McSweyn smashes Mottram’s 16-year-old mile record

Leading middle distance star Stewart McSweyn saluted with another victory in the Svein Arne Hansen Dream Mile at the Oslo Diamond League this morning, breaking Craig Mottram’s Australian record that has stood since 2005.

McSweyn (Nic Bideau) ran a blistering 3:48.37, shaving 0.61 seconds off Mottram’s previous record, to produce the world’s fastest mile since 2014.  The result is also the 22nd fastest in history, highlighting the enormity of the feat achieved by the 26-year-old.

The King Island product raced in trademark fashion when gluing himself to the back of the pacemakers before launching an assault on the final 600 metres to tear away from the slick field. 

The run leaves McSweyn full of confidence ahead of Tokyo, where the sky is the limit for the gifted Australian. 

“I was really happy with how I executed that race. I felt like I had a bit to give that last lap and I was able to run pretty well, so I’m confident the season going towards Tokyo is going in the right direction,” McSweyn said.

Despite qualifying for the 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m events in Tokyo, McSweyn has recently elected to focus his efforts on the metric mile, with this performance solidifying his decision. 

“I think this probably shows I’m in good 1500m shape. There’s going to be a lot of great competitors in the field in Tokyo – we’ve got Jakob Ingenbrigtsen, so it’s a loaded field but I’m confident that I’m in good shape to be competitive.”

While this run will no doubt boost his confidence ahead of his Olympic debut, the victory had a deeper meaning for McSweyn, who dedicated his record to his former mentor and agent, Maurie Plant, who passed away last year. 

“This is also a special meet for me. A good friend of ours, this was his meet – Maurie Plant. When I was out there, I had a lot to give not only for myself but for him and his family. The mile was a special race for him, so I was running with him on my mind as well, so that definitely helped.”

Fellow Australian Jye Edwards (Dick Telford) finished in third place, running a blistering 3:49.27 of his own to move to third on the Australian all-time list.
 
Edwards’ performance comes as no surprise after he burst back onto the scene in the 2020/21 Australian domestic season, winning the national title and qualifying for Tokyo in the one hefty blow to clinch his maiden Olympic berth. 

Both men have been selected to compete in the men’s 1500m in Tokyo where they will rightfully stand among the world’s best metric milers.

Reigning world champion Kelsey-Lee Barber (Mike Barber) is flourishing in her first European encounters since arriving overseas, finishing third place of the javelin in Oslo with a throw of 60.86m. 

The performance comes after last week’s win in Finland, where Barber once again threw over 60-metres. Barber has established herself as a fierce competitor who is spurred on by the challenge presented by world class competitors, demonstrated by her capacity to muster her best form on big occasions. 

The series from Barber included three throws over 60-metres. 

Breaking the two-minute barrier was once a big deal for Catriona Bisset (Peter Fortune), but that is no longer the case as the Tokyo-bound star punched in her second consecutive time under that mark – running 1:59.30 to finish in fourth place. 

Bisset showed great confidence when racing aggressively against decorated competitors, relishing the opportunity to test herself against the world’s best after a dominant domestic season in which she was rarely challenged. 

It’s the first time she has registered back-to-back sub two-minute performances in her career, with the first of those last week’s 1:58.09 in Poland which saw her shatter her own national record.

Hana Basic (John Nicolosi) finished in fifth place of the women’s 100m when running 11.42 (-0.3) against a strong field, running free of the stresses having fallen safely within the Olympic quota. 

Basic is yet to run in favourable conditions on the European circuit after headwinds on both occasions, jokingly suggesting that the European summer has been “switched off”. Her next race is in Lignano on Saturday. 
David McNeill (Nic Bideau) is showing no signs of slowing down at 34-years-old, clocking a new 3000m personal best of 7:39.43 to finish in eighth place of a star-studded field. 

McNeill was one of the shock qualifiers for this year’s Olympics after tearing his way around 5000m in a time of 13:12.82 – breaking his 13:18.60 personal best that had stood since 2012. 

The Diamond League action continues on Monday in Stockholm, where once again another strong lineup of Australians will mix fine tune their preparations just weeks out from the Olympics.  

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 2/7/2021