The Maurie Plant Meet – Melbourne is an annual outdoor track and field meeting which takes place in February at the Lakeside Stadium in Melbourne, Australia since 2023. Last held under the old name, Melbourne Track Classic, in early March 2016, prior to 2012 the meeting was held at the Olympic Park Stadium.

Maurie Plant Meet
DateFebruary
LocationLakeside Stadium, Melbourne, Australia Australia
Event typeTrack and field
World Athletics Cat.World Continental Tour Gold
2024 Maurie Plant Meet

The competition was inaugurated in the late 1980s at the Olympic Stadium and gained a place on the IAAF Grand Prix circuit in its formative years.[1] It remained on the major international outdoor track and field circuit, featuring as the opening race of the year on the IAAF World Athletics Tour from 2005 to 2009.[2] It was the first race of the IAAF World Challenge series from 2010 through 2016.[3] The event was also one of the foremost meets of the Australian Athletics Tour, along with the Sydney Track Classic. In 2023, the meet was upgraded and reimagined as the Maurie Plant Meet – Melbourne, held in memory of the athletics luminary as World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Level meet and part of the Chemist Warehouse Summer Series.[4][5] Plant was known as one of the driving forces in the development and promotion of athletics in Australia. He was a meet promoter and athlete agent as well as strong supporter of the athletes.[6] Plant was not without controversy, however, having asked heptathlete Jane Flemming to provide a substitute urine sample for the javelin thrower Sue Howland, fearing Howland would test positive to an anabolic steroid at the Ulster Games in Belfast on 30 June 1986.[7]

The Melbourne Track Classic featured many high level performances including continental Oceanian records by Tim Forsyth in the men's high jump, Nathan Deakes in the men's 5000 metre walk, Scott Martin in the shot put,[8] Lisa Corrigan in the mile run and Bronwyn Thompson in the women's long jump.[9] National records have also been set at the meeting by New Zealand and Australia's athletes.

Editions

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Meeting records

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Women

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References

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  1. ^ Johnson, Len (2011-02-28). Melbourne's Olympic Park - one final look back. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-03-05.
  2. ^ World Athletics Tour. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-03-05.
  3. ^ 2010 IAAF World Challenge Archived 2010-09-20 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-03-05.
  4. ^ Moorhouse, Lachlan (4 January 2023). "Melbourne to host the world's best athletes at the Maurie Plant Meet". Runner's Tribe. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Maurie Plant Meet Melbourne 2023". Athletics Australia. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  6. ^ Gullan, Scott (20 January 2020). "Maurie Plant dies". Herald Sun.
  7. ^ "Drugs in Sport – Second report of the Senate Standing Committee on environment, recreation and the arts" (PDF). Parliament of Australia. May 1990. pp. 22–28. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  8. ^ Area Outdoor Records - Men - OCEANIA. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-03-05.
  9. ^ Area Outdoor Records - Women - OCEANIA. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-03-05.
  10. ^ "Suggested Viewing". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1982-01-14. p. 11. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  11. ^ "Maurie Plant Meet – Melbourne". Athletics Australia. The Maurie Plant Meet – Melbourne in various forms dates back to 1988 and has been known by a number of names throughout its history as the premier Melbourne athletics event of the domestic season.
  12. ^ "World Athletics Continental Tour | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  13. ^ Len Johnson (23 February 2023). "Kerley and local heroes fire up a revived Melbourne". World Athletics. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  14. ^ Len Johnson (2011-03-03). "A touch slower, but Rudisha still supreme - IAAF World Challenge". IAAF. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
  15. ^ "5000 Metres Results". IAAF. 2011-03-03. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
  16. ^ "Triple Jump Results". IAAF. 3 March 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  17. ^ Len Johnson (21 March 2015). "Rudisha and Pearson win in Melbourne, Viljoen edges Mickle". IAAF. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  18. ^ Len Johnson (23 February 2023). "Kerley and local heroes fire up a revived Melbourne". World Athletics. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  19. ^ "5000m Race Walk Results". IAAF. 5 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  20. ^ "2022 Melbourne Track Classic Results". World Athletics. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  21. ^ Len Johnson (15 February 2024). "Youth and establishment both shine as Continental Tour Gold kicks off in Melbourne". World Athletics. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  22. ^ "100 Metres Hurdles Results". IAAF. 3 March 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  23. ^ Len Johnson (3 March 2012). "Elated Mottram sprints back to form with victory in Melbourne - IAAF World Challenge". IAAF. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  24. ^ Len Johnson (15 February 2024). "Youth and establishment both shine as Continental Tour Gold kicks off in Melbourne". World Athletics. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  25. ^ "Pole Vault Results". IAAF. 5 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  26. ^ "Triple Jump Results". IAAF. 5 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  27. ^ "Shot Put Results". IAAF. 3 March 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  28. ^ Len Johnson (23 February 2023). "Kerley and local heroes fire up a revived Melbourne". World Athletics. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  29. ^ Len Johnson (22 March 2014). "Mickle promises, Mickle delivers in Melbourne - IAAF World Challenge". IAAF. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  30. ^ "5000m Race Walk Results". IAAF. 5 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  31. ^ "2022 Melbourne Track Classic Results". World Athletics. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.