No Stanger to Stromlo | Leanne Pompeani Eyes Third World Cross Country Championships

In 25 laps of the track, Leanne Pompeani went from the underdog to the favourite. The Canberra local speaks with nervous energy ahead of the Australian Cross Country Trials on her home turf, acutely aware that a once in a lifetime opportunity is to play for.

A previously underrated figure on the Australian distance running scene, the narrative reads that Pompeani rose to stardom with one clenched fist as she thumped the field en route to her maiden national title at Zatopek:10. But the story started long before that for the two-time World Cross Country representative.

“I prefer to be the underdog than to have that pressure, I have had a lot of people talking as if I am already on the team but I still have to race against some amazing women. I want to be the best in Australia so at some point you are going to be the one that everyone is talking about, and Zatopek has probably started that for me,” Pompeani says.

“Nothing is guaranteed because the field is just so strong. If you go back a few years there was nowhere near the depth we have now. Nothing is certain in any race over any distance.”

Despite training twice per week at Stromlo Forest for years on end, Pompeani declares that her knowledge of the course will not be the deciding factor in next Sunday’s bout as the nation’s best runners travel to her stomping ground.  

“A lot of people say there is that home ground advantage and there probably is a little bit because I have done so many sessions and so many laps, but at the end of the day the fittest athlete will win,” Pompeani says.

The unassuming 26-year-old has favoured the roads over the track in recent years, toiling away to establish the reputation of a fierce competitor who appears destined for an accomplished career over the longer distances – possessing attributes also tailored to cross country prowess.   

Pompeani’s recollection of her first World Cross Country Championships experience in Guiyang as a junior in 2015 speaks volumes to her talent, scraping into the team as a raw 18-year-old before leading the way for the Australian junior women on the world stage within months when finishing 47^th.

“Honestly, I was so new to running that I had no idea what I was doing. I came sixth at the trials and ended up being the first Australian across the line in China,” Pompeani says.

That talent was spotted and hatched by Pompeani’s high school PE teacher, Des Proctor, whose first task was to convince the budding soccer player that a future in athletics was possible – an inkling proven by Pompeani’s senior international debut at the 2019 World Cross Country Championships in Denmark.

“It took a bit of convincing to get me to switch from soccer as I was hoping to get to the W-League where I was on the edge, but running soon took over,” Pompeani says.

“Des is very conscious of being cautious with training, like when I taper - I taper hard. Obviously I train hard too but he will pull me back if he can see that I need it which is a great attribute in a coach.”

A top three finish at next Sunday’s Australian World Cross Country Trial will see the Canberra product automatically book her ticket to a third World Cross Country Championships to be held on home soil in Bathurst, with Pompeani eager to leverage her global experience in what is set to be a star-studded trial.  

“I’ve realised that there is no mucking around with the courses, Aarhus was just relentless – you were either going up or you were going down. The courses are made to be a true test,” Pompeani says.

“I haven’t really been running competitively for too long, so the more teams that I can make - the better I will perform when I get there.”

With 10km separating Pompeani from donning the green and gold in front of family and friends, the emerging star encouraged Australian athletics fans to rally behind the first World Athletics Series event in Australia in 25 years.

“It’s the one time we don’t have to travel halfway across the world as athletes, and from a spectating point of view it might never be here again – so make sure you come out and watch it,” Pompeani says.

The Australian World Cross Country Selection Trials will be held at Stromlo Forest on Sunday January 15, more information can be found HERE.

More information about the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst on February 18, including tickets, can be found HERE.

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 08/01/2023