With four athletes running sub-4:20, the Trans-Tasman rivalry looks set to continue. The best 2019 performance comes from Georgia Griffith (AUS – 4:05.39), followed by Katherine Camp (NZL – 4:15.14), Bernadette Williams (AUS – 4:15.25) and Sarah Billings (AUS – 4:16.10).

PNG’s Poro Gahekave (4:47.30) and Jenny Albert (4:58.60) will try to keep Guam’s Genina Criss (5:18.60) at bay. With no seed-time, the Solomon Islander, Sharon Firisua could easily upset the Islanders’ competition. Sharon normally does well in the longer races, however.

➡️ DAY 2 @ 4:40 PM

Surprise revelation this year has been Catriona Bisset (AUS) who at the time of writing is ranked 6th in the world, with her stunning 1:59.78 at the Universities’ Championships in Sydney in April. Needless to say she leads the Oceania Rankings, but she is pursued by evergreen Angela Petty (NZL – 2:01.26), Georgia Griffith (AUS – 2:01.26) and Morgan Mitchell (AUS – 2:01.60). Morgan has decided this year to move up to the 800m and it is starting to pay dividends.

The Islanders will mainly be represented by those from PNG, with Poro Gahekave (2:16.30), Donna Koniel (2:15.93 in Bangkok) and Jenny Albert (2:20.60) fighting for positions in the PNG starting line-up in Apia in July. Genina Criss from Guam has no seed-time, but she did win a medal in the 1500m in the Mini Games, so she has good credentials.

➡️ DAY 3 FINAL @ 4:15 PM

Athletics Australia Preview

A feature event will be the women’s 800m – an event in Australia with tremendous quality and depth. Could the national record (1:59.0) go in Townsville?

In a solo run a week after nationals Catriona Bisset became the first Australian under two minutes for 10 years running 1:59.78. What could she do with athletes near her? The two other Aussies and Kiwis make this a quality field. Last summer Georgia Griffith and Morgan Mitchell both ran 2:01 and look capable of going quicker according to recent form. New Zealanders Angie Petty and Katherine Camp, both clocked 2:02 last summer and are capable or more. Petty is a 1:59.06 athlete and Camp set her PB last summer. Some goals for the athletes are 2019 world championships standard 2:00.60 and Tokyo Olympic standard 1:59.50.

Maybe going under the radar has been the great progression of 28-year-old Rhydian Cowley in the last three months. After making eight appearances in the green and gold at the highest levels, including Olympics and world championships, this year Cowley has been in great form with two times of 1:20.19 and 1:21.02. His new PB, which elevated him to number 7 Australian all-time, has not only qualified him for the Doha World Championships, but also the Tokyo Olympics.

Rhydian credits a change in focus, a good period of training and a move to Brent Vallance’s squad as key to his recent progression.
“It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what makes the most difference, but I think my last 12 months training having been some of the most consistent I’ve managed is probably a factor. I think my change in coaching environment at the end of last year has also made a difference, getting regular training sessions in with a good group of athletes including Jemima Montag, Quentin Rew (NZL) and Kyle Swan. And I’ve been focusing on having fun and enjoying my athletics a bit more in this last year, which I think also helps.”