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DECEMBER 4 2004
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Zatopek Classic / Melbourne
Congratulations to Tomas DoCanto on his 12th place (8:51.41) finish in the de Castella U20 3000 metres at Zatopek tonight.
AUGUST 2004
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2004 Olympic Games / Athens
A courageous run by Jana Pittman tonight in the final of the 400m hurdles in Athens. A gutsy fifth place finish signified a remarkable recovery from last-minute surgery to repair a torn cartilage in her right knee sustained whilst warming up for the Zurich Golden League on August 6.
Doctors initially believed the damage would hinder Pittman's Olympic campaign, however later surgery revealed only minor damage to her knee. Extensive treatment and rehabilitation enabled Jana to recommence jogging within a few days, and on August 21, Jana lined up for the 400m hurdle heats. Jana took the heat out easily, running what appeared an easy 54.83s.
The following day, Jana finished second behind Russian world record holder, Yulia Pechonkina in the semi-finals, recording 54.05s. It was however, Greece's Fani Halkia who stole the show in the other semi-final, clocking a sizzling 52.77s, subsequently breaking the Olympic Record. Halkia's time slashed more than a second off her personal best time and the national record set in the heat (53.85s).
Jana ran a gutsy opening 300m leg of the 400m hurdle final, but fatigue was quick to set in over the final stages. Victory went to Fani Halkia who, supported by 75,000 screaming Greek fans, held on to claim gold with a smart time of 52.82s with Romania’s Ionela Tirlea-Manolache second (53.38s) and Tetiana Tereshuk-Antipova third in 53.44s. Despite Pittman's injury woes, her final time of 53.92s was a mere half second off her season's best time.
Hills congratulates Jana on her second Olympic Games, a well deserved achievement.
AUGUST 2004
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2004 Australian Youth Championships / Canberra
Michelle Riley and Holly Pobjie, our sole representatives at the National Youth Championships in Canberra, winning a total of one silver and three bronze medals. Michelle picked up three medals from three events, with a bronze in the under 18 100m and 200m and silver in the 4x100m relay. She ran very well, clocking a fast 12.28s in the 100m and 25.07s in the 200m. Holly backed up from her success at the Open and Under 20 championships in February, with another great weekend of racing. She finished third in the under 18 2000m steeplechase in 7:10.95, as well as fifth in the under 18 3000m and seventh in the 1500m.
AUGUST 1 2004
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2004 Trivia Night
Hills Athletics Club held its annual Fundraiser Trivia Evening last night for the second consecutive year. The fundraising venture proved to be the club's most successful fundraising event to date, with over $1,700.00 raised for the club to promote and support track and field within the Hills Shire. With over twenty lucky door prizes, three goodie-filled backpacks and three major prizes donated by local businesses, few guests left empty-handed.
This year's Trivia Night was held particularly significant by the Club as an opportunity for Hills Athletics to voice its support of Jana Pittman's quest for an Olympic Gold Medal following her World Championship win. In addition, Hills officially inducted Steve Whelan as a Life Member of the Club. Steve's passion for athletic competition, his contribution towards athletics and coaching within the Hills Shire and his 17 year association with the Club have been greatly appreciated. Steve joins a distinguished honour roll including Marlene Matthews (AOM) and current head coach Ron White.
Hills Athletics would like to thank the following individuals and organisations for their generous donations and valued contribution to our 2004 Trivia Night:
Australian Injury Management
Level 3
16-20 Good St
Granville NSW
Ph: (02) 9682 1444
Gloria Jeans Coffee
PO Box 6325
Baulkham Hills Business Centre
Baulkham Hills NSW 2153
Sydney Car Wash
347 Windsor Rd
Baulkham Hills NSW 2153
Ph: (02) 9686 8863
Waves Fitness & Aquatic Centre
Mileham Ave
Baulkham Hills NSW 2153
Ph: (02) 9639 6763
Mont-Ro Skin Care Australia
PO Box 319
Castle Hill NSW 2154
Ph: (02) 9680 3393
Alida Florist
Shop 6, Baulkham Hills Arcade
Windsor Rd
Baulkham Hills NSW 2153
Ph: (02) 9639 1004
Tracey Whelan Mobile Makeup, Formals, Weddings, Facials
Ph: 0412 221 047
Bakers Delight Norwest
Shop 26, Norwest Shopping Centre
Norwest Boulevard
Norwest NSW 2153
Ph: (02) 8850 1221
Bakers Delight Carlingford
Shop 142, Carlingford Crt
Carlingford NSW 2118
Ph: (02) 9873 3376
In Harmony Health Foods
Shop 37, Westfields North Rocks
North Rocks NSW 2118
Ph: (02) 9872 1931
Bull ‘N Bush Bottle Shop
Cnr Windsor / Seven Hills Rd
Baulkham Hills NSW 2153
Ph: (02) 9639 4008
Helmar Australia
59-61 Edward St
Riverstone NSW
Ph: (02) 9627 4666
Castle Hill Bowling Club
Castle St
Castle Hill NSW 2154
Ph: (02) 9634 2192
Compressed Air & Cooling Solutions
1 Sheridan Close
Milperra NSW
Ph: (02) 9772 4488
Thanks to those who assisted with organising and arranging donations- Brian O’Connell, Alan Carey, Peter Neale, Angela Williams, Peter Day and Andrew Young.
FEBRUARY 2004
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2004 National Championships / Sydney
Preya Carey was the standout athlete for Hills at the 2004 Open & U20 Australian Championships held at Sydney Olympic Park this weekend. Making her open debut, Preya matched it against her older rivals, finishing fourth over both the 100 and 200m. Gaining an early fast start in the final of the 100m, Carey showed strong form, edging toward the front of the lead pack, however was pipped on the line, narrowly missing the bronze medal by one hundredth of a second, but still running a quick 11.52s. Gusty winds played havoc with the field in the final of the 200m, jettisoning any attempts to run beneath the Olympic qualifying time, a 23.95s enabling Preya a fourth place finish. With only two athletes currently ahead of her on season-best times eligible to be selected in the 4x100m relay team for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Preya has established a realistic opportunity to gain an Olympic relay berth.
The meet was also an important one for the up-and-coming Holly Pobjie, who notched another World Junior Championship qualifying mark in the Womens 3000m Steeplechase, clocking a personal best 10:55.46 for fourth. Despite coming under the qualifying standard, selection for the team will prove a tough assignment with six girls having already qualified for the event.
With a number of athletes sidelined this season and our squads rebuilding, Hills scooped only one medal at the meet, the sole medal coming from an ill and recently-injured Darren Boulet leaping 14.86m in the Men U20 Triple Jump to take third place. Unfortunately, Tomas Cholensky did not share in Boulet's good fortune, bruising his heel during qualifying and hindering his takeoff. With a season's best of 15.95m, Tomas finished back in sixth in the overall classification with a 15.61m bound.
Other notable performances came from Hills' Emma Rilen, 7th Open Womens 1500m final (4:21.88), Kathryn Archbold, 4th Open 3000m Steeplechase (11:05.14) and Sandra Gabrael, Finallist Womens Open 100m hurdles.
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