Australia vs The World | A global distance frenzy ignites competition at the Maurie Plant Meet
Published Sun 12 Feb 2023
The might of East Africa will extend their stay in Australia following the World Athletics Cross Country Championships, with the proud distance running nations of Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya strengthening the line-up of 12 countries set to compete at the Maurie Plant Meet – Melbourne.
Seven Ethiopians and three Ugandans will line up at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Level meet, with the crop of emerging stars ensuring a truly international contest by joining the leading visiting nations of New Zealand (15), Japan (14) and the United States (8).
With established American stars including Olympic champion Matthew Centrowitz locked in along with world champions Fred Kerley and Emma Coburn, junior African talent led by Medina Eisa (Ethiopia, 1500m), Melknat Wudu (Ethiopia, 1500m) and Tokyo Olympian Prisca Chesang (Uganda, 3000m) will bolster the the depth of competition at Lakeside Stadium. The trio have won six World Under 20 medals since 2021 - filling the podium over 5000m at the 2022 World Under 20 Championships in Cali.
The middle-distance men will also receive a boost in the form of Uganda’s Dan Kibet (3000m) and Kenneth Kiprop (3000m), while Kenya’s Ishmael Kipkurui (3000m) and Japan’s Shu Hasegawa (3000m) add further depth, but Australia’s resurgent fleet of middle-distance talent is ready for the fight.
Spearheaded by Stewart McSweyn (event TBC) and Jessica Hull already announced in the 1500m, the home contingent is a roll call of Australia’s premier athletes, from Commonwealth Games heroes Oliver Hoare (Mile) and Abbey Caldwell (1500m) to Olympic and World Championships finalists Linden Hall (3000m) and Georgia Griffith (1500m) - with more to be announced in the coming days
From the fierce competitiveness of Australian legend Ryan Gregson who will make his comeback to the track for the first time since 2021, to Paralympic medallist Jaryd Clifford and 16-year-old prodigy Cameron Myers all taking on a stacked field in the mile - Oceania’s first World Athletics Gold Level meet is set to be a show.
Many of Australia’s World Athletics Cross Country Championships selections are also committed to the quick turnaround, with Matthew Ramsden (Mile), Rose Davies (3000m), Leanne Pompeani (3000m), Caitlin Adams (3000m) and Amy Bunnage (3000m) some of the names ready to rumble on February 23.
Japanese record holder Nozomi Tanaka (3000m) and New Zealand’s Samuel Tanner (Mile) headline their nation’s hopes in Melbourne, building on the world-class talent secured for the meet. Tanaka’s credentials include 8th at the Tokyo Olympic Games and gold at the 2018 World Under 20 Championship, while Tanner is in hot form and will be a major contender in the John Landy Memorial Mile.
Athletes from Canada (4), France (2), Great Britain (2), Ukraine (1) and Malta (1) will add to the international affair at the Maurie Plant Meet – Melbourne, with full fields to still to be announced.
Tickets and more information can be found HERE.
By Lachlan Moorhouse for Athletics Australia
Posted: 12/2/2022
