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Aussie track stars run hot before Tokyo Olympics

Hana Basic has rounded off her Olympic preparation in style, winning a 100m final in Switzerland.

Hana Basic has rounded off her Olympic preparation in style, winning a 100m final in Switzerland. Photo: AAP

Sprinters Hana Basic and Rohan Browning, hurdler Liz Clay and middle-distance runner Linden Hall were among the Australian track stars to excel this weekend in their final hitouts before the Tokyo Olympics.

Basic’s decision to head to Europe to round out her Games preparation was further vindicated by an impressive pair of 100m runs in a meet in the Swiss town of Mendrisio.

The 25-year-old equalled her personal best with a sizzling heat time of 11.16 seconds and backed up a couple of hours later to win the final in 11.30.

The Olympics rookie has now recorded four sub-11.20 times for the 100m – the most by an Australian female sprinter.

Her male counterpart Browning also clocked two swift 100m times in quick succession.

Competing on day one of the two-day meet at the pre-departure training camp in Cairns, Browning stopped the clock at 10.08 and 10.15 – with the first run coming with the aid of a tailwind just over the legal limit.

As is the case with the 100m duo, sprint hurdler Liz Clay will be making her Olympic debut in Tokyo.

She won the 100m hurdles in impressive style in Cairns in 12.73, her second fastest time.

Not to be outdone, Linden Hall also clocked her second-fastest time of 4:00.00 in a mixed 1500m race in Cairns on Sunday.

“I haven’t run the 1500m since Nationals so it was nice to dip the toes in and remember what it feels like before Tokyo,” Hall said.

“The time was my second fastest I’ve ever run and I can’t ask for much more than that going into the Olympics, particularly given it was on a windy afternoon in Cairns.”

Commonwealth Games champion Kurtis Marschall won the pole vault in Cairns with a best clearance of 5.80m.

Competing overnight at the Motonet grand prix meet in Finland, young Australians Izzy Batt-Doyle (15:16.19) and Rose Davies (15:32.30) went 1-2 in the women’s 5000m.

They will also be making their Olympic debuts in the Japanese capital.

-AAP

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