Records under threat at Box Hill Burn

The Box Hill Athletic Club’s inaugural ‘Box Hill Burn’ will take place at Hagenauer Reserve on Tuesday night - appropriately named after attracting some of Australia’s finest athletes who are ready to scorch around the track in what is set to be a hot competition. 

Men’s 5000m 9:02pm: 

Stewart McSweyn (Nic Bideau) will be a major drawcard at the Box Hill Burn - where he will attempt to surpass Craig Mottram’s 5000m national record of 12:55.76. McSweyn’s best in the event stands at 13:05.23 from 2018, but the 2020 season witnessed the King Island product set new Australian records in both the 1500m (3:30.51) and 3000m (7:28.02). 

McSweyn has raced sparingly since his return from Europe, with one hit-out over the mile where he clocked 3:50.61 in Penguin enough to suggest the Australian is in fine form. There is no doubt that McSweyn is a higher calibre athlete than his personal best would suggest, but whether or not he can lower Mottram’s national record remains to be seen on Tuesday night. 

Matthew Ramsden (Nic Bideau), Brett Robinson (Nic Bideau), David McNeill (Nic Bideau) and Ryan Gregson (Nic Bideau) will also be paced in pursuit of the Olympic standard of 13:13.50. 

Ramsden already locked away a 1500m qualifier when running 3:34.97 in January, and his 5000m best of 13:16.63 from 2020 places him well within reach of adding another string to his bow ahead of Tokyo. The Western Australian has built strongly in recent years and has displayed versatility across a range of events. 

Despite a strong transition to the marathon, Robinson’s status as an Olympic finalist in the 5000m must be considered. Having already qualified for the marathon, the endurance machine will have a free swing at the Olympic standard in order to give himself options ahead of Tokyo - where he is still most likely to compete in the marathon. 

Robinson and Ramsden loom as the most realistic hopefuls to achieve the standard, with David McNeill (Nic Bideau) and Ryan Gregson (Nic Bideau) also in the picture. The pair come from different ends of the spectrum with McNeill traditionally strongest in the 10,000m and Gregson considered a 1500m specialist. 

Adam Spencer and Jordan Williamsz will be in charge of pacing McSweyn, whilst Jack Rayner and Jack Bruce will pace the group aiming for the Olympic standard. 

While not racing in the A race, the B race will feature 5000m T13 world champion Jaryd Clifford, who will endeavour to break the world T12/13 world record of 13:53 and will be guided by his coach Philo Saunders. 

Women’s 5000m 8:37pm: 

Reigning national 10,000m champion Rose Davies (Scott Westcott) returns to Box Hill after her win at Zatopek:10 in January, this time chasing the clock. The time she will be looking for is 15:10.00 which would see the Newcastle product run her first Olympic qualifier. Davies’ best in the event stands from early 2020 when she ran 15:30.15 - but her development since then has been phenomenal. 

Much like the national 10,000m bout, Davies will be challenged by South Australia’s Isobel Batt-Doyle (Riley Cocks) - who clocked 15:26.48 in December and is expected to only improve on that tomorrow night. The 25-year-old won both 5000m and 10,000m South Australian titles and looks to be one of the big improvers in 2021 - more than capable of giving this event a shake. 

Genevieve Gregson (Nic Bideau) will pace the race, off the back of her victory at Hobart’s Run The Bridge on Sunday and she will be ably assisted by Calli Thackery. 

Women’s 1000m 8:30pm: 

Catriona Bisset (Peter Fortune) pioneered this race as a fundraiser for Lifeline in which she would attempt to break Brittany Kaan’s 1000m Australian record of 2:37.80 - and she’s attracted an incredible domestic field. 

Bisset is considered the narrow favourite for the event after running a strong 2:01.53 over 800m in Canberra last week, but in second place was Linden Hall in 2:01.93 - enough to suggest the 1500m specialist is more than capable of going toe to toe with BIsset over 1000m. 

The field also features young guns in the form of Keely Small (Philo Saunders), Abbey Caldwell (Gavin Burren) and Claudia Hollingsworth (Craig Mottram) - all of whom are in terrific form and more than capable of featuring prominently in the finish. 

2020 Victorian Mile Champion Madeline Murray (Nic Bideau) and Georgia Hansen (Steve Ellinghaus) round out the competitive field - certainly not out of their depth either. 

Regardless of the winner or time, Bisset’s initiative will have raised significant funds and awareness for mental health, and is a strong example of athletes being leaders in the community. 

If you are in the position to donate you can do so here: https://www.givenow.com.au/crowdraiser/public/30for30 

Men’s 1000m 8:23pm: 

The Justin Rinaldi trio of Joseph Deng, Brad Mathas and Peter Bol headline the Men’s 1000m field along with Jack Lunn, with the Australian record held by Jeffrey Riseley standing at 2:16.09. 

Bol has proven to be in solid form to begin 2021 - with a 3:42.05 personal best in the 1500m to his name and a 1:47.01 800m victory in Canberra last week. The smooth-mover finds an event here which plays into his strengths and he will be the firm favourite to take home the win. 

Bol was challenged in Canberra by Lunn (Steve Fabris) who finished in second place in a new personal best of 1:47.35 - the 19-year-old establishing himself as more than competitive in the open ranks in 2021. The exciting prospect is more than capable of a breakthrough victory after knocking on the door for some time. 

Deng’s form remains a mystery to most with the Australian 800m record holder yet to show his cards in 2021. Deng endured a frustrating season on the international circuit in 2020 before returning home to prepare for the 2021 season - with this outing our first glimpse at what is to come from the prodigious talent. 

New Zealander Brad Mathas stormed home in Canberra to finish in third place and a time of 1:47.81 - making him the main competitor for Bol and Deng. 

Athletics Australia would like to thank Athletics International for supporting some of these athletes racing to attend. With their support, athletes are able to travel to events for extra qualification opportunities, and it also allows for great competition and great viewing for athletics fans across the country. 

You can catch all the action live on the Athletics Exclusive Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwFIQ3Wb7rI 

By Lachlan Moorhouse
Posted: 1/3/2021