Sydney Track Classic
Encyclopedia
The Sydney Track Classic is an annual outdoor track and field
meeting held in February or March at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre
in the suburb of Homebush
in Sydney
, Australia
. It is part of the national Australian Athletics Tour, alongside the Melbourne Track Classic
.
The history of the event emerged from a series of major athletics meetings which were held in the 1990s. The 1999 competition was the opening leg of the IAAF Grand Prix
circuit and it formed part of the preparation towards the 2000 Sydney Olympics
. The meeting was abandoned in 2002, but events hosted by the Sydney University Athletics Club and Athletics New South Wales saw the Sydney Track Classic restored in 2006.
By 2009 the competition was attracting top level domestic athletes (such as Steve Hooker and Sally McLellan
) as well as a number of high-profile foreign athletes (including Asafa Powell
, Melaine Walker
, and Valerie Vili
). The meeting was ranked first domestically for the level of performances that year. Hooker, Dani Samuels
and Tero Pitkämäki
provided the highlights of the 2010 edition, while Mitchell Watt
and David Rudisha
topped the bill in 2011.
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
meeting held in February or March at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre
Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre
Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre is a multi-use stadium in Homebush, Australia. The capacity of the stadium is 18,000 spectators. It also hosted the 1996 World Junior Championships in Athletics.-External links:*...
in the suburb of Homebush
Homebush, New South Wales
Homebush is an inner western suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Homebush is located 15 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield. Homebush West and Homebush Bay are separate suburbs...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is part of the national Australian Athletics Tour, alongside the Melbourne Track Classic
Melbourne Track Classic
The Melbourne Track Classic is an annual outdoor track and field meeting which takes place in early March at the Olympic Park Stadium.The competition was inaugurated in the late 1980s at the Olympic Stadium and gained a place on the IAAF Grand Prix circuit in its formative years...
.
The history of the event emerged from a series of major athletics meetings which were held in the 1990s. The 1999 competition was the opening leg of the IAAF Grand Prix
IAAF Grand Prix
The IAAF Grand Prix was an annual global circuit of fourteen one day athletics competitions as part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations...
circuit and it formed part of the preparation towards the 2000 Sydney Olympics
Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics
At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, 46 events in athletics were contested, 24 for men and 22 for women. There were a total number of 2134 participating athletes from 193 countries.-Men's events:...
. The meeting was abandoned in 2002, but events hosted by the Sydney University Athletics Club and Athletics New South Wales saw the Sydney Track Classic restored in 2006.
By 2009 the competition was attracting top level domestic athletes (such as Steve Hooker and Sally McLellan
Sally McLellan
Sally Pearson is an Australian athlete. She is the current World Champion in the 100 metres hurdles with a time of 12.28s. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, she won the silver medal in the 100 m hurdles with a time of 12.64s.- Athletic career :Pearson was born in Sydney and moved to the Gold Coast...
) as well as a number of high-profile foreign athletes (including Asafa Powell
Asafa Powell
Asafa Powell C.D is a Jamaican sprinter who specialises in the 100 metres. He held the 100 m world record between June 2005 and May 2008, with times of 9.77 and 9.74 seconds respectively. Powell has consistently broken the 10-second barrier in competition, with his personal best of...
, Melaine Walker
Melaine Walker
Melaine Walker O.D is a Jamaican 400 metres hurdler. Walker is the reigning World and Olympic 400 m hurdles champion...
, and Valerie Vili
Valerie Vili
Valerie Kasanita Adams , ONZM is a shot putter from New Zealand. She is the reigning Olympic, world and Commonwealth champion...
). The meeting was ranked first domestically for the level of performances that year. Hooker, Dani Samuels
Dani Samuels
Dani Samuels is an Australian discus thrower who in 2009 became the youngest ever female world champion in the event....
and Tero Pitkämäki
Tero Pitkämäki
Tero Kristian Pitkämäki is a Finnish javelin thrower and the former World Champion. Pitkämäki is known for his rivalry with Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen. The two are very close friends, however...
provided the highlights of the 2010 edition, while Mitchell Watt
Mitchell Watt
Mitchell Watt, is an Australian track & field athlete. His main event is the long jump and holds the current Oceania record for the long jump – 8.54m...
and David Rudisha
David Rudisha
David Lekuta Rudisha is a Kenyan middle distance runner and world record holder in the 800 metres with a time of 1:41.01. Rudisha holds four of the ten fastest times for this event.-Early life:...
topped the bill in 2011.