Ben Drewe
The Toowoomba Chronicle
1st September 2010

TOOWOOMBA sprinter Charlotte van Veenendaal will be out to make a name for herself this month when she runs in front of the sport’s biggest star.

Van Veenendaal will take up an invitation to run in the women’s 100m at the much-hyped Athletics All Stars event

at Sydney’s Olympic Park on September 15.

The highly-publicised race to find the fastest man in the football codes will also take place at the meet.

World 100m record holder Usain Bolt will be a special guest at the event, which is being held 10 years to the day since the 2000 Olympics in what will be one of the biggest events this year.

“Usain Bolt is going to be there so I can’t complain,” van Veenendaal quipped about getting the chance to run at the event.

The Toowoomba sprinter’s coach Gerrard Keating thinks the race is a big opportunity for van Veenendaal to confirm herself as one of Australia’s premier track stars.

“It’s a massive thing. It’s going to be huge,” Keating said. “It will be pretty special for her to be involved.”

Van Veenendaal heads into the Sydney event on the back of a history-making performance at the Ipswich Lightning Sprints last weekend. She became the first person to qualify for the women’s 100m final and the 110m open Lightning Gift in what was a busy program.

“That was pretty amazing,” Keating said. “The final of the women’s gift was her sixth race and the final of the Lightning Gift was her seventh race of the day and I’m impressed with her fitness. She came up with seven runs which is great and it was a great training experience.”