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Tiernan and McNeill lead Aussies at Payton Jordan

Published Wed 03 May 2017

Five Olympians are among the twelve Australians over in California lining up to compete at the annual distance-running meet, the Payton Jordan Invitational 2017 in Palo Alto (USA) on Friday.

Distance duo and Rio Olympic teammates Patrick Tiernan (Qld) and David McNeill (Vic) are among the starters looking to post fast times on foreign soil.

Tiernan is in great form and should expect to be right on pace with a classy field after placing 13th at the World Cross Country Championships in Uganda just six weeks ago.

The 22-year-old NCAA Cross Country champion is the reigning national 10,000m champion and will be eyeing a quick time with New Zealand’s Jake Robertson to start not long after his one-hour half marathon.

Also in the field is McNeill, who ran his personal best of 27:45.01 at this meet in 2015 before going on to finish 16th at the Rio Olympics just six seconds outside that time.

In the women’s race Madeline Hills (NSW) will be looking to improve her best time of 32:44.71 with a number of sub-32 runners entered including Gotytom Gebreslase from Ethiopia.

In Rio, the NSW-based steeplechaser came seventh in the final of her pet event, while also making the final of the 5000m where she ran a personal best of 15:04.05 for tenth.

 

Olympic 400m semi-finalist Anneliese Rubie (NSW) will continue her development in the 800m event at Payton Jordan along with national champion Lora Storey (NSW), youngster Abbie de la Motte (Vic) and Georgia Griffith (Vic).

The fields for the 800m will be strong featuring Olympians Chrishuna Williams (USA), Lynsey Sharp (GBR) and nine-time New Zealand champion Angela Petty.

On the men’s side Mason Cohen (NSW) will look to improve his season’s best of 1:47.75 that was set early last month in Sydney.

 

Reigning three-time 1500m national champion Heidi See (NSW) will line up in the 5000m in California not long after also claiming her first crown in the longer race, clocking 15:51.97 in March.

Sifan Hassan (NED), the world championships 1500m bronze medallist from Beijing, will also be in the field three years after she dipped under the 15-minute barrier at this meet.

Rio Olympic representative in the 5000m Sam McEntee (Vic) will line up alongside young compatriot Jack Rayner (Vic) in a race that will feature the reigning Olympic 1500m champion Matt Centrowitz (USA).

On the start line in the 5000m will be two-time Olympic 1500m medallist Nick Willis from New Zealand.

Promising young steeplechaser Stewart McSweyn (Vic) will come up against three-time NCAA champion and 8:21 man Anthony Rotich (KEN) with an eye on a personal best over the barriers.