Olympic champion Sally Pearson battled strong headwinds to win a 12th Australian athletics title at the national Commonwealth Games trials in Melbourne on Saturday.
Pearson continued to reassert her supremacy over national 100m record holder Melissa Breen, but the 4.1m per second headwind ruled out the prospect of any fast times.
Pearson won in 11.70secs, more than half a second outside her personal best, with Breen second in 11.90.
“The last time I ran into a four-metre headwind was in 2004,” Pearson said.
“That’s a long time in between races to have those conditions.
“But I can’t control them so I can’t worry about them.” Adding to Pearson’s frustration, Tim Leathart won the men’s 100m final in 10.56 into a gentler 1.2m headwind just 10 minutes later.
“It’s a trial and a lot of the other girls who are on the cusp of doing at least a B qualifier (time) had no chance tonight to get that done,” she said. Pearson is a strong favourite to make it national title number 13 on Sunday in the 100m hurdles.
Olympic finalist Steve Solomon asserted his supremacy in the 400m, winning in 45.36.
Youngster Morgan Mitchell was a surprise winner of the women’s 400m in 52.22, a time good enough to secure her place in Australia’s Commonwealth Games squad.
Joshua Ralph’s decision to step up from the 400m to the 800m paid off in a big way as he secured a first national title and a guaranteed spot on the team for Glasgow.
Ralph had the speed to come over the top of Jeff Riseley in the final straight to win in 1:46.57.
World junior silver medallist Liz Parnov was a surprise winner of the women’s pole vault with 4.20m.
Reigning Commonwealth champion and national record holder Alana Boyd failed to register a clearance, missing all three of her attempts at 4.30m in difficult windy conditions.
