# Maurie Plant Meet

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.
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. 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. It was the first race of the IAAF World Challenge series from 2010 through 2016. 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. 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. 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.
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, Lisa Corrigan in the mile run and Bronwyn Thompson in the women's long jump. National records have also been set at the meeting by New Zealand and Australia's athletes.

## Editions

Maurie Plant Meet editions :
| Ed. | Title | Venue | Date | Status |
| | Alcoa Challenge Series - Melbourne | Melbourne Olympic Park | 17 January 1980 | |
| | Alcoa Challenge Series - Melbourne | Melbourne Olympic Park | 15 January 1981 | |
| | Alcoa Challenge Series - Melbourne | Melbourne Olympic Park | 14 January 1982 | |
| | International Meet | Melbourne Olympic Park | 27 January 1983 | |
| | International Meet | Melbourne Olympic Park | 18 January 1984 6 March 1984 | |
| | International Meet | Melbourne Olympic Park | 21 March 1985 | |
| | International Meet | Melbourne Olympic Park | 20 March 1986 | |
| | | | 1987 | |
| 1st | NEC Classic | Melbourne Olympic Park | 17 March 1988 | |
| 2nd | NEC Classic | Melbourne Olympic Park | 9 March 1989 | |
| 3rd | NEC Classic | Melbourne Olympic Park | 8 February 1990 | |
| 4th | NEC Classic | Melbourne Olympic Park | 7 February 1991 | |
| 5th | NEC Classic | Melbourne Olympic Park | 25 February 1992 | |
| 6th | NEC Classic | Melbourne Olympic Park | 25 February 1993 | |
| 7th | NEC Classic | Melbourne Olympic Park | 24 February 1994 | |
| 8th | NEC Classic | Melbourne Olympic Park | 23 February 1995 | |
| 9th | NEC Classic | Melbourne Olympic Park | 29 February 1996 | IAAF Grand Prix II |
| 10th | Nike Track Classic | Melbourne Olympic Park | 20 February 1997 | IAAF Grand Prix II |
| 11th | Melbourne Track Tour | Melbourne Olympic Park | 25 February 1998 | IAAF Grand Prix II |
| 12th | Melbourne Track Classic | Melbourne Olympic Park | 25 February 1999 | IAAF Grand Prix II |
| 13th | Melbourne Track Classic | Melbourne Olympic Park | 2 March 2000 | IAAF Grand Prix II |
| 14th | Telstra Melbourne Track Classic | Melbourne Olympic Park | 1 March 2001 | IAAF Grand Prix Final |
| 15th | Telstra A-series - Melbourne | Melbourne Olympic Park | 7 March 2002 | IAAF Grand Prix II |
| 16th | Telstra A-series - Melbourne | Melbourne Olympic Park | 1 March 2003 | IAAF Grand Prix II |
| 17th | Telstra A-series - Melbourne | Melbourne Olympic Park | 12 February 2004 | IAAF Grand Prix II |
| 18th | Telstra A-series - Melbourne | Melbourne Olympic Park | 17 February 2005 | IAAF Grand Prix II |
| 19th | Telstra A-series - Melbourne | Melbourne Olympic Park | 9 March 2006 | IAAF Grand Prix |
| 20th | Telstra A-series - Melbourne | Melbourne Olympic Park | 2 March 2007 | IAAF Grand Prix |
| 21st | Melbourne Athletic Grand Prix | Melbourne Olympic Park | 21 February 2008 | IAAF Grand Prix |
| 22nd | Melbourne GP Series Meet | Melbourne Olympic Park | 5 March 2009 | IAAF Grand Prix |
| 23rd | IAAF Melbourne Track Classic | Melbourne Olympic Park | 4 March 2010 | IAAF World Challenge |
| 24th | IAAF Melbourne Track Classic | Melbourne Olympic Park | 3 March 2011 | IAAF World Challenge |
| 25th | Qantas Melbourne Track Classic | Lakeside Stadium | 2-3 March 2012 | IAAF World Challenge |
| 26th | Qantas Melbourne Track Classic | Lakeside Stadium | 6 April 2013 | IAAF World Challenge |
| 27th | IAAF Melbourne Track Classic | Lakeside Stadium | 22 March 2014 | IAAF World Challenge |
| 28th | IAAF Melbourne Track Classic | Lakeside Stadium | 21 March 2015 | IAAF World Challenge |
| 29th | Melbourne Track Classic | Lakeside Stadium | 5 March 2016 | IAAF World Challenge |
| | not held | | 2017 | |
| | not held | | 2018 | |
| | not held | | 2019 | |
| 30th | Melbourne Track Classic | Lakeside Stadium | 6 February 2020 | |
| 31st | Melbourne Track Classic | Lakeside Stadium | 25 February 2021 | |
| 32nd | Melbourne Track Classic | Lakeside Stadium | 19 March 2022 | Area Permit |
| 33rd | Maurie Plant Meet | Lakeside Stadium | 23 February 2023 | Continental Tour Gold |
| 34th | 2024 Maurie Plant Meet | Lakeside Stadium | 15 February 2024 | Continental Tour Gold |

## Meeting records
### Men

Men's meeting records of the Maurie Plant Meet :
| Event | Record | Athlete | Nationality | Date |
| 100 m | 10.04 | Asafa Powell | Jamaica | 2008 |
| 200 m | 19.92 | Frankie Fredericks | Namibia | 1999 |
| 400 m | 44.82 | Jeremy Wariner | United States | 2008 |
| 800 m | 1:43.15 | David Rudisha | Kenya | 2010 |
| 1500 m | 3:32.55 | William Chirchir | Kenya | 2000 |
| Mile | 3:51.54 | Simon Doyle | Australia | 1991 |
| 3000 m | 7:41.38 | Ishmael Kipkurui | Kenya | 23 February 2023 |
| 5000 m | 13:08.43 | Bernard Lagat | United States | 3 March 2011 |
| 10,000 m | 28:30.32 | Joseph Kimani | Kenya | 2000 |
| 110 m hurdles | 13.24 | Colin Jackson | Great Britain | 1996 |
| 110 m hurdles | 13.24 | Colin Jackson | Great Britain | 1999 |
| 400 m hurdles | 48.40 | Bryan Bronson | United States | 1998 |
| 3000 m steeplechase | 8:19.47 | John Kosgei | Kenya | 2000 |
| High jump | 2.31 m | Tim Forsyth | Australia | 1996 |
| Pole vault | 5.81 m | Steven Hooker | Australia | 2007 |
| Long jump | 8.30 m | Peter Burge | Australia | 2000 |
| Triple jump | 16.91 m (±0.0 m/s) | Henry Frayne | Australia | 3 March 2011 |
| Shot put | 21.37 m | Tomas Walsh | New Zealand | 21 March 2015 |
| Discus throw | 66.23 m | Connor Bell | New Zealand | 22 February 2023 |
| Hammer throw | 78.91 m | Stuart Rendell | Australia | 2003 |
| Javelin throw | 87.13 m | Sergey Makarov | Russia | 1999 |
| 5000 m walk (track) | 18:38.97 | Dane Bird-Smith | Australia | 5 March 2016 |
| 4 × 100 m relay | 39.30 | Will Roberts Jake Doran Jacob Despard Jack Hale | Australia | 19 March 2022 |

### Women

Women's meeting records of the Maurie Plant Meet :
| Event | Record | Athlete | Nationality | Date | Meet |
| 100 m | 11.01 | Marion Jones | United States | 1998 | |
| 200 m | 22.54 | Cathy Freeman | Australia | 1993 | |
| 400 m | 49.85 | Cathy Freeman | Australia | 1996 | |
| 800 m | 1:59.42 | Toni Hodgkinson | New Zealand | 1997 | |
| 800 m | 1:59.42 | Tamsyn Lewis | Australia | 2000 | |
| 1500 m | 4:06.23 | Toni Hodgkinson | New Zealand | 2000 | |
| Mile | 4:22.66 | Lisa Corrigan | Australia | 2007 | |
| 3000 m | 8:43.51 | Sonia O'Sullivan | Ireland | 2001 | |
| 5000 m | 14:57.54 | Rose Davies | Australia | 15 February 2024 | 2024 |
| 100 m hurdles | 12.49 (+0.8 m/s) | Sally Pearson | Australia | 3 March 2012 | |
| 400 m hurdles | 54.64 | Jana Pittman | Australia | 2003 | |
| 3000 m steeplechase | 9:29.93 | Donna MacFarlane | Australia | 2008 | |
| High jump | 1.99 m | Nicola Olyslagers | Australia | 15 February 2024 | 2024 |
| Pole vault | 4.71 m | Alana Boyd | Australia | 5 March 2016 | |
| Long jump | 7.00 m | Bronwyn Thompson | Australia | 2002 | |
| Triple jump | 13.89 m (±0.0 m/s) | Nneka Okpala | New Zealand | 5 March 2016 | |
| Shot put | 20.13 m | Valerie Adams | New Zealand | 3 March 2011 | |
| Discus throw | 66.10 m | Daniela Costian | Australia | 1994 | |
| Hammer throw | 69.31 m | Rose Loga | France | 23 February 2023 | |
| Javelin throw | 66.83 m | Kimberley Mickle | Australia | 22 March 2014 | |
| 3000 m walk (track) | 11:51.26 | Kerry Junna | Australia | 1991 | |
| 5000 m walk (track) | 21:19.46 | Beki Smith | Australia | 5 March 2016 | |
| 4 × 100 m relay | 43.15 | Torrie Lewis Ella Connolly Bree Masters Mia Gross | Australia | 19 March 2022 | |
| 4 × 400 m relay | 3:32.41 | Susan Andrews Kylie Hanigan Maree Holland Cathy Freeman | Australia | 1993 | |