It was a massive day and night at the IAAF World U20 championships with nine Australian women on the track and field for Day 3 of competition.
Heptathletes Camryn Newton-Smith and Celeste Mucci had a busy day and evening with four events. They got the heptathlon underway with the 100m hurdles.
Newton-Smith was in the lead before she crashed the final hurdle with her trail leg and while she was able to stay on her feet, it cost her as she finished in sixth with 14.21 seconds, for 949 points.
Mucci won her heat in a time of 13.29 seconds and set the fastest time to lead the competition with 1081 points. It was also only 0.1 slower than her personal best time set at the Commonwealth Games in April.
WATCH - Events 1 and 2 in the Heptathlon
— IAAF (@iaaforg) July 12, 2018
Celeste Mucci of @AthsAust takes the 100m hurdles@niamhemerson of GBR tops the high jump
More to come #IAAFworlds pic.twitter.com/xmhsTZ6TXf
Then came the high jump where Mucci jumped to a personal best of 1.77m for 941 points while Newton-Smith was close to her best with a clearance of 1.65m.
The pair had to wait for the evening session before their next two events which were the shot put and 200m.
Mucci threw below her best in the shot put for 11.12 metres and ran 24.88 seconds for the 200m, to round out her day. Newton-Smith threw 11.34 in the shot put before finishing the day with a 25.59 second run in the 200m.
Mucci is in fourth place after day one of the heptathlon with 3523 points with fellow Australian sits in 20th with 3195 points.
“I was happy with my second fastest time for the hurdles and a PB in the high jump so they were the highlights of the day,” Mucci told Athletics Australia.
‘I got my second fastest time in hurdles and PB’d in high jump, so they were my two highlights for today,’ says Celeste Mucci of day one of the heptathlon here at World U20s #Tempere2018 pic.twitter.com/nKd4XUgvOB
— Athletics Australia (@AthsAust) July 12, 2018
“I had a rough afternoon session so I have to pick up a few points tomorrow where I can,” she said.
“I almost had a tumble in the hurdles, I can laugh about it now, but everything is a little off my best but I’m here and having a good time," Newton-Smith said.
“Hoping for a better day tomorrow and looking for a PB in the 800m.”
The heptathletes will contest the long jump, javelin and 800m in their final day of competition.
Caitlyn Hester and Louise Mendes were unable to reproduce their pre-tournament form in hammer throw qualification. Mendes had the best throw of the pair with 55.49 metres in Group B while Hester was able to manage 52.67m in Group A with a 29th place finish.
“That was not what I was hoping to get,” Hester said.
Caitlyn Hester spins our heads right round, right round, as she throws 52.67 in the women’s Hammer Throw qualifications at the World U/20 #ThisisAthletics #Tampere2018 pic.twitter.com/S7HThApQvA
— Athletics Australia (@AthsAust) July 12, 2018
“If I threw a PB I probably would have made top 5 so I am kind of bummed with that,” she said.
In the lead up to the World Championships, long jumper Grace Brennan had a difficult preparation with two hamstring tears. Unfortunately, in her first competition representing Australia her jumps (5.62m, 5.93m and 5.84m) were not enough to qualify for the final.
Only three of the athletes achieved the automatic qualifying standard of 6.20m.
In the final of the 800m, Carley Thomas ran a personal best of 2:01.13, her second PB in two days, to win silver.
WATCH - HIghlights from the women's 800m final in Tampere#IAAFworlds pic.twitter.com/1cVzMnNozd
— IAAF (@iaaforg) July 12, 2018
“I was just trying to stick behind the lead people and stay in touch and give it all I had at the end,” Thomas said.
"I was just thinking it's not over until I cross the line. I just had to get to the finish and go as hard as I could."
Ella Connolly was in medal contention for the 400m but had to settle for fourth with a time of 52.58, just outside her season best which she ran in the semi-final. As Connolly entered the home straight in third just ahead of Hima Das but she powered to the line for India’s first track medal at a major championship.
Riley Day was drawn against American Twanisha Terry in the semi-final of the 100m but as Terry broke the championship record (11.03), Day finished fifth in 11.67 seconds. While her time was 0.1 faster than her heat it was 0.1 short of the non-auto qualifier time.
“Every race makes you better and better, and it gives you more experience,” Day said.
Riley Day races the world’s fastest U20 women in the 100 metre semi-finals. She improves on her heat time, running 11.67 to finish twelfth overall. #ThisisAthletics #Tampere2018 pic.twitter.com/Zcaudb7ltQ
— Athletics Australia (@AthsAust) July 12, 2018
“I knew it was going to be a really tough semi out here tonight…so I tried to give it my all and that’s what I did," she said.
Jarmillia Murphy-Knight, who had set a personal best in the heats, ran under sub-60s for the second time but it was not enough to progress to the final of the 400m hurdles.
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