The Australian Institute of Sport track and field squad travelled to Melbourne for the 2011 Australian Athletics Championships and World Championship trials last week and achieved great success.

AIS athletes Brendan Cole and Lauren Boden, who are both coached by Matt Beckenham, won gold medals in the men’s and women’s 400-metre hurdles respectively, continuing the great success of the AIS National 400-metre hurdles centre.

Despite not quite recording qualifying times for the Australian World Championships team, both Boden and Cole will have until 31 July to qualify for the world championships.

AIS Paralympic athlete Jody Elkington won gold in the women’s 200m ambulant and 100m in the women’s 100 metre ambulant, while AIS team mate Kath Proudfoot claimed the national title in the women’s discuss ambulant and silver in the shot put and ex-AIS athlete Kerrie Perkins prevailed in the women’s long jump.

In a promising return from two years of injury, AIS athlete Robbie Crowther won a silver medal in the long jump, recording a distance of 8.05 metres in slightly wind assisted conditions.

At the Athletics Australia Athlete of the Year awards dinner held on Sunday evening, several AIS athletes and coaches were recognised for their contribution and success in the past year. Among the AIS award winners were:

•  Male Athlete of the Year with a Disability: Evan O’Hanlon 
• Female Athlete of the Year with a Disability: Kelly Cartwright
• Athletics International Female Emerging Athlete of the Year: Jess Rothwell 
• Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year: Jared Tallent
• Australian Institute of Sport Senior Coach of the Year: Brent Vallance

AIS walkers Luke Adams, Adam Rutter, Jared Tallent, Nathan Deakes and Claire Tallent were all selected in the Australian world championships team to compete in Daegu, South Korea from Saturday August 23-Sunday September 4.