Morgan Mitchell and Luke Mathews prove Rio credentials at Melbourne meet

THEY’VE been the breakout performers of the summer and on Saturday night Morgan Mitchell and Luke Mathews confirmed they can be regarded as the real deal.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 05: Morgan Mitchell of Australia runs in the Women's 400 Metres during the IAAF World Challenge at Olympic Park on March 5, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

THEY’VE been the breakout performers of the summer and on Saturday night Morgan Mitchell and Luke Mathews confirmed they can be regarded as the real deal.

Mitchell’s makeover took a significant step forward when she took down two world-class Jamaicans in the 400m while Mathews pushed Olympic and world champion David Rudisha to the wire in the 800m at the IAAF World Challenge event in Melbourne.

In her biggest test to date, Mitchell stormed over the top of Christine Day in the final 70m to claim victory in an Olympic A-standard qualifying time of 52.16sec.

Day finished fourth at last year’s world championships and was also a bronze medallist at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

She managed to hang onto second place in 52.68sec with reigning Australian champion Anneliese Rubie third in 52.89sec.

Jamaica’s Commonwealth 400m hurdles champion Kaliese Spencer finished fourth in 53.12sec.

Mitchell, who ran a personal best 51.81sec at last week’s Victorian championships, has dramatically changed her body, diet and outlook over the past six months since joining new coach Peter Fitzgerald.

Saturday night was confirmation the 21-year-old from Werribee has the potential to make an impact on the world stage.

“Its amazing and a good feeling (to beat the Jamaicans),” Mitchell said. “It’s a definite confidence booster, I know we are in season, they’re out of season so I am expecting a lot more from them (later).

Luke Mathews of Australia after his 800m run at the IAAF World Challenge in Melbourne on Saturday night.

“I am glad I am as fit as I am right now because it means by the time the Olympics come I can only get fitter and that’s when they’re at their fittest.

“I have been training a lot harder, watching what I have been eating, training more and focusing on my body and its actually felt like it’s all paying off.

“The last few years I didn’t think I had it but I have a new outlook on life, it’s a new year, a new me. It’s all coming together so I am happy.”

Mathews has also come out of the pack this season and now has his sights set on the Rio Olympics after clocking an A-standard qualifying time 1min45.16sec behind the Kenyan superstar.

There was a moment on the bend where the crowd at Lakeside Stadium thought the 20-year-old from Newport was a chance to claim Rudisha.

“I knew it was going to be a pain train,” Mathews said. “I thought if I can get on, not think, just worry about looking at his heels, hopefully I would be able to hang on.

“I thought going through 500, I thought I’ve got 300 metres of this left, just hold on, hold on, hold on.

“And then coming down the straight everything lifted, the crowd was just so loud, that was one of the best atmosphere, I mean I’ve run at the world juniors and run a few European races but that was the best experience of my life

“Going through 600 I thought he is vulnerable slightly but I was probably definitely wrong.

“That is the thing, if I think I can pass him then I’m 50 per cent there, I didn’t quite get him today, not that I’m going to say I’m going to get him in the future but hopefully some people around his range, hopefully get to Rio and do it then.”

In the men’s 1500m, Mathew’s training partner Ryan Gregson just failed to get the Olympic A-standard time winning in 3:38.06sec from Kenyan James Magut (3:40.03sec).

Originally published as Morgan Mitchell and Luke Mathews prove Rio credentials at Melbourne meet