Hale shows clean heals
He had to battle against a strong headwind and an unfamiliar grass track, but Tasmanian teenager Jack Hale still blew away his opposition with a sizzling 10.68sec. 100m sprint at UWA Sports Park last night.
A crowd of about 1000 showed out at the UWA Athletics Club's Big 6 meet for a chance to see the 16-year-old schoolboy sensation take on some of WA's best young sprinting prospects.
And fresh from his headline-grabbing wind-assisted 10.13sec. run at the Australian All-Schools championships in Adelaide last weekend, Hale did not disappoint, showing his competitors a clean pair of heels to be four metres clear at the finish.
Eighteen-year-old Calvin Bor-owski (11.01) came in second and 19-year-old Terrell McKenzie (11.19) was third, while Lachlan McDermott, 17, suffered disappointment when he pulled up before the halfway mark with a hamstring injury.
A showdown with the 14-year-old who has already drawn comparisons to Usain Bolt, under-16 100m and 200m national champion James Gallaugher, did not eventuate after he did not take his place in the race because of soreness.
Hale, who considers himself a long jumper, was pleased with the time, given the last time he raced on grass he struggled to record a time under 12 seconds.
After a whirlwind week, in which he has gained international notoriety, Hale was mobbed by children after crossing the finish line.
"I'm enjoying the attention and love being here with the little athletes at UWA," he said.
Hale also took the opportunity to meet WA javelin star and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Kim Mickle, who was extremely impressed with his exciting talent.
"I look forward to seeing you race at the nationals in March, you are killing it," Mickle said.
Hale now plans to go back into the gym to build his strength and tackle multiple box jumps to develop his power for selection trials in March next year for the world youth championships to be held in Colombia in July.
Hale today returns to Tasmania for a break before being one of the star attractions in Burnie's New Year's Day Sports Carnival.
The under-18 national record holder will need to record a legal time of 10.16sec. to win an invitation from the IAAF to attend the world athletics championships in Beijing in August.
"I'm enjoying the attention and love being here with the little athletes …"" *Jack Hale *
