World championships silver medallist Kim Mickle has been chasing Louise Currey's Australian javelin record for as long as she can remember.

Mickle has always looked up to the 1996 Olympic runner-up and is the proud owner of one of Currey's javelins, given to her when she was a starry-eyed implement retriever at the 2000 Sydney Games.

But, aside from that moment 14 years ago, the pair had never officially met.

Until Thursday that is, when Currey was inducted into the Athletics Australia Hall of Fame along with long jumper Gary Honey and hurdler Norma Thrower.

Mickle, 29, is coming off the greatest year of her career, which included silver at the world titles in Moscow, the medal secured with a huge effort of 66.60m, her third personal best of the competition.

The only Australian ahead of her on the alltime list is Currey, who threw 66.80m in the lead-up to the Sydney Olympics.
That campaign was eventually cruelled by a knee injury, but that's not what Mickle remembers most.

She recalls Currey's courage in defying the injury to compete at her hometown Games - and being given a javelin she has kept to this day.

"It's still sitting at home," Mickle said on Thursday.

"I never used to throw Nemeth javelins, but Louise gave me a Nemeth and now I can't throw anything but Nemeths.

"I bounce between different-rated javs but I always come back to that jav as my old faithful.

"If I'm having a hit and miss day it just seems to fit me well.

"But on the days when I'm feeling good I'll try and throw a higher-rated jav in case you nail it."

Mickle has flagged the prospect of having another serious crack at Currey's national record in Saturday's IAAF World Challenge meet at Lakeside Stadium in Melbourne, where she will be pushed all the way by compatriots Kathryn Mitchell and Kelsey-Lee Roberts.

The trio currently own the three biggest throws in the world this year, raising the enticing prospect of them sweeping the medals at the Commonwealth Games in July.

The stiffest competition in Glasgow is likely to come from two-time defending champion Sunette Viljoen from South Africa and Englishwoman Goldie Sayers.

Currey - a two-time Commonwealth champion - said Mickle, Mitchell and Roberts could lift each other to greater heights in the same way she and 1997 world championships runner-up Joanna Stone did in the 1990s.

"For Kim to come out and throw 66 metres so early in the season, and Kathryn as well (in Adelaide last month) is just astounding," said Currey.

"It is the same as Joanna and I, thinking if I don't pull my finger out here Jo is going to whoop me.

"We were good mates but I would do anything in competition not to let her beat me."

source: ninemsn.com.au / John Salvado