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Aussies gallant in finals mix

Published Sun 21 Aug 2016

The final night of athletics inside Rio’s Olympic Stadium saw three Australians feature on the track. In an historic night for world athletics, Great Britain’s mighty Mo Farah completed the ‘double-double’ – the first athlete ever to win the 5,000m and 10,000m at two consecutive Games since the Finn Lasse Viren in 1972 and 1976.

Australian Ryan Gregson survived a tactical affair in the men’s 1500m final, to run home strongly in ninth in 3:51.39. In a physical battle for position, Ryan’s performance is Australia’s best result in the event since 1976 when Graham Crouch finished eighth at the Montreal Games.

In a bizarre race, the handbrakes were on for the first two laps as athletes jostled for position, before Matthew Centrowitz won in a sluggish time of 3:50.00, becoming the first American to win the 1500m since 1908. Gregson seemed to be in a good position early, but dropped back slightly during the middle stages, before fighting back gallantly toward the finish.

After the race he told Seven’s Pat Welsh, “I was in a good spot early, I just showed one moment of weakness with about 750m to go, a few guys all came at once and I wasn’t strong enough to hold them out and I then completely lost my spot.

“It’s unfortunate. The slower it is, the positioning is even more important. I didn’t have my best run, it was okay, it’s just that in a race like that, the slower it is, any mistake is crucial.

Contrary to Gregson’s humility, it was a great performance from the 26-year-old. A month ago, the idea of an Australian in the top ten in the men’s 1500m would have seemed sensational.

Though Gregson clearly held higher hopes, and when asked about this longer term goal, he replied, “I’d like to get in a position like this in four years but be fitter and stronger.”

“That is an achievement but I know what I’m capable of, and I think that if I have a little bit of momentum the next few years I can certainly finish higher than ninth and hopefully push for a medal next time around,” Gregson said.

“I look at someone like Nick Willis who just got bronze there - he’s 33 and he just seems like a fine wine, he gets better with age so hopefully, I’m 26, I’ll be the same.”

Making the final in his debut Olympics, Brett Robinson (Vic) took part in the historic 5000m race won by Mo Farah (GBR).

The Australian stuck onto the pack and looked at ease throughout the race. However, the 25-year-old wasn’t able to hold on when the pace picked up in the final laps, and crossed the line in 15th position in 13:32.30.

The earlier push and shove played havoc with the final standings. An earlier disqualification of second-place finisher Paul Kipkemoi Chelimo (USA), Canadian Mohammad Ahmed and Ethiopian Muktar Edris saw Robinson momentarily elevated to 12th position. Later, a protest was upheld for Chelimo and Ahmed which saw Robinson’s final standing move to 14th overall.

With an average age of less than 22-years-old, the Australian women’s 4x400m relay team gave it their all in the world-class final, finishing 8th in 3:27.45.

The same team that raced the heat so well, lined up again for the final, with the teenager Jess Thornton (NSW) leading off, before passing to Anneliese Rubie (NSW), to Caitlin Sargent (QLD), and then to Morgan Mitchell (Vic).

With less than one second separating 4th and 8th place, it caps off a big week for Mitchell and Rubie especially, running their fourth 400m race of the Games.

Mitchell said after the race, “To make the Olympic final is a massive achievement and I guess our next goal is obviously world champs and then 2018 Commonwealth Games and anything can happen.”

She cited a bit more experience and fitness as the two key factors that would help propel the team to the next level, and that is something we are very much looking forward to seeing in the years to come.

That brings to a conclusion the track and field action at the Olympic Stadium with just the men’s marathon to come.

 

Coming up

Three Australians, Liam Adams (Vic), Michael Shelley (Qld) and Scott Westcott (NSW) in will lead Australia’s charge on the roads of Rio on the final day of competition.

At 40-years-331-days of age Scott Westcott (NSW) becomes the oldest Australian male to race the marathon at the Olympics – his team selection a lifetime in the making. Westcott has a PB of 2:11.36 set in 2005 and a fourth place finish at Commonwealth in Melbourne in 2006. His selection into the Olympic team is a great inspiration to everyone, but especially to his three young children, Noah, Finn and Frankie.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think that at 41 would be the time to debut at the Olympics. That was never part of the plan,” said Westcott of his Olympic selection.

Thirty-two year old Queenslander, Michael Shelley is participating is his second Olympic Games and will be looking to improve upon his sixteenth place in London in 2012, which was Australia’s best marathon result since Steve Moneghetti finished 10th in Sydney 2000.

Gold in 2014 in Glasgow at the Commonwealth Games is another of Shelley’s career highlights. The Queenslander is coached by the great Dick Telford.

Liam Adams (VIC) rounds out the marathon squad. His career highlights include a seventh place finish at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow – with a PB marathon time of 2:13.49. The 29-year-old qualified for his first Olympic Games by earning a fifth place in a near-best time in Poland in April.

 

Bruce McAvaney has summed up the great action of these Olympic Games, with the likes of Bolt and Farah creating history, and the Australian team performing so well when he signed off with, “It doesn’t get any better than this.”

Well said Bruce. It truly was ‘special’.