Patterson and High-Flying Friends to Light Up Maurie Plant Meet 

World champion, Olympic bronze medallist and New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) athlete Eleanor Patterson is ready to launch into the Melbourne skyline on March 29, leading a charge of high jumpers including Australian record holder and NSWIS athlete Brandon Starc and Olympic showman Yual Reath at the Maurie Plant Meet – Melbourne.

With a host of track stars announced for the Lakeside Stadium event, Patterson joins fellow Olympic medallist Matthew Denny as a headline act in the field, marking her return to the city she calls “home” in front of family and friends.

The Australian star was crowned the 2022 world champion with a 2.02m clearance and also owns silver from both the 2023 World Athletics Championships and 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships, along with her most recent addition of Olympic bronze in Paris – bringing truly world-class credentials to the Chemist Warehouse Summer Series meet.

Set to compete at full flight with the crowd of thousands in the palm of her hand, Patterson is ready to put on a show:

“I’m so excited to compete in Melbourne this year, it has looked like such an energetic meet where athletes have taken the competition to another level,” Patterson said.

“I unfortunately haven’t competed in Melbourne for seven years, despite being a Victorian, so this one means a lot for me. I will have a lot of family and friends there supporting me.”

The spotlight will be shared at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold level meet, as Olympic trio Starc, Joel Baden and Yual Reath go toe-to-toe in the men’s contest, alongside the rising Roman Anastasios in what looms as a thrilling high jump double-header.

Starc holds the ascendency on paper with his equal national record of 2.36m, but the three-time Olympian is unlikely to have it all his own way as Reath makes his return from injury as a 2.30m jumper, and Anastasios builds on his 2.25m career-best.

Having adopted a new run-up and spent more time overseas in recent months, Patterson has showed little difficulty in embracing new challenges – already delivering a 1.99m clearance indoors that will place NSWIS athlete Nicola Olyslagers’ 1.99m meet record on notice in Melbourne.

“It’s been a great start to the year with my competitions, this weekend World Indoors and next weekend Melbourne, it’s a perfect line up of competitions,” Patterson said.

“All in all, I’m just really happy to be coming home to Melbourne to compete, I can’t wait!”

One of only two Australian women in history to have cleared the elusive two-metre barrier, the 28-year-old, who hails from Leongatha, craves the biggest moments on the biggest stages, and they don’t come any bigger on Australian soil than the Maurie Plant Meet – Melbourne.

A World Athletics Continental Tour Gold level meet, the Maurie Plant Meet – Melbourne is the only meet of this level within the Oceania region, sitting just below the Diamond League in status on the global athletics calendar.

The meet is part of Australia’s premier athletics tour, the Chemist Warehouse Summer Series, and is supported by the Victorian Government through its Significant Sporting Events Program. Tickets can be purchased HERE. 

Story: Australian Athletes

Feature Image: Getty Images