STEWART MCSWEYN: ON TRACK TO SUCCESS

Stewart McSweyn will be competing in the Melbourne Track Classic on Thursday February 6, Mark Tucker (of Runners Tribe) wrote this biographical piece on Stewart for Issue 2 of Australian Athlete

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By Mark Tucker

A world class surf break, a producer of world class cheese, and now the home of a world class runner. Of course, I am talking of King Island, located in the middle of the Bass Straight between Victoria and Tasmania.  A population of just over one thousand five hundred permanent residents combined with its isolation from the main land of Tasmania and Australia, makes it seem unlikely that one of Australia’s fastest middle-distance runners of all-time would hail from here. But in Stewart McSweyn that is what King Island has produced and he may yet surpass their other most famous exports – beef and cheese.

Early Days and Milestones

Growing up in a family where sport and physical activity were encouraged was the first factor in setting up McSweyn’s future success. Along with this encouragement, McSweyn took full advantage of growing up on an island known for its fresh air, natural beauty, and active lifestyle. The young Stewart, along with his twin brother Angus, regularly ran around and played on his parent’s farm while also dabbling in a variety of sports that included AFL, which McSweyn played until the age of fifteen. The young talent was slowly fermenting away for later use... But many have been talented and many have stagnated – never coming close to seeing their talent fulfilled. Thus, a careful mixture of ingredients are needed in the making of a world class athlete.

Ballarat

Landing in the running hotspot of Ballarat – known for one of the greats of Australian distance running, Steve Moneghetti, and its running friendly climate and terrain – was the next factor to push the young McSweyn closer to running success. Ostensibly, Ballarat was chosen for McSweyn to get his high school education at Ballarat Clarendon College where he would also board. But this educational focus would soon be shared with running after fortuitously being introduced to local coach Rod Griffin by friend and fellow running talent, Jack Davies. Griffin’s experience in having developed and nurtured talents such as Collis Birmingham, himself a 13:09 5000m runner and 7:35 3000m runner, and dual Olympic Steeplechaser Victoria Mitchell, combined with a young and talented squad to train with, gave McSweyn an ideal start to his running career.

And it wasn’t long before McSweyn was showing glimpses of what he could do as he trained and competed for the Eureka Athletic Club. In 2013, at 17 years old, he had his first taste of International competition, representing Australia at the World Junior Cross-Country Championships in Poland. While he didn’t achieve a high placing, the experience encouraged him to continue in the sport.

From Just Another Young Elite to an Exciting Prospect

In early 2016, the next major influence on McSweyn’s budding career came in: Nic Bideau and the Melbourne Track Club. A group of international standard runners training, racing and travelling together is an environment ripe to achieve success. And McSweyn has so far taken good advantage of it. But it was Nic Bideau who built the foundations of the club which has had a substantial impact on Australian athletics.

The same year McSweyn joined Bideau he ran an impressive 8:34 steeplechase which would gain him entry into the 2017 World Championships in Athletics.  But it was what he did on the flat in 2017 that announced McSweyn as a serious runner. In one-year McSweyn went from being just another young guy with some potential who, if going purely off statistics, would most likely drop off the radar somewhere in his twenties or early thirties with little to his name like many others before him, to: this guy can run and has a real chance of mixing it up internationally. A 13:19.98 clocking in Ireland for the 5000m ensured McSweyn had many other options than just the steeplechase to represent Australia in. Although just missing out on a berth in the 5000m at the same 2017 World championships in London where he would represent Australia in the steeplechase, his 2018 season meant that it would be unlikely he would ever miss out on any future teams on the flat when fit and healthy.

2018 and Beyond

Watching Craig Mottram win the silver medal at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games in the 5000m, McSweyn had little idea that twelve years later he would also be representing Australia in a home Commonwealth Games. An excellent 5th placing in the 5000m, along with an 11^th placing in the 10,000m, were solid returns for McSweyn, although still not worthy of any real comparison with Mottram. But only months later comparisons to runners such as Mottram and Rupp were truly justified when McSweyn slotted in to number two on the all-time 3000m and 5000m Australian ranking lists behind only Mottram. Will the next couple of years see McSweyn challenge Mottram’s times?  

Looking at his Burnie Ten win in a new record time of 28.03, McSweyn is a legitimate chance to pressure or surpass Mottram’s times in the near future. On that course alone, he has already achieved that, Mottram being a two-time winner of the Burnie Ten. Of course, that is assuming a lot – no major setbacks such as injury or illness, and an onward and upwards career trajectory. But it isn’t too much to say that McSweyn is now on the precipice of a significant major championship result.

Going off his fine 4^th placing in the 3000m at the IAAF Continental Cup in Ostrava only nine days after dislocating his shoulder, McSweyn is tough. Conducted in a novel elimination style format, with half the field being eliminated, one by one, before reaching the finish, McSweyn stayed strong, leading through both the 1km and 2km marks before being outkicked and finishing fourth. But he made it to the finish. And if McSweyn can avoid the common obstacles that eliminate many talented athletes throughout their career – major injury, illness, outside distractions and loss of motivation – then we may be lucky enough to witness another Australian distance runner at the pinnacle of our sport.