15th IAAF World Championships

Joel Baden has cleared 2.26m on his senior international debut, finishing in 10th in his qualifying  round in the Beijing National Stadium. The performance, which is the third best of his burgeoning career, and equals the MUAC Club Record, left him five places out of the World Championship final, is an impressive demonstration of poise in Baden’s first exposure to the zenith of world athletics. Under the long term tutelage of Sandro Bisetto, the first year University of Melbourne science student put together an impressive series in the venue that hosted the 2008 Olympic Games. Entering at 2.17m, Joel cleared the height on the first attempt, before taking a brief pause at 2.22m, clearing it on his second attempt. Impressively the 2.26m clearance came straight away. Several creditable attempts at 2.29m followed. Baden will now return to training at the Rawlinson, eyes firmly fixed on the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.