10.64sec 100m victory at the Zatopek meeting in Melbourne (in terrible conditions for sprinting). Expectations in 2010 - could easily run a 10.40sec 100m and 20.80sec 200m, and should also break 14 seconds for the 110m hurdles. We'll have to wait and see, but I would expect to see Martin wearing the green and gold in the later part of 2010.
Summary:
Probably one of the hardest positions to place, it came down to the first half of the year performances from Richard Everest that decided the number 5 position. It is hard to go past an Australian junior record, and for Everest his 8.00.76 3000m was definitely a standout performance from 2009. The record didn't exactly last too long for the 19 year-old South Australian, but he did hand it over to an exceptional athlete.
Although not all went to plan at the World Cross Country Championships (36th - a slightly disappointing result considering his form going into the event), Everest had previously run a quality 5000m at the Australian Championships in Melbourne (13.49.25) and had also recorded a personal best 5.40.74 in the 2000m steeplechase. Then came the injuries that forced a premature end to the 2009 season. Even so it would be hard not to place Everest in the top-5, and again we haven't seen the best of this very talented distance runner. Watch out for his name to pop up in 2010 when you least expect it.
So there we have it, my top-5 junior male performers of 2009. So how many athletes just missed selection in my top-5? Well there were a few athletes who would consider themselves most unlucky not to be listed. The athletes being:
Kuey Diew (400m/800m) - any 16 year-old who can run 47.63 and 1.50.30 for the 400m/800m should certainly receive a mention. An excellent prospect for further junior success in 2010. Also great to see another 16 year-old, Jesse Beadman, run a 1.51.37 late in the year - another great prospect over 400m and 800m.
The Year Ahead - 2010
With the 2010 World Junior Championships likely to be the highlight for many of the above mentioned athletes it will another intriguing domestic season, which culminates in the Australian Junior Championships (11th-14th March, 2010). It looks as though we will again see a very competitive year in the middle distance events, but we are starting to see some quality junior sprinters also come through the ranks.
Personally I'm excited to see the development of such athletes as Kane Grimster, Jordan Williamsz, Kuey Diew and Dane Bird-Smith in 2010. Bring on Canada, where the World Junior Championships should again unearth some quality Australian athletes.
Stay tuned for previews and reviews of all the major championships over the coming 12 months on runnerstribe.com, with the big question being - Who will be the no.1 Australian junior male in 2010?
Major Championships - Dates
17th January - World Cross Country Selection Trials, Melbourne VIC
11th-14th March - Australian Junior Championships, Sydney NSW
28th March - World Cross Country Championships, Bydgoszcz, Poland
16th-18th April - Australian Open Championships, Perth WA
19th-25th July - World Junior Championships, Moncton, Canada
14th-26th August - Youth Olympic Games, Singapore
3rd-14th October - Commonwealth Games, New Delhi, India
Top-50 Performance List - Australian Junior Men
Rank |
Result |
WR |
Points* |
Name (Event) |
State |
DOB |
Place |
Competition |
Venue |
Date |
1 |
3.37.24 |
5 |
1144 |
Ryan Gregson (1500m) |
NSW |
26-Apr-90 |
3 |
Classic |
Sydney |
28 February |
=2 |
5.55 |
1 |
1124 |
Blake Lucas (Pole Vault) |
VIC |
12-May-90 |
1 |
|
Melbourne |
28 March |
=2 |
7.99 |
4 |
1124 |
Henry Frayne (Long Jump) |
VIC |
14-Apr-90 |
1 |
ACT Championships |
Canberra |
22 February |
=4 |
13.60 |
18 |
1114 |
Daniel Martin (110m H) |
VIC |
20-Sep-90 |
1 |
Australian Junior Championships |
Adelaide |
3 April |
=4 |
16.62 |
5 |
1114 |
Henry Frayne (Triple Jump) |
VIC |
14-Apr-90 |
4q |
World University Games |
Belgrade |
7 July |
6 |
1.47.38 |
5 |
1102 |
Ryan Gregson (800m) |
NSW |
26-Apr-90 |
5rB |
Rieti 2009 |
Rieti |
6 September |
7 |
3.58.90 |
4 |
1088 |
Ryan Gregson (Mile) |
NSW |
26-Apr-90 |
11 |
Aviva |
London |
25 July |
8 |
20.96 |
23 |
1085 |
Daniel Martin (200m) |
VIC |
20-Sep-90 |
1 |
|
Melbourne |
14 November |
9 |
7.57.45 |
13 |
1071 |
Ryan Gregson (3000m) |
NSW |
26-Apr-90 |
1 |
|
Christchurch, NZL |
13 March |
10 |
21.07 |
43 |
1069 |
Jake Hammond (200m) |
NSW |
5-Dec-91 |
1 |
|
Sydney |
8 November |
(10) |
11 |
2.21 |
14 |
1068 |
Josh Hall (High Jump) |
QLD |
3-Apr-90 |
1 |
|
Townsville |
4 October |
12 |
1.48.73 |
27 |
1063 |
Lee Berry (800m) |
QLD |
17-Feb-90 |
3h2 |
Australian Championships |
Brisbane |
19 March |
13 |
13.89 |
42 |
1062 |
Sam Baines (110m H) |
QLD |
8-Feb-91 |
1 |
|
Townsville |
4 October |
14 |
1.48.85 |
29 |
1060 |
Fraser Coss (800m) |
QLD |
4-Jun-90 |
4h2 |
Australian Championships |
Brisbane |
19 March |
15 |
21.16 |
61 |
1056 |
Ray Williams (200m) |
NSW |
7-Jun-90 |
2 |
Briggs |
Hobart |
30 January |
16 |
8.00.76 |
17 |
1051 |
Richard Everest (3000m) |
SA |
25-Feb-90 |
2 |
|
Adelaide |
21 January |
17 |
20.22.81 |
3 |
1050 |
Dane Bird-Smith (5000m Walk) |
QLD |
15-Jul-92 |
5 |
Australian Cup |
Brisbane |
7 February |
18 |
51.60 |
31 |
1049 |
Sasha Alexeenko (400m H) |
NSW |
23-Mar-91 |
3 |
Briggs |
Hobart |
30 January |
19 |
3.44.41 |
32 |
1048 |
James Kaan (1500m) |
NSW |
17-Sep-90 |
3 |
Zatopek |
Melbourne |
10 December |
20 |
3.44.48 |
34 |
1047 |
James Nipperess (1500m) |
NSW |
21-May-90 |
8 |
Grand Prix |
Melbourne |
5 March |
(20) |
21 |
5.40.74 |
7 |
1045 |
Richard Everest (2000m St) |
SA |
25-Feb-90 |
1 |
|
Adelaide |
21 February |
22 |
1.49.64 |
49 |
1038 |
Alex Rowe (800m) |
VIC |
8-Jul-92 |
1 |
Australian Junior Championships |
Adelaide |
4 April |
23 |
13.49.25 |
26 |
1036 |
Richard Everest (5000m) |
SA |
25-Feb-90 |
7 |
Australian Championships |
Melbourne |
5 March |
=24 |
1.49.91 |
61 |
1030 |
James Nipperess (800m) |
NSW |
21-May-90 |
2 |
|
Sydney |
14 March |
=24 |
15.84 |
36 |
1030 |
Josh Lumley (Triple Jump) |
QLD |
25-Jan-90 |
2 |
Australian Championshisp |
Brisbane |
19 March |
=26 |
21.37 |
118 |
1027 |
Kevin Moore (200m) |
NSW |
29-Jul-90 |
1 |
NSW Championships |
Sydney |
7 March |
=26 |
3.46.06 |
48 |
1027 |
Jordan Williamsz (1500m) |
VIC |
21-Aug-92 |
7 |
Zatopek |
Melbourne |
10 December |
28 |
3.46.23 |
50 |
1024 |
Lee Berry (1500m) |
QLD |
17-Feb-90 |
1 |
|
Brisbane |
13 March |
=29 |
47.62 |
138 |
1020 |
Ollie Wurm (400m) |
VIC |
3-Feb-90 |
1 |
Victorian Championships |
Melbourne |
22 February |
=29 |
8.06.11 |
23 |
1020 |
James Nipperess (3000m) |
NSW |
21-May-90 |
2 |
Zatopek |
Melbourne |
10 December |
(30) |
=31 |
47.63 |
140 |
1019 |
Kuey Diew (400m) |
QLD |
6-Mar-93 |
1 |
|
Brisbane |
28 November |
=31 |
1.50.30 |
76 |
1019 |
Kuey Diew (800m) |
QLD |
6-Mar-93 |
1 |
|
Gold Coast |
21 November |
=33 |
47.64 |
143 |
1018 |
James Thistleton (400m) |
NSW |
5-Apr-90 |
1 |
|
Sydney |
5 September |
=33 |
60.98 |
8 |
1018 |
Julian Wruck (Discus Throw) |
QLD |
6-Jul-91 |
1 |
Australian Junior Championships |
Adelaide |
5 April |
35 |
1.50.44 |
84 |
1016 |
Jordan Williamsz (800m) |
VIC |
21-Aug-92 |
7 |
Victorian Championships |
Melbourne |
22 February |
36 |
3.47.03 |
58 |
1014 |
Brett Robinson (1500m) |
NSW |
8-May-91 |
5 |
NSW Championships |
Sydney |
15 February |
=37 |
47.74 |
159 |
1012 |
Luke Hamer (400m) |
NSW |
20-Nov-91 |
1 |
NSW Championships |
Sydney |
8 March |
=37 |
47.75 |
161 |
1012 |
Fraser Coss (400m) |
QLD |
4-Jun-90 |
2 |
|
Brisbane |
13 March |
=37 |
47.75 |
166 |
1012 |
Joel Bee (400m) |
VIC |
3-Jul-90 |
1 |
|
Melbourne |
7 November |
40 |
10.58 |
118 |
1011 |
Daniel Martin (100m) |
VIC |
20-Sep-90 |
3 |
Peter Norman Classic |
Coburg |
10 January |
(40) |
41 |
13.56.83 |
34 |
1010 |
Ryan Gregson (5000m) |
NSW |
26-Apr-90 |
8 |
Australian Championships |
Melbourne |
5 March |
42 |
1.50.82 |
102 |
1005 |
Joshua Johnson (800m) |
NSW |
6-Mar-92 |
1 |
ACT Championships |
Canberra |
20 February |
43 |
3.47.94 |
73 |
1002 |
Kane Grimster (1500m) |
VIC |
23-May-92 |
4 |
Victorian Championships |
Melbourne |
22 February |
44 |
47.98 |
225 |
998 |
Alex Beck (400m) |
QLD |
7-Feb-92 |
1h8 |
World Youth Championships |
Bressanone, ITA |
8 July |
45 |
3.48.35 |
81 |
997 |
Cameron Page (1500m) |
NSW |
12-Jun-91 |
4 |
|
Sydney |
21 February |
46 |
74.54 |
8 |
997 |
Hamish Peacock (Javelin) |
TAS |
15-Oct-90 |
1 |
|
Launceston |
18 October |
47 |
1.51.16 |
119 |
996 |
Adrian Plummer (800m) |
QLD |
18-Sep-91 |
2 |
Australian Junior Championships |
Adelaide |
4 April |
48 |
1.51.20 |
120 |
995 |
Brett Robinson (800m) |
ACT |
8-May-91 |
2 |
ACT Championships |
Canberra |
20 February |
49 |
3.48.58 |
84 |
994 |
Todd Wakefield (1500m) |
NSW |
10-Apr-91 |
11 |
Zatopek |
Melbourne |
10 December |
50 |
43.47.71 |
39 |
993 |
Dane Bird-Smith (10000m Walk) |
QLD |
15-Jul-92 |
1 |
Australian Junior Championships |
Adelaide |
3 April |
(50) |
WR = World U20 Ranking, * - Based on IAAF Scoring Tables (www.iaaf.org)
Special Thanks....
A special thanks must be given to the following people/organisations for the ranking lists and records contained within this webpage:
Paul Jenes, David Tarbotton, Athletics Australia, Athletics Victoria, Athletics NSW, Athletics Queensland, Tilastopaja.com, Peter Larsson and All-Athletics.com
