Sportsgirl2009's Blog

Watson races against New Zealander at the Australian Championships?

*Sports*Girl* — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:00:18 +0000

CHRIS Watson has run close to his best time in Adelaide, on the weekend to take second place in the 400m hurdles at the U/23 Australian Championships.

The nineteen-year-old QEII Track Club athlete ran an outstanding time of 52.93sec, just short of his personal best.

Unfortunately, New Zealander Nicholas Kalivati, who was given permission to enter the competition, won against Watson in 52.74sec.

Another Queenslander, Craig Burns just missed out on third place, coming fourth in 55.03sec.

As Watson’s coach Annette Rice said in her earlier interview that he had every chance to win in Adelaide, well he would have won if it were an all-Australian competition.

However, since Kalivati was not an Australian competitor, Watson received a separate placing of first in the U/23 Australian Championships. Although, the results still indicated that he had come second, as Kalivati did race in the competition and was allowed to do so.

This does occur sometimes in the competitions when the competitors are either from different countries, states or of different ages. They may enter, race and their results recorded in the competition, but, there will always be a separate placing for the athletes who are within the country, state or age.

Even though, this occurred, it was a good experience for Watson to prepare him for training to qualify for the Commonwealth Games at next year’s Australian Championships in March. It is more of an indication for Watson to show him what he will be up against, if he qualifies to compete alongside Commonwealth and World champions. So in reality, it was great to see Watson race against the best because it shows he is not far behind. In actual fact, his only 00.19sec behind. His has not got far to go.

WATSON’S STRIVING TO REACH THE TOP

*Sports*Girl* — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:00:31 +0000

Watson's in top form

EMERGING athlete Chris Watson is looking forward to this weekend’s U23 Australian Athletics Championships in Adelaide, which could be his breakthrough as a 400m hurdler.

After being a bit disappointed by his sixth placing at the recent Australian Championships, the nineteen-year-old QEII Track Club athlete has another chance to make his mark. Forgetting about his previous successes at the Queensland Championships and the Garry Brown Shield, all Watson really wants is to get his best time, which he has yet to accomplish this season.

“Adelaide is just another stepping stone,” Watson says. “Hopefully, I will be able to end the season off on a good note.”

Watson’s coach Annette Rice says he has the capability that could take him a long way and the only thing that could stop him would be himself.

“He has every chance to win Adelaide,” she says. “He really needs to go for things and to be brave enough. That is his only holding back point.”

Watson acknowledged that his first Australian Championships was a good experience, but he says that things did not go according to plan. However, he is feeling more optimistic as Rice has been “bucking him up” and “getting him psyched up” for the U23 Australian Championships during this week’s training sessions.

“I’m just peaking him up for this competition,” says Rice. “So his not got a lot of quantity, his just doing some very quality work.”

Watson had a good training session on Monday evening, after arriving late from university due to traffic. Although, he was not too happy about having to train late, he managed to do several impressive hurdle runs along the 400m bend.

While, this may have been Watson’s ‘non-pressure year,’ he did reduce his time for his other event; the 400m.

Watson says this has been a good consolidating year, as he has been able to have some really good training sessions.

“I’ve had a couple of really intense seasons, the last couple of years,” he says. “This year I’ve been able to step back from a lot of the competing and the high intensity kind of stuff. And I’m feeling probably the best that I have in most of my seasons.”

Rice says this year Watson took it a bit easy because he had a heavy stress load from university.

“Last year was a pressure year,” says Rice. “He felt he was trying to get into World Juniors and he didn’t make it by a very small margin.”

Watson joined the QEII Track Club six years ago as a potential higher jumper and changed to hurdles, which he been doing for the past four seasons.

Rice says Watson has a natural talent in the hurdles area and has developed his speed and agility for the 400m hurdles.

“It’s a man’s event it’s not a boy’s event,” she says. “You really have to develop the anaerobic system gradually, and that is the main system you use for 400m hurdles. It is a very demanding event.”

Watson who grew up in Jimboomba also played Volleyball and Rugby Union for Ipswich Grammar School.

“Sport has always been there in my life,” he says. “I started doing high jump when I was about 13. At school they suggested that I do hurdles. And from there I started to do short hurdles. Annette suggested I do the 400m hurdles. I was kind of pushed in that direction. And it turned out to be the right way.”

The third year QUT podiatry and human movements student dreams of becoming a sports podiatrist when he graduates in 2011, and one day wants to have his own practice.

“Hopefully with having sport and knowing different people it will make things a little bit easier,” he says.

The bright and outgoing athlete puts a high standard for himself at university, just as he does in his sporting career. In the little spare time that Watson has, he is happy to just sit and watch a movie. After all, he juggles full-time university, a part-time job and athletics training.

“It’s tough, something has to give in eventually,” Watson says. “For the last couple of months it’s been my social life. You find time to be able to balance it. You have to sacrifice some things and make up for it by doing extra work like in uni.”

His many injuries could not even stop him from achieving his goals, but it did come close to it.

“I tore my hamstring just before the Nationals last year,” he says. “That kind of threw me off a little bit. It took me awhile to get back into it.”

QEII president Barry Flowers says Watson is a great contribution to the club with his outstanding performances.

“He will go further in his career,” he says. “This is just the beginning for him. He has more to achieve. And he will achieve it.”

Flowers says that unfortunately Watson has to find his own funding for the travel and accommodation to his sporting competitions.

“It is very difficult to get sponsors for athletics in Australia,” he says. “There’s just not that support.”

Watson says his parents are supportive of him doing athletics and provide the funding, as he has university commitments and cannot work often.

“They’ve been good as they always pay for the airfares, like this weekend for Adelaide,” he says.

Watson’s list of achievements over the past two months have included, third place at the Queensland Championships in February, first at the U23 Queensland Championships in 54.01sec and first at the March Garry Brown Shield meet in 53.11sec. Watson also holds the Queensland U16 200m hurdles record in 24.58sec (+0.7), which he broke in Sydney on December 9, 2004.

Watson will have a three week break after Adelaide and come back to training at the end of May. His focus will be on next year’s Australian Championships, which are the trials for the Commonwealth Games.

©*Sports*Girl*2009

QEII athletes selected to compete at the World Championships

*Sports*Girl* — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 21:30:26 +0000

AFTER making astonishing performances at last week’s 87^th Australian Athletics Championships at the ANZ Stadium, four QEII Track Club athletes have been selected to compete at the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin.

Mitchell Watt, 20, placed second and has qualified for the long jump with 8.10m (+3.6), behind Fabrice Lapierre, 25, from NSW with 8.29m (+0.8).

While, Matt Davies, 23, and Patrick Johnson, 36, have qualified for the 4 x 100m relay, alongside Victorians Anthony Alozie, 22, Aaron Rouge-Serret, 21, and Joshua Ross, 28.

Alana Boyd, 24, has qualified for the pole vault with 4.35m.

Altogether 39 Australian athletes have qualified for the World Championships, consisting of 29 men and 13 women. The team is nearly double the size it was for the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, with had just 19 athletes. The team is predicated to expand before the final selector’s meeting on July 20.

The Australian Championships were run from the afternoon of Thursday, 19 March to the evening of Saturday, 21 March.

QEII BEATS GOLD COAST VICTORY TO RECLAIM SHIELD

*Sports*Girl* — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 20:00:55 +0000

Christopher Watson, 19, in lane 4 won the U/23 400m hurdles in 53.11sec.

QEII Track Club won the Garry Brown Shield and the 4x100m Relay Championships with 329 points, beating last year’s winners Gold Coast Victory by 42 points.

With a slow start to the day, and not many athletes in sight, QEII finally started to go up the scoreboard after an hour at the State Athletics Facility in Nathan, yesterday.

QEII coach Brian Johnston says it was less competitive, as some athletes were away preparing for the Australian Championships, at the ANZ Stadium in a fortnight.

“It is an open championship today,” says Johnston. “People from all age groups are competing against one another. Some are less and others are more experienced.”

Showing that age does not matter, athletes from 14 to 43, fought it out on the field, with the top three places going to anyone that could beat the heat and their opponent.

Athletes winning first place scored seven points, second scored five, third three, fourth two and one point could be won just for having a go.

Aspley Athletics Club coach Geoff McKinnon gave some last minute tactics to his team before the relays.

“It’s a disappointing competition today,” says McKinnon. “While it is competitive in some events, it is not properly preparing for the National Championships, which are only two weeks away.”

QEII’s first athlete to score was Gatkuath Chol, 16, who placed third in the 200m hurdles in 27.21sec (-1.1).

“I went alright,” says Chol. “I ran against older people. The wind wasn’t too bad.”

Chol’s coach Brian Johnston says Chol is still young and has a great career ahead of him.

“He run really well,” says Johnston. “His main problem is his fitness. But, he has been training pretty well.”

Kertisha Thompson, 17, placed first in the U/18 long jump with 5.62m (+1.1), qualifying her for the Australian Youth Championships.

“The fouls didn’t distract me,” says Thompson. “I changed my running position quite a bit.”

Bessie Hayes, 20, run an outstanding 100m sprint in 12.16sec (+1.3), coming second behind teammate Toea Wisil, 21, who run 11.85sec (+1.3).

“I wasn’t trying to win,” says Hayes. “I was just trying to qualify for the Nationals.”

Hayes has qualified for the 87^th Australian Championships and will race against 100m hurdles Olympic silver medallist Sally McLellan, in a fortnight.

Matthew Davies, 24, ran a difficult 100m sprint, managing to come third in 10.75sec (+1.6).

“I had a plan in my head of what I was trying to do,” says Davies. “I got half way down the track and just didn’t feel comfortable. I just didn’t want to hurt myself.”

Patrick Johnson, 37, and Nelson Stone, 25, both from QEII had an impressive run in the 100m sprint coming first in 10.48sec (+1.6) and second in 10.65 (+1.6).

Davies pulled out of the 200m sprint to recover, but came back to compete in the 4x100m relay alongside Johnson, Stone and David Monneron, 22.

The men had an outstanding run coming first in 40.87sec and finishing 1.82sec well before their opponents from Gold Coast Victory.

QEII club also had astonishing wins in the men’s U/16, U/18, U/20, and women’s U/16 and U/20 4x100m relays.

©*Sports*Girl*2009

QLD clubs contest shield

*Sports*Girl* — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 20:17:01 +0000

Sprinters Davies, Johnson and Stone in action at the Queensland Championships

THIS weekend, athletics clubs from around Queensland will contest the 2009 Garry Brown Shield and the 4x100m Relay Championships at the State Athletics Facility in Nathan.

The QEII Track Club has previously won the Shield Meet on 29 January, 2009 and the Joanna Stone Shield in the 2007/2008 Athletics season on 10 November, 2007.

The club has a good chance of winning the Garry Brown Shield this weekend, with 45 athletes competing in 36 events and have nine teams entered in the Relay Championships.

Opponent club Gold Coast Victory has won many shield meets this year and the QEII athletes’ have been preparing well.

QEII Athletes who will surely impress include, sprinters Matt Davies, Patrick Johnson and Nelson Stone, long-jumper Keritsha Thompson and hurdler Chris Watson.

The event is being run this Saturday 7 March, 2009 from 2:00pm until 6:00pm.

ATHLETES OVERCOMING WEATHER CONDITIONS

*Sports*Girl* — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 23:00:27 +0000

: Teamwork pays off – Watt and Noffke win top places in the long jump

SECURITY evacuated spectators from the QEII Stadium, after a strong wind left the QLD Government sign hanging dangerously at the State Athletics Facility in Nathan, yesterday.

Officials said, “the grandstand security is concerned for the safety of the spectators and everyone must totally clear the stadium and the front of the stadium.”

The lowered sign may have caught the attention of the athletes, but it did not affect the events at the Queensland Open and Under 18 Track and Field Championships.

Despite the interruption and windy conditions, QEII Track Club athletes performed well, showing their intensive training had worked.

Mitchell Felsman, 17, won first place in the U/18 200m in 22.30sec (+0.0), during the incident.

“I was thinking about the sign when I was running half way through my race,” says Felsman. “I could feel the heaviness of the wind. I overcame it.”

Luckily, for competitors and spectators the sign stayed in place.

Lee Berry, 19, defeated the windy conditions, to come third in the 800m in 1:50.34min.

“The wind make it more difficult to run in,” says Lee. “I slowed down at the end because I didn’t warm up.”

Australia’s number one long jumper Mitchell Watt, 21, proved invincible against the wind when he won his event.

“It’s all right if it’s a bit windy,” says Watt. “Usually you want a bit of a trail wind. But not far too much. I changed my position four or five times. I got on the broad only once.”

Watt did not jump his standing rank of 8.04m, but he did come close with 7.94m (+0.9).

Teammate Chris Noffke supported Watt in the long jump, coming second with 7.44m (+3.3).

Kertisha Thompson, 16, managed to get through a tough windy competition in the U/18 triple jump to win, with 11.84m (+5.4).

Thompson made four fouls and two good jumps out of six jumps.

“The fouls didn’t put me off,” says Thompson. “I just keep going.”

Teammate Taylor-Shay Payne, 16, was less lucky and fouled all six of her jumps.

Thompson also placed first in the long jump with 5.57m (+1.4) and fouled three times out of six jumps, on Saturday.

Afternoon rain interfered with the athletes’ performances during Saturday’s competitions.

Chris Wittkopp, 17, fought through the rain and came third in the U/18 400m hurdles in 58.29sec.

“The rain made the track slower and harder,” says Wittkopp.“It affected me.”

Earlier in the day, Wittkopp came first in the triple jump with 13.50m (+0.9) and passed three of his six jumps to save energy for the 400m hurdles.

Teammate Christopher Watson, 19, followed Wittkopp’s lead, and came third in the 400m hurdles in 54.01sec.

“I was put off by the rain,” says Watson. “It was more of a mental challenge to run in.”

Mitchell Felsman, unaffected by the rain, came first in the U/18 100m in 10.85sec (+0.2).

“The track was wet, but it wasn’t slippery,” says Felsman. “It didn’t bother me much.”

The competition ran over three days, Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday afternoon.

Saturday’s Queensland Athletics Championships

*Sports*Girl* — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 19:30:17 +0000

Gatkuath Chol and Chris Wittkopp racing in rain in the U/18 400m hurdles

HEAVY rain did not manage to affect the performance of athletes from the QEII Track Club at the Queensland Open and Under 18 Track and Field Championships.

In the afternoon, at about 3:00pm rain started to pour on the track, while the 400m hurdles were being run.

Christopher Watson, 19, made an astonishing performance in the U/ 23 400m hurdles, coming first in 54.01sec.

“I think the rain had an effect on my mental capabilities,” he says. “But, I tried to overcome it, and just run.”

Two other QEII competitors, Gatkuath Chol and Chris Wittkopp, both 17, placed second in 58.02sec and third, in 58.29sec, in the U/18 400m hurdles.

“The rain did have an effect my performance,” Chris says. “It was hard and heavy to run in.”

The rain had cleared for Mitchell Felsmen, 17, in the U/18 100m.

Although, the track was still wet Mitchell managed to come first with a fast time of 10:45sec (+0.2).

The Men’s 100m produced the traffic trio with the first three competitors all from the QEII Track Club.

Matt Davies, Patrick Johnson, and Nelson Stone supported each other in the race coming, first, second, and third respectively in 10:45sec, 10:47 sec, and 10:77sec with a wind slightly pushing of -0.5.

The competition continues tomorrow.

Update on Friday’s Championships

*Sports*Girl* — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:00:07 +0000

Lee Berry's speedy 800m performance

FRIDAY night’s Queensland Open and Under 18 Track and Field Championships produced some upcoming QEII Track stars that are through to the next round to fight it out.

Lee Berry, 19, had an outstanding performance in his 800m heat, coming second with an impressive time of 1:49:97min.

He has qualified to the finals, which will be held on Sunday at the State Athletics Facility, Nathan.

The women’s 800m heats also produced a handful of talented QEII stars who have qualified into the final.

In heat 1, Salome Dell came first in 2:13:28min, while Anna McMurtrie came fifth with a time of 2:15:36min.

Heat 2, consisted of Chloe Parker who came first in 2:13:56min and Danielle Roberts came third in 2:33:21min

The women’s 800m final will also be run on Sunday.

Champions Prepare

*Sports*Girl* — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:30:34 +0000

QLD Athletics Logo

ATHLETES from the QEII Track Club are preparing themselves for this weekend’s Queensland Open & Under 18 Track and Field Championships.

Determined athletes ranging from 12 to mature age are training at the State Athletics Facility to ensure they can perform at their best, demonstrate their commitment, and enjoy themselves.

QEII Track Club has 66 athletes competing in the events, which include sprints, hurdles, steeplechase, race walking, jumping and throwing events.

The athletics events will be held from Friday, 20^th February to Sunday, 22^nd February at the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre in Nathan.

Athletes in the top three positions will be presented with medals for their performance and dedication.

Introducing….QEII Track Club

*Sports*Girl* — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:00:22 +0000

Club Logo

THE QEII Track Club was formed in the 2002-2003 athletics season.

It is the result of an amalgamation of two former clubs – Southern Suburbs Athletics Club and the Mt Gravatt Athletics Club.

The club took the name “QEII” as most of their athletes and coaches train at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, Kessels Road, Nathan.

The club focuses on all types of athletics disciplines including:

decathlon,
discus throw,
hammer throw,
heptathlon,
high jump,
hurdles,
long distance,
long jump,
marathon,
middle distance,
pole vault,
race walking,
seated throws,
shot put,
sprints,
steeplechase,
triple jump,
wheelchair track and road.

QEII Track Club functions as an important part of the academic and social environment of Athletics Australia and the wider community.

Coaches, athletes, and officials from the club endeavour to sustain high standards of achievements, sportsmanship, competiveness, and integrity.

The athletic program commits itself to the principles, mission, and guidelines of the QEII Track Club.

The purpose of the QEII Track Club is to provide those who participate in athletics:

1. The opportunity to further skill development and development of personal relationships.

2. To develop such values as fair play, ethics, leadership, integrity, accountability and the pursuit of excellence.

3. To establish and maintain an environment that values cultural diversity and gender equity among its athletes, coaches and officials.

4. To provide a public relations vehicle to enhance regional and national awareness of the QEII Track Club.

5. To develop and maintain physical fitness.

6. To bring out the spirit, pride and enthusiasm of participants and spectators.

7. The QEII Track Club also aims to augment the physical education professional preparation program by providing the practical experiences and internship essential for prospective coaches.