Aussies make mark in Rio: Starc qualifies for high jump final, 400m duo earn different fates
HIGH-jumper Brandon Starc became the first Aussie to qualify for the high jump final in 20 years, while Australia’s 400m duo earned different fates.
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HIS brother is big on making history with the Australian cricket team and Brandon Starc is keeping up the family tradition.
The younger brother of fast bowler Mitch is the first Australian in 20 years to make the Olympic high jump final.
Starc qualified after clearing 2.29m on his last attempt to book a place in tomorrow’s final where he will be the first Aussie since Tim Forsyth in Atlanta in 1996.
Mitchell is in Sri Lanka and rose early before the third day of play of the third Test to watch his sibling in Rio.
Brandon, 22, was part of a crazy night with South African Wayde van Niekerk breaking the men’s 400m world record and Usain Bolt winning his third 100m title.
“I was just about to jump and fed off that a little bit,” said Starc, a finalist at his first world championships in Beijing last year.
“It was a big night. I’m glad I was a part of it.”
In the women’s 400m semi-finals Morgan Mitchell received a harsh reality check about what the Olympics is all about.
The 21-year-old had been one of the success stories of the Australian season, going through undefeated and showing she will be a serious athlete in the future.
But that will take time as Mitchell found out the hard way.
The Australian finished last in her 400m semi-final, fading badly over the final 50 metres to clock the disappointing time of 52.68sec.
She described her run as “disgusting”.
“I’m shattered ... for me to just blow up in the last 50m,” Mitchell said. “I knew I went out too hard, I’ve never done that.”
Her Australian teammate Anneliese Rubie fared better in the next semi-final, finishing sixth (51.96sec) behind reigning world champion Allyson Felix.
It was a disappointing night for Australia’s 1500m trio with Zoe Buckman, Jenny Blundell and Linden Hall all finishing well down the track in their respective semi-finals.
Originally published as Aussies make mark in Rio: Starc qualifies for high jump final, 400m duo earn different fates
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