| It's Fabulous Lapierre |
 |
|
By JESSICA HALLORAN The Sunday Telegraph April 25, 2010 AROUND him at Westfields High School, teenage boys had dreams of being NRL superstars or playing for the Socceroos. Fabrice Lapierre? He just wanted to jump. So he did. "I'm just a really good jumper," Lapierre says. "I can jump really high. Really far. "When I take off, I get really high, you know what I mean, I'm kind of fast, too. It came natural to me. I just put two and two together. It's just fun getting that air time when you jump up. It's a kind of cool feeling." Lapierre will go to the Commonwealth Games as hot favourite after his remarkable long jump last weekend at the national championships in Perth. In the last jump of the trials, he launched himself a breathtaking 8.78m. The jump was wind-assisted (3.1m/second) above the legal limit of 2m/sec, so it will not stand as a national record, but only five men have jumped further. "It just felt like I'd grown a pair of wings and started flying," he said. Lapierre, the world indoor champion, now wants to win everything. "I'd like to go undefeated if I could," he said. "It could happen. I want to win the Commonwealth Games gold medal to end my year." Commonwealth Games team selector Melinda Gainsford-Taylor was blown away by Lapierre's jump and rated it the highlight of the trials. "I was really impressed with Fabrice," Gainsford-Taylor said. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like it before. I've been to the Olympics and the world championships and seen these guys -- it was just the amount of height he got out of that jump, it was extraordinary. "It was a real thrill to watch." His strongest opposition in Delhi may come from countryman Mitchell Watt, who won bronze at last year's world championships in Berlin. He is recovering from injury and missed the trials. Chris Noffke, who finished second in Perth, will also be in the mix. The depth in a number of events has heartened selectors. Athletics Australia named the bulk of the Games team after the three-day trials last weekend. Sixty-nine athletes -- including 12 elite athletes with a disability -- were named. There are plans to send up to 100 athletes to India. "I remember two years ago track and field in Australia wasn't doing too well," Lapierre said. "Right now we've got some great athletes coming through. The competition is helping everyone. "We are starting to make a name for ourselves on the world stage." Liz Parnov, 15, announced her arrival at the trials and seems destined to be a big name in the pole vault. Parnov upset strong competition by clearing 4.40m to be the youngest member on the team. It is the highest a 15-year-old has cleared. The Commonwealth Games trials also saw the start of an exciting rivalry between 1500m runners Jeff Riesley and young gun Ryan Gregson, who won their first duel in a gutsy sprint to the finish. The men's 400m showed off its depth with strong performances from Ben Offereins, who won the title. John Steffensen was second after back surgery just 12 weeks before. Joel Milburn finished third. Sean Wroe narrowly missed out on an individual spot on the Commonwealth Games team, finishing fourth, but he is likely to be included in the 4x400m relay team. "Anyone within that event could have won it," Gainsford-Taylor said. "We ended up having four A qualifying times that could have taken the top three spots. It was a great race." There are those who stand alone in their fields. Olympic, world and world indoor champion Steve Hooker is now so accomplished in the pole vault that when he doesn't attempt the world record it seems like he's underperforming. He showed he was ready for the European season with a clearance of 5.80m. World champion discus thrower Dani Samuels also turned out a fine performance. Young sprinter Melissa Breen was also a stand-out performer at the trials. And then there was heartbreak. Injury-plagued Craig Mottram won't get the chance to reprise his 5000m heroics from four years ago. The AA selectors filled all three berths in the men's 1500m and 5000m. There's talk that he may do the triathlon in Delhi. Nothing has been decided yet. STARS OF THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES TRIALS Liz Parnov Pole Vault Liz Parnov is the best 15-year-old pole vaulter the world has ever seen. Last Saturday night she cleared 4.40m for the first time, winning the national title and booking her place on the Commonwealth Games team. Parnov is certain to be a contender on the Olympic stage in years to come. Fabrice Lapierre Long Jump Fabrice Lapierre saved his best for last. In his final jump of the trials, he launched himself an incredible 8.78m from the board into the sandpit. However, the jump was wind-assisted (3.1m/ second, above the legal limit of 2m/sec) so will not stand as a national record. Only five men in history have jumped further in any conditions. Steve Hooker Pole Vault The world and Olympic champion didn't get his chance to attempt the world record on an extremely hot day in Perth. Instead Hooker cleared a very respectable 5.80m and showed he is in top form as he looks towards a busy American and European season. Dani Samuels Discus Threw a personal best of 65.84m at the Sydney Track Classic last month but couldn't top that feat in Perth. Still at her consistent best, the world champion took the national title, winning the discus with 63.61m. Ryan Gregson 1500m Ryan Gregson, 19, claimed the prestigious mantle of 1500m champion. In the final lap, Gregson out-sprinted the world championships semi-finalist Jeff Riseley to defeat the strongest field of the Commonwealth Games trials in 3min 44.99sec. |