Wells wants more than tenth national hurdles crown

Proud and humbled are the two words used by nine-time Australian 400m hurdles champion Lauren Wells (ACT)  to describe her record at the national level before lining up for a shot at a tenth crown at the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships.

The 28-year-old has claimed nine national titles in a career spanning 12 years that has also seen her compete at two Olympic Games and be ranked third fastest all-time in the country.

If she does claim gold at Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre on Sunday afternoon Wells will equal national record holder Debbie Flintoff-King’s best run of five consecutive Australian titles.

Naturally, her first Australian title stands out as the highlight for Wells, particularly as it was her first victory against the best women in the country as a teenager finding her way at the senior level.

“It would be fantastic to take that tally to ten,” Wells said.

“Winning my first national title in Sydney in 2005 when I was 17 years old is my favourite memory.

“I hadn’t won any of the Grand Prix meets during the season and I remember my coach, Matt Beckenham, saying to me before the final ‘Loz, it’s going to take a PB to win this’.

“And I was like ‘okay, then that is what I will do’ – I stormed home off the last hurdle and crossed the line first in a massive PB time.

“It was certainly an amazing feeling and one I will cherish forever.”

Just a year later and Wells made her senior debut for Australia at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, where she gained a wealth of experience and inspiration watching compatriot Jana Rawlinson take gold in the final.

Four national titles later, and with her personal best well under 56 seconds, Wells qualified for her first Olympic Games in 2012 and went on to make the semi-finals in London.

“It is really hard to pinpoint just one Olympic moment that is my favourite because there are so many,” Wells explained.

“I remember the absolute elation I felt when I crossed the line at the 2012 Sydney Track Classic in a PB and qualifying time of 55.45.

“I also distinctly remember the London opening ceremony, walking around the stadium and soaking up the atmosphere.

“My training partner Melissa Breen and I stopped walking, looked at each other and said ‘we made it, we are Olympians’.

“It was a really powerful moment because it solidified in our minds that we had achieved something so amazing but it took until that moment to really appreciate the magnitude of the event as well.”

Wells is coached by Matt Beckenham, former 400m hurdler who competed at the Sydney Olympics, the head of an elite training squad based at the AIS Athletics Centre in Canberra.

National 100m record holder Breen is also an athlete in the Matty Beckenham Department that previously featured five-time national 400m hurdles champion and Olympic semi-finalist Brendan Cole.

Beckenham has mentored Wells for nearly half her life and is eager to see her longevity at the top of the national rankings complemented with a major championship medal at Gold Coast next year.

“Lauren is a remarkable athlete who I have worked with for almost 15 years,” Beckenham said.

“Taking aim at 10 national titles typifies amazing longevity and it also shows her commitment, passion and love for track and field.

“To see her win a silver medal at the 2005 World Youth Championships and then compete at a home Commonwealth Games as a 17-year-old school girl in 2006 and still be competing at the highest level is something very rare.

“I would love to see her win a medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games after back-to-back fourth places in 2010 and 2014.”

Away from the track Wells is a learning support assistant at Giralang Primary School, where she spends three days a week helping year one special needs students while finishing her teaching degree.

“I graduated at the University of Canberra with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2010 and it has taken me six years to decide what I really want to be ‘when I grow up,’” she reasoned.

“I had always thought about teaching, as I love working with children, but I figured it wouldn’t fit in with my athletics training.

“Last year I decided to take the plunge and begin my Bachelor of Primary Education degree through UC.

“I am loving the teaching experiences I have had so far and I genuinely feel like I have found my calling for life after athletics.”

Less than twelve months after London, Wells set her current personal best of 55.08 in Oordegem, Belgium putting her behind only two-time world champion Rawlinson and 1988 Olympic champion Flintoff-King on the Australian list.

Amazingly, Wells has just the 64^th fastest time by an Australian highlighting how good the duo above her on the rankings were, but she is confident that breaking the illustrious 55-second barrier will happen before retirement.

“I have always believed I am capable of breaking 55 seconds and making a global championship final,” Wells said.

“I also believe at least one Commonwealth Games medal is possible and these are the motivators that keep me going.

“I feel like I have more to achieve in athletics and I also feel like I can run faster than I have.

“I don’t want to leave this sport with regrets and I want to know that I have given it everything to achieve every dream I have ever had and realise my absolute potential.”

#AACT17 400m 52.97 PB on Aus soil & great back up from last night! Very happy with my racing 🏃🏽‍♀️💨 https://t.co/2bOV3gVdMv

— Lauren Wells (@Loz_Wells) February 18, 2017

So far, those three goals have just eluded Wells, who again walked away from an Olympic Games in Rio last year following a semi-final that did not go her way.

The Commonwealth Games has also been a bittersweet experience for the Canberra-based sprinter, placing a dreaded fourth in the last two finals in both Delhi and Glasgow.

“The aim for 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games is to turn up in the best shape of my life and put down my best 400m hurdle performances,” Wells said.

“I want to execute my race plans, get my stride patterns right and the fast times will come.

“I certainly can’t predict the future, but Commonwealth Games is always a tough battle in my event and I expect next year to be no different.”

Already this domestic season Wells has run a personal best in the 200m and 200m hurdles, a good sign leading in to nationals and the European season before she likely competes in her fourth world championships in London.

Wells has found good form after concentrating on her flat speed after Rio, dipping under 56 seconds at the Canberra SUMMERofATHS Grand Prix to post a qualifier of 55.97 for those world championships in August, and also becoming the early world leader.

“At this stage, my main priorities are the 2017 London world championships and 2018 Commonwealth Games,” Wells added.

“I have been to Japan many times and absolutely love racing there, so I have no doubt Tokyo is going to host an amazing Olympic Games (in 2020).

“However, I am not thinking that far ahead at the moment.

“I’d like to make sure I give absolutely everything to the next 12 months and then reassess where I am and how I feel after the Commonwealth Games next year.”