YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO ATHLETICS IN NSW & BEYOND INSIDE
athletics ISSUE FOUR MAR 08
2008 SEASON CLOSES
FUTURE
STARS
ON SHOW
UST! B R O G N I J BEI
AM NAMED E T IC P M Y OUR OL
MILE HIGH!
OUR 1500M CLUB
NSW TRACK & FIELD TITLES
SYDNEY & MELBOURNE GP
EVENT REPORTS
PLUS:
4SEE THE LATEST GEAR 4WORLD CROSS COUNTRY TRIAL 4WORLD INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS 4GEARING UP FOR WINTER
AUSTRALIAN
CHAMPIONSHIPS
THE YEA R ENDS WITH A BANG!
INSIDE
athletics
CONTENTS44 ISSUE 04 MAR 2008
05
4 Editorial 5 Performances of the Month
PERFORMANCE OF THE MONTH
6 Athletics Shorts All the latest news & facts 7 Making Tracks Meet our future stars
07
10 Winter Here We Come Preparing for the winter season 14 National Championships The ‘08 season closes with a bang 18 Spiralling Upwards We interview Dani Samuels 20 World XC Trial Canberra hosts our distance stars
MAKING TRACKS 10
22 Mile High NSW middle distnace dominance 26 Milburn Stars at NSW Champs Highlights of the NSW State Titles 30 Lachlan Renshaw - 800m Hero! Injuries only made him stronger 31 Asafa Comes to Town Melbourne GP brings out the best
WINTER HERE WE COME! 14
32 Kapow! for Batman Daniel Batman takes down Wariner 34 Next Generation Grab Gold Australian Under 20 Champs
34
22
AUS U/20 CHAMPS
MILE HIGH
NATIONAL CHAMPS 18
DANI SAMUELS 03 Inside Athletics
Welcome... The season is over! And what a great one it was. One of the best aspects of my job is that I have the opportunity to see all of the big meets around Australia, as well as all of the local action in Sydney. EDITOR Tim McGrath
PRODUCTION David Byrne
PHOTOGRAPHY Getty Images, Tim McGrath, Kel Bradstock (Photos in a Flash), David Tarbotton, David Byrne
EDITORIAL Tim McGrath, Andrew Matthews, David Tarbotton, David Byrne
CONTACT US For any advertising or editorial enquiries please email: insideathletics@nswathletics.org.au
Produced with the assistance of:
In no particular order, my highlights for the season were: • Seeing two of the world’s classiest athletes in Asafa Powell and Jeremy Wariner compete in the Sydney and Melbourne Grand Prix meets. • The continued growth of the Sydney Track Classic. We endeavour to make the event one that athletes love to compete in – from the way Sally McLellan and Scott Martin responded to the great crowd support I’m sure they do. We’ve got even bigger and better things in store for next year, while still making sure that the event keeps its unique community feel. • Seeing athletes like Dani Samuels, Joel Milburn and Lachlan Renshaw achieve their dream of being selected in their first Olympic teams. • Watching those who are likely to be in the same position in four years time, like Ryan Gregson, Emmanuele Fuamatu, Olivia Tauro and James Kaan, achieve exceptional results.
The Rusty Cage *This publication is editorial in nature and does not necessarily represent the views of Athletics NSW
• But even better, watching younger athletes who at the moment might not realise their future potential and future opportunities, as well as those athletes who get out there and compete week in and week out, continue to enjoy and be excited about our great sport. • And last, but certainly not least, observing the tireless dedication that our volunteer officials and club administrators put in throughout the season to keep out sport running. Let’s hope next season is just as good, if not better, than what has just gone past! Tim McGrath
ATHLETES IN FOCUS
HIGHLIGHT PERFORMANCES OF THE MONTH At the Australian All Schools in December, 17-year-old Olivia Tauro suffered her first ever defeats in a school level carnival, at the hands of Canberra’s Melissa Breen. Three months later there wasn’t an Australian athlete of any age who was able to stop her over 200m. Tauro became the second youngest athlete ever to win the 200m title with her run of 23.86 seconds. The only person to have won it at a younger age – Cathy Freeman!
DANI SAMUELS
OLIVIA T AURO
Getting things right when it counts is a hard thing to do as an athlete. Dani Samuels seems to do it with ease, time and time again. The world junior champion’s victory at the Australian Championships was in a new personal best (62.95m) – her third within a month. All were A-qualifiers for the Olympic Games, with the win at nationals putting the final tick in the selector’s checklists. Dani became the only other NSW athlete outside of Jana Rawlinson to achieve automatic selection for Beijing. Turn to page 18 to read an interview with Dani after her win at nationals.
OUR NEWEST WORLD CHAMPION! Tamsyn Lewis produced one of the most unexpected victories in the history of Australian athletics by winning the 800m at the World Indoor Championships. Lewis, who had raced often and was in near career best form, beat a strong field including the great Maria Mutola. The 29-year-old Victorian made a decisive move with 300m remaining to take the lead. Passed on the final lap, Lewis dug deep and recorded a win that even she was surprised of.
Getty Images
05 Inside Athletics
ATHLETICS SHORTS MARATHON STATS If you’re considering completing one of the classic distances the sport has to offer, the marathon, you might be interested in the following statistics:
4The event is named after the fabled run of Pheidippides from Marathon to Athens, supposedly carrying the message of the Greek triumph over the Persians at the Battle of Marathon. He dropped dead of a heart attack after announcing the victory. Why he didn’t simply ride a horse is a bit baffling.
4The distance of the event was changed to 26 miles for the 1908 London Olympics so the Princess of Wales could have her children watch the start from Windsor Castle, and an extra 385 yards were tacked on to the end so that Queen Alexandra of Denmark could have a nice view of the finish from the royal box within the stadium.
WORLD RECORD! Recently at the Sydney Striders 10km road race at North Head, Sydneysider Russell Stokes ran a new world record for running 10km with a pram. This little known record stood at 34min 27sec, set back in 1999. Russell managed to eclipse the time by a healthy margin of eight seconds, crossing the line in an incredible 34.19! What makes this an even more remarkable feat was that he did it with his 8-year-old daughter in the pram! This caps off a great season for the 37-yearold, who also managed to medal in the state 10km and 5km track champs. Coached by Ken Green, Russell attributes much of his success to the guidance of his coach, who despite having Australian representatives in his squad see this as a highlight in his coaching career.
4That distance (42.195m) was formalised as the official distance by the IAAF in 1921 due to the prestige of the Polytechnic Marathon, which was run over the Olympic course annually.
4This year 20% of the population of Japan tuned in on live television to watch their Olympic Trial.
4In 1996 the Journal of the American College of Cardiology released a study which reported that there is approximately one fatality out of every 50,000 marathon competitors. Main causes of death are heart attack, heat stress and hypotremia (extremely low sodium concentration in the blood, usually due to re-hydrating only with water and not an electrolyte drink).
4The New York Marathon has the record for the greatest number of finishers - 37850 in 2006.
460% of all marathon runners in the United States are male, and 1.7% of competitors finish the race in under 3 hours.
4Paula Radcliffe’s world record of 2:15:25 is better than the men’s world record was 50 years ago.
06 Inside Athletics
SEASON OPENER Don’t miss the first of the winter season cross country events. To kick things off there’s the Novice Cross Country held at Scarborough Park on Saturday 26th April. This is a fantastic family event with races for everybody to enjoy. Apart from the fast, flat course and ideal weather at that time of year, the sausage sizzle is always great! Visit www.nswathletics.org.au for more information on this fun event.
MAKING TRACKS THE STARS OF THE FUTURE AMANDA BARTRIM 4 17-year-old Amanda Bartrim continues to rewrite the record books in the women’s pole vault. The Gosford Athletics Club athlete recently cleared a new personal best of 3.71m in winning the NSW Under 20 Championships – improving her own NSW under 20 and under 18 records in the process. Amanda is a year 12 student at Henry Kendall High School and a member of the Athletics Australia Under 17 Development Squad. Currently he is coached by Bob Watson.
3ROBERT FALCHI Bankstown Sports’ Robert Falchi has been hopping, stepping and jumping his way into contention for the World Junior Championships over the past few months. The 18-year-old leapt well over the qualifying standard of 15.60m in early January (15.83m), but without a wind gauge on the event it could not be considered. A fortnight later he made it official with second place at the Briggs Classic in Hobart (15.62m) and continued his fine form with a silver medal in the NSW Open Championships.
BRIDEY DELANEY 4 After a slow start to the season, due to HSC commitments, 18-year-old St George athlete Bridey Delaney has solidly improved race by race to the point where she has made her first Australian team – for the World University Cross Country Championships in Mauquenchy, France. Delaney, who has just commenced a combined science/ education degree at Sydney University, is coached by distance running legend Albie Thomas and recently won open medals over 1500m and 5000m at this year’s State Championships.
07 Inside Athletics
o g o t r a e g
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ELMORE OIL
REVIEW !
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08 Inside Athletics
LIGHT ON YOUR FEET...
Running cadence is the number of foot strikes taken by both feet in one minute, divided by two! Elite runners, whether they run 1500m or a marathon, share one common trait – they all run with cadences of 88 – 92 revolutions per minute… Running with faster legs, or a higher cadence, causes your feet to fall closer to your centre of gravity reducing braking force and assisting natural forward momentum. This technique results in less vertical movement and ultimately reduces the impact on your body with each and every stride. You spend less time on the ground, which not only means that you’ll have less chance of injury but that we’ll be able to keep you running longer, faster and more efficiently! Training yourself to run at a higher cadence has never been easier. The tiny 21 gram s3 stride sensor* delivers your real-time running cadence to your RS800sd so that you can keep track of your leg speed, perfect your technique and be LIGHT ON YOUR FEET! *Shown in actual size above.
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WINTER
HERE WE COME!
With the summer season drawing to a close it’s time for the cross country and fun runners to dust off the joggers and get ready for the upcoming winter competition. And if pounding the pavement hasn’t been your thing in the past, the coming months are the ideal time to make a change and set goals to improve your fitness or shed some kilos. So take the plunge and get into the fun and challenge of distance running! The days are slowly getting shorter and the temperature is starting to drop, and with this comes a change in the focus for athletics. We move from an emphasis on track and field to focusing our attention on the hard slog of distance running. The spikes get put into the cupboard and in their position the racing flats and joggers get pride of place on the front porch. For serious distance runners the wait is over and it’s time to get some kilometres under the belt in preparation for a winter of racing. For those new to the game or simply endeavouring to get fit, 10 Inside Athletics
there’s a host of events where you don’t have to worry about winning, instead you can set your own goals, challenge your limits and enjoy the pleasant and family oriented atmosphere of fun runs and cross country running. The beauty of distance running is that anyone can do it without feeling as though they have to be challenging for a podium finish. The emphasis of the sport is on participation, so while little Johnny might be racing in the under 14 race, mum and dad can go head to head in the over 40s or take advantage of the measured
courses to have a jog between events. The thing is, once you’ve attended a cross country or road race you’ll be hooked on the excitement of the racing and also the enjoyment of competition and satisfaction of fulfilling your own goals. To start things off you can compete at small club and community events, and as you get fitter you can have a go at one of the state championships. Remember, it’s not just about excellence, participation is just as important, so get your hands on some training gear and go for jog!
Choosing the right running gear is the first step to ensuring you not only remain injury free and are able to get through your training, but will also make you more comfortable when you’re on the road. I’ll start from the ground up and look at some of the essentials for both on and off-road running.
SHOES We’ve all walked into a sports store and been blown away by the myriad of shoes in the market. The younger folks tend to lean towards style over function, whereas the oldies look for comfort and support. A happy medium needs to be met where you purchase a shoe that feels good, has adequate support and will withstand the rigors of training, but also looks great so you feel good when wearing them. There is a phrase I’ve heard around the sporting arenas that goes: “Look good, feel good, run good”. In a nutshell it means that if you are confident in your appearance, you will
4Make sure you get the right advice when purchasing running shoes. Talk to experts like the Runner’s Shop in Randwick for accurate info.
feel better about yourself and therefore give yourself the best chance of running well. This theory should extend right through your selection in running apparel, not just shoes. Some people will need to consult a paediatrist to ensure they get the right fit, or visit a specialty store like The Runners Shop and get an expert to help you out. Others can use trial and error – but that technique is fraught with danger, as the wrong shoe can lead to injury. TIGHTS A good pair of tights does a lot more than just make your legs look slimmer. They can aid in recovery between exercise and also provide warmth and comfort in cold or wet conditions. Another, little explored benefit of tights is that they ‘feel good’ to wear. They have a certain weightlessness about them
and many athletes will testify that tights make them feel streamlined and their running action much sharper. Whether there’s any science to back up this ideology I don’t know, but what I am certain of is that wearing long tights makes a Sunday long run on a cold and wet winters morning much more enjoyable! Compression garments are another kettle of fish and to do them justice I’ll explore the benefits of them in a future article. SHIRTS When it comes to shirts, long or short sleeved, until recently my opinion was that too many people fall for gimmicks and waste money on tops that ‘draw away moisture’ or ‘cool the body’. I figured that if you’re going for a run you can expect to sweat a bit and feel a little uncomfortable, and that no matter what shirt you wore you’d feel pretty much 11 Inside Athletics
the same. Well I couldn’t have been further from the truth! A quality running top, that fits appropriately and wicks away the moisture, can have a profound affect on the comfort and therefore enjoyment you have while running. Some tops will hold the moisture a lot more and feel heavy and sticky, while others will absorb sweat and then allow it to rapidly evaporate, giving greater comfort and cooling your body in the process. This means that if you want to feel good while training, or in the case of newcomers to the sport you want give yourself the best chance of staying committed, then you should invest in quality garments instead of wearing an old cotton T-shirt.
JACKETS When the weather turns foul and the temperature plummets, wind blows or rain pours, it’s time to don a jacket. During the cool months they are a must have for pre and post exercise comfort, and if you have to run in the rain or freezing cold then the value of a good jacket is tenfold. The problem with many jackets is that those that offer the most warmth tend not to be of the waterproof variety, and waterproof jackets don’t breath and become hot and sweaty. These are important factors to consider when purchasing a running jacket. Look for something that covers both warmth and rain protection. Any jacket needs to be
unrestrictive to your running action and beyond protecting you from the elements it needs to breath and let heat escape. Having pockets for your keys, money and sports gels is handy, as is an adjustable waist and wrists. ACCESSORIES There are a few additional winter running bits and pieces that might add to the clutter in your cupboard, but are well worth having. These include a beanie and gloves for those really cold mornings, a hat for sunny or rainy days, glasses to keep the glare out of your eyes on long runs, and for those of you that are training for a marathon – a hydration pack or belt is a must.
“The beauty of distance running is that anyone can do it without feeling as though they have to be challenging for a podium finish.”
4One of the winter season highlights is the City to Surf. Anyone can do this family oriented fun run so it’s
the ideal race for newcomers to the sport. Start training now so you’ll have plenty of time to get into shape!
12 Inside Athletics
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National Championships
Once every four years athletes have the chance to make their dreams come true by reaching the pinnacle of sport: the Olympic Games. Although not as cut throat as the United States trials with their 1-2-3 automatic selection, or having the almost incomprehensible depth of the Kenyan trials in distance events, the Australian Championships are an important step in gaining Olympic selection. Some athletes relished the opportunity, dotting all the i’s and crossing all the t’s by winning their event and having achieved two A14 Inside Athletics
qualifiers. For local athlete Alana Boyd her second Astandard came with victory at nationals. Others had the A’s and sealed their selection in emphatic fashion, none more so than Jarrod Banister, who set a new Australian record of 89.02m in the javelin. In terms of Olympic aspirations the sprints were disappointing. The blue ribbon event, the men’s 100m, saw the slowest winning time since 1981, with the result not being confirmed until almost to hours after the event due to protests from pre-race
ABOVE: Mitch Keally out kicked Brad Woods to win the 1500m. Jeremy Roff was a galant third. OPPOSITE PAGE - TOP LEFT: Jarred Bannister threw a huge national record of 89.02m to convincingly win the javelin. TOP RIGHT: In the absence of Sarah Jamieson, Nikki Molan was the victor in a slow women’s 1500m. CENTRE LEFT: A controversial 100m final saw Otis Gowa win ahead of Matt Shirvington. CENTRE RIGHT: NSW youngster Chloe Tighe won the women’s 3000m in emphatic fashion. BOTTOM RIGHT: Lachlan Renshaw dominated the 800m final to secure his selection in the Beijing Olympic team. In second place was defending champion Nick Bromley. Pics: Getty Images.
favourites Matt Shirvington and Patrick Johnson over the quality of the start. The good news story to come out of the event was the success of Otis Gowa, a member of Athletics Australia’s Jump Start to London 2012 Indigenous Program. Gowa was the surprise winner in 10.51 – a brilliant performance for him after having battled through and overcome Hodgkin’s Lymphoma only two years prior. The clash of the championships
was Joel Milburn against John Steffensen and Sean Wroe in the men’s 400m. With Milburn in great shape and Steffensen having his first races of the season, the crowd was treated to seeing them in action over three consecutive days in the heat/semi/final format. In the end the time was not as quick as one would have anticipated, but the 45.90 seconds it took for Milburn to cross the line for victory was one of the most memorable races of the season. 15 Inside Athletics
2008 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
OUR OLYMPIC TEAM
MEN 100m 200m 400m 800m 1500m 3000m 110m H 400m H 3000m St Long Jump Triple Jump High Jump Pole Vault Shot Put Discus Javelin Hammer
MEN: 400m: Joel Milburn (21, NSW), John Steffensen (25, WA), Sean Wroe (23, Vic) 800m: Lachlan Renshaw (21, NSW) 5000m: Craig Mottram (27, Vic) 4x400m: Joel Milburn (NSW), John Steffensen (WA), Sean Wroe (Vic) Dylan Grant (19, Qld), Clinton Hill (27, ACT) 20km walk: Luke Adams (31, NSW), Jared Tallent (23, Vic) 50km walk: Nathan Deakes (30, Vic), Adam Rutter (21, NSW), Jared Tallent (Vic) Pole vault: Steven Hooker (25, WA) Shot put: Scott Martin (25, Vic) Javelin: Jarrod Bannister (23, Qld)
WOMEN 100m 200m 400m 800m 1500m 3000m 100m H 400m H 3000m St Long Jump Triple Jump High Jump Pole Vault Shot Put Discus Javelin Hammer
Otis Gowa Daniel Batman Joel Milburn Lachlan Renshaw Mitch Kealey Craig Mottram Justin Merlino Tristan Thomas Martin Dent Robbie Crowther Alwyn Jones Cal Pearce Steven Hooker Justin Anlezark Benn Harradine Jarrod Bannister Hiroki Doi Darren Billett
Q A N N Q V N A A A S Q W Q V Q JPN S
10.63 20.89 45.90 1:47.57 3:40.62 7:48.26 13.72 51.14 8:34.34 7.86m 16.42m 2.22m 5.55m 20.21m 62.37m 89.02m 68.70m 65.45m
Fiona Cullen Makelesi Batimala Olivia Tauro Tamsyn Lewis Tamsyn Lewis Veronique Molan Chloe Tighe Andrea Miller Fiona Cullen Lauren Boden Donna MacFarlane Bronwyn Thompson Emma Knight Cath Drummond Alana Boyd Valeri Vili Kimberley Mulhall Dani Samuels Kathryn Mitchell Bronwyn Eagles
Q PNG N V V N N NZL Q A T Q W Q Q NZL V N V N
11.80 23.76 23.86 51.44 2:02.12 4:20.85 9:27.63 13.56 13.98 58.06 9:36.09 6.67m 13.18m 1.84m 4.45m 19.54m 14.94m 62.95m 58.77m 63.65m
WOMEN 400m: Tamsyn Lewis (29, Vic) 800m: Tamsyn Lewis (Vic), Madeleine Pape (23, Vic) 100m hurdles: Sally McLellan (21, Qld) 400m hurdles: Jana Rawlinson (25, NSW) 3000m steeplechase: Donna MacFarlane (30, Tas) 20km walk: Kellie Wapshott (26, Vic), Claire Woods (26, SA) Pole vault: Alana Boyd (23, Qld) Long jump: Bronwyn Thompson (30, Qld) Discus: Dani Samuels (19, NSW) Heptathlon: Kylie Wheeler (28, WA) The door to Beijing is still open for a number of athletes, with selectors naming two groups they see as potentially being added to the team. The first group are experienced athletes who are potential medal chances, but are returning from injury: Paul Burgess (28, WA) - pole vault Kym Howe (27, WA) - pole vault Sarah Jamieson (32, VIC) - 1500m Jane Saville (33, NSW) - 20km walk A younger group of athletes, who could develop into medal prospects for London 2012, have been told to chase ‘a better level of performance’ to secure selection: Justin Anlezark (30, QLD) - shot put Collis Birmingham (23, VIC) - 5000m Lisa Corrigan (23, ACT) - 1500m Robbie Crowther (20, QLD) - long jump Jason Dudley (23, QLD) - decathlon Mark Fountain (25, VIC) - 1500m Benn Harradine (25, VIC) - discus Mitch Kealey (24, QLD) - 1500m Melissa Rollison (24, QLD) - 3000m St Brad Woods (21, NSW) - 1500m
16 Inside Athletics
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Getty Images
Spiralling Upwards There are few sweeter moments in sport than seeing an athlete achieve their dream. But for Dani Samuels selection into the Olympic team is just another step on the amazing journey the young discus thrower has in store. Tim McGrath caught up with Dani in the mixed zone moments after she won gold at the national championships. At 19-years-of-age, there isn’t much athletically that one could expect this former Westfield Sports High School student to have accomplished - World Youth champion in 2005, World Junior champion and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist in 2006, and just shy of the top eight at the World Championships in 2007. Samuels has had the world at her feet and competitors around the globe quivering at the prospect of facing such a talent in an event where athletes generally produce their best performances in their early thirties. But for any athlete, selection 18 Inside Athletics
into an Olympic team is what they aspire to. Samuels left no doubt in anyone’s mind that she would be in Beijing, recording two Olympic Aqualifiers on her way to the nationals and then winning the Australian title in a personal best. Dani was one of only 14 automatic selections under Athletics Australia’s nomination criteria. Inside Athletics: You only had one throw out there [a personal best of 62.95m]? Dani Samuels: I’ve got a slight injury which I did last Saturday [at the Melbourne
Grand Prix]. It’s more of an irritation that I have to take care of. One throw did it today – luckily it was my first one! IA: You must be happy with a personal best if you are under an injury cloud? DS: I’m stunned that I did a PB! I was just trying to get over 61m again. I think I just nailed it technically. Hopefully I can improve on that in Beijing. IA: Now you’re in the team - the build up has been long. How do you feel? DS: Surprisingly I’m not really relieved. I think I’m just really excited and looking forward to
the preparation and working harder and harder. It’s pleasing to get a PB because I hadn’t had one for about a year and a half since a couple of weeks ago – it’s really exciting getting those!
Getty Images
IA: How are you going to prepare for Beijing? DS: I’ve got uni commitments, but we are thinking of going over to Beijing for the test event in late May and elsewhere in June/July for about three weeks. IA: When did you first start to think of Beijing? DS: Probably after I came back after Worlds. It really put things in perspective and I was like, okay, Beijing now and nationals as a stepping stone to that. IA: Figuring that you had only one throw tonight with a bit of a dodgy hamstring, where do you think that leaves you when you come to Beijing?
4World Youth and World Junior titles were the start of a rapid rise to the top of women’s discus throwing. The future looks bright for Dani!
DS: I think definitely that throw would get me in the top 8 in Beijing, and that’s my goal. I’m hoping to throw around 65m by the time that I get there. We had Mac Wilkins [1976 Olympic gold medallist] out here last October and that Getty Images
helped me a lot technically and it’s shown me the difference technically, so hopefully we can work a bit more on that. IA: You threw a PB a week ago? DS: Yeah, I threw one last week in Melbourne (61.92m) and one two weeks before that in Sydney (61.38m). IA: But that today was a metre over those ones? DS: Yes, today was 62.95m. About 65m would have got a medal last year in Osaka.
and looking forward ed cit ex ly al re st ju Iʼm k in th “I rder and harder.” ha g in rk wo d an n io at ar ep pr e to th
With the talent and attitude that Samuels displays, Beijing looks to be the first of many successful Olympics for the young thrower.
Inside Athletics acknowledges the contribution of other journalists to the questions asked during the interview. 19 Inside Athletics
WORLD
XC TRIAL
Words and Images by Tim McGrath
Victorian’s Lisa-Jane Weightman and Collis Birmingham were the winners of the Australian Trial for the World Cross Country Championships, held in Canberra on March 8th. This was the last chance for athletes to impress the selectors before they chose the team to compete later this month in Edinburgh, Scotland. Lisa-Jane Weightman caused an upset victory in the women’s 8km event against one of the finest fields ever assembled in Australian women’s distance running. After Melinda Vernon ran gallantry at the front of the pack for the first half of the race, Weightman assumed the lead going into the final 2km lap and was unchallenged 20 Inside Athletics
from that point onwards to complete the course in 27:17, ahead of Melissa Rollison and Victoria Mitchell. Vernon held on to fourth place and took the prized scalp of former world
4Ben St Lawrence finished 5th and was selected in the men’s team along with Craig Mottram, Birmingham, Liam Adams, Dave McNiell, Michael Shelley, Martin Dent and Andrew Leatherby
champion Benita Johnson. “That was the best race I’ve ever run,” said 29-year-old Weightman. “It’s rare that we have everyone running in the same race.” After contesting the World Cross Country Championships, an event considered to be one of the world’s toughest races, Weightman will put herself to an even more challenging test - making her marathon debut in London in April, where she will hope to clock the Olympic A-qualifier of 2 hours, 32 minutes. In the men’s race Collis Birmingham went into the lead with two circuits of the 2km course remaining and ran comfortably to the line for victory in 36:25. His
victory secured him automatic selection for the World Cross Country team. He was followed in closely by a fast finishing Liam Adams, who ran through the field on the final lap to pass Michael Shelley and national steeplechase champion Martin Dent. Birmingham is optimistic, yet cautious, of his chances in Edinburgh. “I found last year that it is a tough race, that is really deep,” said Birmingham. “I need to finish stronger - if I switch off like I did a bit today on the last lap I will loose a lot of places.”
4Melinda Vernon lead early in the women’s race but faded in the final 2km. The world cross team consists of Vernon, Benita Johnson, Vic Mitchell, Lisa Jane-Weightman, Anna Thompson and Mellisa Rollison.
4Ryan Gregson won the junior men’s 8km event with a controlled front running effort in a time of 24:40. The 17-year-old New South Welshman, who broke Craig Mottram’s Australian under 20 3000m record in November, has focused his training on cross country since. The warm, dry conditions in Canberra will be in stark contrast to the expected conditions in Edinburgh. “I think I’ll be okay,” said Gregson. “The Kenyans aren’t used to the mud either. I think it is easier to run in the heat than in the cold.”
4Elise Clayton comfortably won the junior women’s 6km event by 11 seconds from local Emily Brichacek. Alexis McKillop ran gamely for fourth place.
21 Inside Athletics
MILE HIGH
MEET THE MEMBERS OF OUR 1500M CLUB When it comes to the men’s 1500m, NSW has a stable of athletes that have turned the event into a highlight at every meet, and along the way have run times that rival the best the state has ever seen. Historically speaking, there are few events that have had as much an influence over athletics as the men’s 1500m. In the early days, when it was a mile (1609m), there was the likes of Roger Bannister who captured the hearts and minds of Europe and Australia as he challenged what was thought to be the limits of the human body - running the first sub four minute mile with his 3:59.4 on May 6th 1954. His exploits paved the way for the next generation of greats who further lowered the mark, and then with the arrival of Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett 22 Inside Athletics
the world became enthralled in their battle for supremacy in men’s middle distance. The most recent of middle distance superstars, Hicham El Gerrouj, has set a 1500m world record that many believed was impossible – 3:26:00. In an Australian context, our athletics history is firmly grounded in the middle distance ranks. First there was Edwin Flack, winning the 800m and 1500m at the first of the modern Olympics in 1896. Then came John Landy and the unbeatable Herb Elliot who retired while still
at the top of his game. Now we have Mark Fountain and Craig Mottram leading the way, proving that the Africans can be beaten. To take this down to a NSW state level, our tracks have seen the likes of Albie Thomas and Andrew Lloyd and then into the post-Sydney Olympics era Youcef Abdi was the leading 1500m runner, flying to a state record of 3.36.25. But in recent years, and this season in particular, there has been an emergence of fresh talent, with the arrival of Brad Woods, Lachlan Chisholm, Jeremy Roff, Ryan Gregson and Nick Bromley.
MILE HIGH This group of talented milers proves that there’s more than one way to skin a cat. They have vastly differing physical attributes, have varying race tactics and train using techniques to suit their personal strengths and weaknesses. But the one common thread that runs through this pack of future champions is their unbridled passion to become the best. The most aggressive and dominant of these athletes has undoubtedly been Lachlan Chisholm. His confident front running tactics and never say die attitude has seen him battle his way back from countless injuries to shine when it matters most. His championship record speaks for itself, with two national titles and three state championships to his name. But despite his victories he is yet to have made a Commonwealth or Olympic team. At the other end of the spectrum you have Jeremy Roff. He is one of the most consistent athletes in the event, running tactically to see him always in the leading pack and challenging for podium finishes. His focus and commitment, plus great guidance from coach Ken Green, has seen him in peak shape at the business end of the season and free from major injury for several years. Roff’s exploits have seen him represent Australia in the 2006 Commonwealth Games and World Cross Country Championships. Beyond these events he has run solidly in longer distance races
4Sydney University athlete Lachlan Chisholm (right) making the winning strides in the 2008 NSW State Champs 1500m final. Brad Woods (left) of Randwick was second ahead of Jeremy Roff (centre).
including 3000m and cross country. Next you have the new kids on the block in Brad Woods, Nick Bromley and Ryan Gregson. This season has seen this trio come of age, running huge PBs and winning major races along the way. Bromley opened the season with a victory and PB in the Zatopek 1500m, before knocking a further two seconds of his best at the Sydney Grand Prix, running tantalisingly close to an Olympic B qualifier. While he and some others may say he’s an 800m runner, his training volumes and the fact he has run so many 1500’s make it hard to believe his focus isn’t on the metric mile. But his exploits over 800m can’t go without mention. Bromley has won three national titles in the event, three state titles
MILE HIGH
and has a Commonwealth Games final under his belt. Although his times in the event haven’t been particularly fast, with the exception of his recent PB at the Melbourne GP, the lack of fit competition and his blistering kick has seen him dominant in the
4Ryan Gregson showed his huge potential early in the season with record breaking runs over 1500m, 3000m and 5000m.
23 Inside Athletics
JEREMY ROFF D.O.B: 21/11/83 PERSONAL BESTS 800m: 1.50.53 1500m: 3.38.20 3000m: 7.59.06 BRAD WOODS D.O.B: 25/04/86 PERSONAL BESTS 800m: 1.48.86 1500m: 3.37.63 3000m: 8.13.69 LACHIE CHISHOLM D.O.B: 04/05/80 PERSONAL BESTS 800m: 1.48.74 1500m: 3.37.03 3000m: 8.07.88 NICK BROMLEY D.O.B: 23/03/83 PERSONAL BESTS 800m: 1.47.06 1500m: 3.39.12 3000m: 8.06.35 RYAN GREGSON D.O.B: 26/04/90 PERSONAL BESTS 800m: 1.51.42 1500m: 3.43.84 3000m: 8.01.26
4Nick Bromley is new to 1500m running and with plenty of natural speed he has a potent kick in slow races.
24 Inside Athletics
4There are several junior distance runners appearing on the NSW athletics scene. The top seniors will be under pressure next year.
event for several seasons. Now that he has moved up in distance he enters a more competitive event, but with time he may well win as many titles in the 1500m as he has in the 800m. The youngest of the three, Ryan Gregson, showed his potential by smashing junior records and running 3:43 – while still only 17-years-old! His season started with a bang, running several PBs, including a national junior 3000m record of 8:01min. His focus then moved to preparing for the World Junior Cross Country Championships, so his potential over 1500m is yet to be fully explored. Woods then came to the fore after Christmas, running blistering times over the final few weeks of the season, highlighted by smashing his PB to run well
under the Olympic B standard at the Sydney Grand Prix. Hailing from the country town of Dubbo, Woods moved to Sydney in 2005 and lived with training partner Jeremy Roff. His gradual improvement through the years has been thanks to a lot of hard work, a well-planned training and racing schedule, and an incredibly competitive nature. With the summer season coming to an end, for some of these guys it’s back to the drawing board and the hard slog of winter training, while others will head to Europe to chase faster times on foreign soil. Regardless of the outcomes of the winter season, the summer of 2009 is something to look forward to as the battle for middle distance honours continues. Who knows, maybe someone new will steal the limelight?
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MILBURN SHINES AT STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
World class quarter milers cover about nine metres every second of their race, so an improvement of a whole second on an athlete’s personal best makes the difference from being an also ran to being a genuine contender for places. That’s exactly the leap Joel Milburn made at the NSW Championships. On a slightly windy Saturday evening, Milburn slashed a whole second off his personal 26 Inside Athletics
best, breaking 46 seconds for the first time with a phenomenal run of 45.19 seconds. The performance lifted him from being a relay team aspirant to being one of the favourites to be named in the individual event for Beijing. His run was an Olympic A-standard and ranked him as the second quickest Australian during the Olympic qualifying period behind John Steffensen.
Last year he won his first NSW title and made his first national final, finishing third. He is now part of the rich tradition of NSW 400m runners, holding the eighth fastest performance all-time behind an impressive list of athletes. But the road to success has not been easy. As a talented teenage athlete Milburn competed at the 2003 World Youth Championships (4th in his semi-final) and was selected in the relay for the 2004 World Junior team – only to suffer the disappointment of having to withdraw due to a hamstring injury. After a brief stint at the AIS, it was back in Sydney with coach of two years Penny Gilles that Milburn found the training regime that suited his natural ability. A solid domestic season in 2007 earned selection for the World University Games in Thailand. “When he went to world uni’s it gave him a sniff that he could make it,” said Gillies of the inspiration behind Milburn’s undefeated domestic season. “Consistency has been the key. I think he used to cut corners a little bit,” said Gillies. “Plus he’s being doing good supervised gym work with Rudolph (NSWIS Strength & Conditioning Coach).” The extra dedication paid off in front of a small but loyal crowd
at the NSW championships. Milburn was drawn on the inside of Athens relay medalist Clinton Hill, who made a fast start and built a small lead over the first 250 metres of the race. Milburn responded with the signature strong second bend that class athletes such as Jeremy Wariner and John Steffensen consistently display. Coming down the home straight Milburn was a class above Hill, powering towards the line to stop the clock over half a second ahead of him – 45.19s to 45.88s. He was in the right shape at exactly the right time and had all other 400m runners in Australia nervous and scrambling to find their
top form. Milburn was race fit: his run at the NSW Championships was his sixth 400m race of the season. Gillies explained the rationale behind Milburn racing often during the season: “I always liked to race when I was an athlete. Because I wanted Joel to run some 100s and 200s we had to start racing early in the season to fit it all in.” His season started promisingly with a 10.85s/21.41s/46.81s sprint treble at the first round of the Club Premiership at Campbelltown in October. It ended with victory over John Steffensen in the three-round format (heat, semi, final) of
the National Championships in Brisbane five months later. Although not an ‘automatic’ selection for Beijing, the selectors would have needed little time deliberating: Milburn will make his Olympic debut in the 400m and 4x400m relay in Beijing. NSW ALL-TIME 400M LIST
1 Darren Clarke 2 Miles Murphy 3 Patrick Dwyer 4 Daniel Batman 5 Clinton Hill 6 Mark GarneR 7 Paul Greene 8 Joel Milburn 9 David Geddes 10 David Johnston
44.38 44.71 44.73 45.02 45.06 45.08 45.16 45.19 45.80 45.98
‘88 ‘88 ‘00 ‘03 ‘06 ‘91 ‘96 ‘08 ‘04 ’86
ATHLETICS NSW OPEN STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS HIGHLIGHTS RIGHT: Daniel Batman continued his great season by beating New Zealand’s James Dolphin over 200m. BELOW: Olivia Tauro beat her older rivals to take out the sprint double.
27 Inside Athletics
TOP LEFT: Lachlan Chisholm, Brad Woods and Jeremy Roff entered the final lap together in the 1500m. Chisholm proved too strong and held on to win. TOP RIGHT: Jaimee-Lee Starr easily winning her heat before finishing second to ACT’s Angeline Blackburn in the 400m final. ABOVE: Victoria’s Lee Troop lapping bronze medalist Russell Stokes on his way to victory in the 10,000m. Troop used the race to prepare for the Lake Biwa Marathon three weeks later. LEFT: Justin Merlino worked hard to win the 110m Hurdles.
28 Inside Athletics
ABOVE LEFT: Eventual winner Trychelle Kingdom (3236) sits on the shoulder of Brooke Simpson (262) as they approach the bell in the 800m. ABOVE RIGHT: James Roff retained his state title in the 400m Hurdles with a solid run of 52.49 seconds. LEFT: Commonwealth Games representative Nick Moroney took out a facinating High Jump competition with a great clearance of 2.20m
MEN
CLUB PERFORMANCE EVENT
WOMEN
CLUB PERFORMANCE
Matt Shirvington Daniel Batman Joel Milburn Lachlan Renshaw Lachlan Chisholm Jeffrey Hunt Russell Dessaix-Chin Luke Adams Justin Merlino James Roff Jeffrey Hunt Nick Moroney Blake Lucas Fabrice Lapierre Alexander Stewart Stuart Gyngell Ben Harradine Mark Dickson Will Hamlyn-Harris
ASW SUT ASW SYU SYU RBH SYU BAN SYU RBH RBH HUN CBT WES ASW MIN HUN WES UNS
Olivia Tauro Olivia Tauro Jaimee-Lee Starr Trychelle Kingdom Veronique Molan Emma Rilen Hollie Emery Natalie Saville Jessie Shea Amanda Morris Lauren McKillop Trudy Thompson Amanda Bartrim Fleur Castlereagh Lisa Morrison Dani Samuels Dani Samuels Bronwyn Eagles Karen Clarke
HIL HIL WOL UTS SYU SYU BMA RBH BAN MIN RBH WYO GOS SUT PAR WES WES CBT IND
10.51 20.71 45.19 1:48.27 3:41.84 14:29.96 29:29.40 19:38.55 13.85 52.49 8:51.99 2.20m 4.80m 7.75m 15.55m 18.42m 59.98m 63.24m 73.97m
100m 200m 400m 800m 1500m 5000m 10000m 5000m Walk 110m /100mH 400mH 3000m Stpl High Jump Pole Vault Long Jump Triple Jump Shot Put Discus Hammer Javelin
11.73 23.62 54.29 2.08.46 4.19.97 16:29.54 35:18.67 22:52.99 14.88 61.30 10:54.52 1.75m 3.60m 5.88m 13.04m 15.68m 61.38m 62.03m 44.34m
29 Inside Athletics
HALF MILE HERO!444
800
Three years ago, then Sydney Grammar student Lachlan Renshaw was using his front running prowess over 800 metres to set schoolboy records, with his performance of 1:50.63 in 2005 being one of the finest ever recorded at the GPS Championships. Now, following superb performances at the Melbourne Grand Prix and National Championships, he is on his way to Beijing to compete at the pinnacle of sport: the Olympic Games. In Melbourne Renshaw, 21, now a commerce/ engineering student at the University of Sydney, took over a second off his previous best to clock an Olympic A-qualifying time of 1:45.79. The 30 Inside Athletics
dominance of his performance held the 10,000 strong crowd in awe, including two-time Olympic 1500m champion and long time 800m world record holder Lord Sebastian Coe, who watched with keen interest With training partner Werner Botha graciously taking up the pacing duties and expertly taking the field through the bell in 50.7 seconds, the race was set up perfectly for Renshaw to clock the breakthrough performances that eluded him over recent seasons. Renshaw holds the NSW under 20 record with his performance of 1:47.00 in the heats of the 2006 World Junior Championships. Despite his youth he was a contender for a spot that year in the Commonwealth Games, thanks to his 1:47.98 win at the Sydney Track Classic, but couldn’t improve on that run to reach the 1:47.50 qualifying standard. Last season didn’t pan out as he had hoped, with a hamstring injury causing him to miss most of the year. A fall 300m into the national final put him out of contention for a place. It all turned around with a tour of the United States, where he was just outside of his personal best. Valuable experience at the World University Games and lowering his personal best over 400m (46.9h) to that required to be competitive over 800m on the world stage set up an undefeated season for him. “Last domestic season was disappointing,” said Renshaw after his convincing early season victory at the Sydney Track Classic. He was far more jubilant following his run in Melbourne: “It feels so good to have done it [the A-qualifier]. I always believed I could.” In the lead up to Beijing Renshaw will turn his attention to breaking the Australian record for the distance. The record, 1:44.40, celebrates its fortieth anniversary this year – it was the gold medal winning performance of Victoria’s Ralph Doubell in the 1968 Mexico Olympics. With some good training and the right races, he may be the athlete who can achieve it.
ASAFA COMES TO TOWN The world’s fastest man and the entourage and hype that follows him was on shown at the first event of the IAAF World Athletics Tour – the Melbourne Grand Prix. Kept from the Sydney Grand Prix due to a knee injury sustained when hurrying up the stairs of his Jamaican apartment, it was only 30 minutes before his race in Melbourne that he was a confirmed starter. To the delight of the 10,000 strong crowd, Powell showed that even in his off season and with a severely interrupted training program that he was a class above what Australian sprinting could offer. The world record holder virtually stood up out of the blocks and jogged down the track for a 10.03 second season opener. Powell was powerful, but Olympic 400m champion Jeremy Wariner was smooth. After Victorian champion Sean Wroe ran aggressively for the first 250m, Wariner glided into the lead around the second bend and ran away for a 44.82 second race victory. Steve Hooker, sporting an afro mop of hair, excited the crowd in the home straight by clearing 5.82m, but the largest reaction of the crowd cam for local boy Scott Martin, who set the shot out to a new national record of 21.27m. Craig Mottram added to his cult like status amongst young distance runners by disposing of the African challenge of Shadrack Kosgei and Abraham Feleke to win the 5000m in 13:11.99, with the last kilometre covered in a classy 2:27.
4Craig Mottram
4Scott Martin
Getty Images
31 Inside Athletics
KAPOW! FOR BATMAN
Getty Images
Daniel Batman produced a superhero like performance to inflict a shock defeat to Olympic 400m champion Jeremy Wariner over 200m in the final event of the Sydney Grand Prix. Wariner, who only weeks prior had left his coach Clyde Hart due to financial negotiations, looked sluggish out of the blocks and couldn’t run down the strong starting Batman, who won in 20.81 seconds. For only the second time in history two Australian women broke two minutes in the same race, with Tamsyn Lewis leading home Madeleine Pape, who broke the mentally significant 32 Inside Athletics
barrier for the first time. Brad Woods, Mitch Kealey and Collis Birmingham went for it hammer and tongs over the final lap of an entertaining 1500m to all record B-qualifiers. Woods (3:37.63) was the winner by two-hundredths of a second from Kealey, with the first six athletes all going under 3 minutes, 40 seconds. The Australian 5000m championship saw Georgie Clarke regain the title she last won in 2005 with a time of 15:24.03. Sydney University’s Emma Rilen took out the silver in 16:00.59, in only her 4Tamsyn Lewis leads Made third race back from a long line Pape down the finish ing strait. absence from the sport due to injury.
Getty Images
WORLD INDOORS A small but elite team of seven Australian athletes contested the World Indoor Championships in Valencia, Spain. Apart from the shock victory to Tamsyn, Steve Hooker claimed the bronze medal in the pole vault with a leap of 5.80m.
4Steve Hooker congratulates Tamsyn after her amazing victory in the 800m.
Tamsyn Lewis Steve Hooker Craig Mottram Sean Wroe AUS Team
Women’s 800m Men’s Pole Vault Men’s 3000m Men’s 400m Men’s 4x400m
1st 3rd 5th 6th 5th(ht)
2:02.52 5.80m 7:52.42 46.93 3:12.69
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NEXT GENERATION GRAB
GOLD ON THE COAST Words by Tim McGrath, Images by David Tarbotton
A large number of NSW athletes have put forward a strong case for selection in the Australian team for the World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland following their exceptional performances at the Australian U20 Championships. It is expected that NSW will make up approximately half of the team when it is announced. The increasing middle distance strength of NSW shone through with James Kaan and Ryan Gregson dominating the men’s 800m, 1500m and 5000m events, and Bridey Delaney
and Chloe Tighe finishing 1-2 in the women’s 1500m. But the highlight race of the championships was the women’s 800m, which saw a NSW trifecta. Trychelle Kingdom led home Sianne Toemoe and 16-year-old Selma Kajan, with all three going under the world junior qualifier. Emmanuele Fuamatu sailed his throws consistently over the 19m barrier in the shot put and Olivia Tauro dominated the field in the women’s 200m. The women’s discus saw the first five athletes record world
4Emmanuele Fuamatu proved a force in winning the the shot put.
4Ryan Gregson confidently eads the pack in the 1500m. The depth in NSW middle distance running ranks continues to grow, with strong perfprmances in both the male and female 800m, 1500m and 5000m races.
34 Inside Athletics
junior qualifiers, leaving the selectors with a huge headache as to who will get the nod for Poland. Lomana Fagatuai was the best of the NSW trio in contention, which included Vika Lolo and Christie Chamberlain, with the Bankstown Sports athlete landing the discus right on the 50 metre mark for the first time. The competition was taken out by Australian open shot put champion Kimberly Mulhall. The best two performances of the meet were an Olympic B-qualifier from Vickey Parnov (4.35m in the pole vault) and an Australian record to Jessica Rothwell in the 10000m Walk. NSWs Melissa Hayes, who finished second, also went under the old mark.
4Bridey Delaney (right)
4Trychelle Kingdom won the
ahead of Chloe Tighe (left).
800m in a fantastic NSW 1-2-3.
AUSTRALIAN U20 CHAMPIONS MEN 100m 200m 400m 800m 1500m 5000m 110m H 400m H 3000m St 10000m Walk Long Jump Triple Jump High Jump Pole Vault Shot Put Discus Javelin Hammer
Daniel Martin Kurt Mulcahy Kurt Mulcahy James Kaan Ryan Gregson Ryan Gregson Daniel Martin Ian Dewhurst Richard Everest Daniel Coleman Rodney Blair Henry Frayne Josh Hall Blake Lucas Emanuele Fuamatu Andrew Peska Hamish Peacock Erwan Cassier Craig Seage
V A A N N N V N S T N V Q N N N T FRA Q
10.70 21.58 46.89 1:49.67 3:53.88 14:38.95 14.01 52.76 8:55.82 44:11.81 7.28m 15.47m 2.17m 4.75m 19.37m 55.04m 70.56m 64.47m 59.72m
Melissa Breen Olivia Tauro Angeline Blackburn Trychelle Kingdom Bridey Delaney Courtney Gilfillan Brianna Beahan Brittney McGlone Kate Sly Jessica Rothwell Larissa Perry Ainsley Ackerman Zoe Timmers Vicky Parnov Kimberley Mulhall Kimberley Mulhall Bianca Maurer Natalie Prior
A N A N N Q W N V V W Q W W V V V N
11.83 23.74 54.25 2:06.69 4:21.57 17:39.51 14.10 59.69 10:39.06 46:15.17 6.16m 12.93m 1.80m 4.35m 14.75m 50.74m 45.65m 51.85m
WOMEN
4Ian Dewhurst ran a blistering 400m hurdles to take the gold medal for NSW.
$40,000 Silver Medal! Westfield’s Robert Marks ran a wind assisted 10.55s (+2.2 m/s) for second in the U23 100m. In doing so he probably cost himself the chance of winning the $40,000 main prize a week later in the Stawell Gift, with his handicap reduced from 7m to 4.25m following his great run. Look forward to the next edition of Inside Athletics for extensive coverage of the Australia Post Stawell Gift.
100m 200m 400m 800m 1500m 5000m 100m H 400m H 3000m St 10000m Walk Long Jump Triple Jump High Jump Pole Vault Shot Put Discus Javelin Hammer
35 Inside Athletics
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For 10 years Stacey was a national middle distance runner & jumper, winning multiple state & national championships in her career. Apart from an interest in treating sports related injuries, Stacey’s other interests include treatment of work related postural pain, women’s health & treatment of headaches