Emerge in void of Sally
IT’S the new world order that is shaping as the saviour for the post-Sally era.
When Sally Pearson withdrew from the Commonwealth Games you could hear the air seeping out of the track and field team’s tyres.
For almost a decade the hurdles champion has carried them with the odd cameo, but as a rule life without Sally was a topic no one wanted to engage.
While Pearson has declared her bid to keep going to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the evidence building on the Gold Coast is that she might have some youngsters ready to share the load.
Remember the Commonwealth Games has historically been a breeding ground for future stars. Think Cathy Freeman, Jana Pittman and Steve Hooker – they all first shone on the Commonwealth stage.
The performances of the 25-year-old and under athletes so far will have head coach Craig Hilliard pumping out his chest.
Queenslander Dane BirdSmith, 25, started everything with gold in the 20km walk and a couple of hours later was joined by 20-year-old Victorian Jemima Montag who won the women’s event.
Another Queenslander Matthew Denny, 21, won silver
in the men’s hammer throw, with 20-year-old Sydney university student Alexandra Hulley matching that in the women’s.
Decathlete Cedric Dubler, 23, claimed a bronze medal, and one of the eye-catching runs of the week came in the women’s 1500m final where 21-year-old Georgia Griffith flew home for fifth behind the great Caster Semenya.
Anneliese Rubie, 25, showed her progression by making the 400m final which has a field that wouldn’t be out of place in an Olympic Games.
And then of course there is Riley Day, the 18-year-old Beaudesert girl who is now a Commonwealth Games 200m semi-finalist and looks more than comfortable on the big stage.
Tonight three of the poster boys of the new era chase medals, with Joseph Deng and Luke Mathews in the 800m final and Kurtis Marschall the favourite in the men’s pole vault.