Solomon crowned king of the track

NSWIS Emerging Talent Squad member Steven Solomon has been crowned Australia’s king of the track after a stirring performance in the men’s 400m at the 2011 Australian Athletics Championships over the weekend.

The 17 year old put in an inspired performance to outlast Ben Offereins and fellow NSWIS athlete John Steffensen in a time of 45.58 seconds. The win was enough to secure selection on the Australian team contesting the 4x400m relay at the 2011 IAAF Athletics World Championships in Korea later this year. Solomon will become the third youngest Australian to contest the world championships when they begin on August 27.

The national championships also saw a further five NSWIS athletes selected on the Australian team; Steffensen (4x400m relay), Ben St Lawrence (men’s 5000m), Dani Samuels (women’s discus), Fabrice Lapierre (long jump) and Isaac Ntiamoah (4x100m relay). The qualification period for the championships ends on August 15.

The 2011 IAAF Athletics World Championships take place in Daegu, South Korea from August 27 – September 4 2011.