Around The Grounds | Distance Frenzy Continues On The Track And Road
Published Mon 03 Jul 2023
While some of the nation’s top athlete continue to flourish on the Diamond League circuit, Australia’s success on the track, field and road extended across the globe and at home over the past week, spearheaded by some of Australia’s greatest ever distance athletes at the Gold Coast Marathon.
As thousands of fans flocked to the streets to see Australia’s long distance runners up for a shot at Gold Coast Marathon glory, it was with Liam Adams (Ken Hall) and Genevieve Gregson (Nic Bideau) crowned King and Queen at the Oceania Marathon Championships.
Australian 3000m steeplechase record holder Gregson made the 42.195km event her own when cruising to third place in a time of 2:28.32 as she ticks off another milestone on her way to her fourth Olympic Games. Having made her comeback to competitive running in January after a year of highs and lows that included two Achilles operations and becoming a mother for the first time, Gregson becomes the second fastest Australian female marathoner on debut and the 12th fastest of all time. First and second place went to Ethiopians Rodah Jepkorir Tanui and Ruth Chebitok, while Eloise Wellings (Nic Bideau) finished just off the podium with a time of 2:31.38 for her fifth fastest marathon.
Two-time Olympian Adams shot up the ranks from 13th to fifth on the Australian all-time list also placing third in the marathon in 2:08.39. Adams’ performance saw him shave 2:09 minutes off his previous personal best and the electrician also becomes the fastest Australian to have run the marathon on home soil, eclipsing Rob De Castella’s 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games winning time of 2:09:18.
Ed Goddard (Gav Burren) was the next fastest Australian, placing eighth in his fourth marathon for a 2:12:52 personal best. The 25-year-old also etches his name in the record books as the 15th fastest Australian to run on home soil.
While Japan’s premier wheelchair racers took the honours in the men’s and women’s event, seven-time Paralympian Christie Dawes (Andrew Dawes) placed third in 1:51:13, behind a Japanese duo of Kota Hokinoue (1:36:35) and Tusbasa Kina (1:47:50) at her first Gold Coast Marathon affair.
In the half marathon, it was Leanne Pompeanii (Des Proctor) who was the first Australian across the line in 1:09:07, placing narrowly in front of Tokyo Olympian and World Cross Country representative Ellie Pashley (1:09.25, Julian Spence). Budapest bound Isobel Batt-Doyle (Nic Bideau) and Sarah Klein (Peter Schuwalow) also contested the half marathon clocking 1:09:45 and 1:11:36 respectively. Men’s favourite and Australian marathon record holder Brett Robinson (Nic Bideau) broke the tape for the second year in a row, crossing the line in 1:02:16 after a battle with Japan’s Keijiro Mogi. Distance great Ryan Gregson also made an appearance, finishing as the second fastest Australian in a time of 1:03.40.
Also on the Gold Coast, Lisa Weightman (Dick Telford) lowered her own 10km road record with a stunning 32:09 run. Another race ticked off on her way to Budapest, she eclipsed her previous Gold Coast best of 32:17 set back in 2012.
Less than two weeks after eclipsing both his own Under 18 record and Ryan Gregson’s long-held Under 20 record, Cameron Myers (Dick Telford) dipped below the 3:35 mark for the first time in the 1500m at the Meeting National d’Athletisme de Troyes in France. Clocking 3:35.88 for his fourth Australian record, the Canberran went head-to-head with Ethiopian Brian Komen, only beaten in the last moments as his rival stopped the clock at 3:35.83. Connor Whiteley finished third in the 1500m B final in 3:43.10, narrowly beaten by French duo Fabien Palcau and Yousset Bezamnia.
Sprinting duo Jake Penny (Mandi Cole and Matt Wade) and Jacob Despard (Rolf Ohman) continued tour of Europe, as Penny clocked 10.29 (+1.1) to cross the line third at the same French meet. Consistent across his heat (10.32) and final, Penny posted his fourth fastest result of the year, while Despard missed out on a finals berth after clocking a wind assisted 10.35 (+2.2) in his heat. Connor Fry (Steve Fabris) finished in fourth place of the 400m hurdles in 51.66.
Rohan Browning (Andrew Murphy) registered a swift 10.10 (-0.1) for a silver medal at the Le Chaux de Fonds meet in Switzerland; the Olympian’s equal eighth fastest time alongside his heat at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games as well as the Seiko Golden Grand Prix in Yokohama. The race was won by Cameron’s Eseme Emmanuel with a 9.96 personal best. Chris Ius (Andrew Murphy) continued his progression, clocking 10.66 in the C final to finish in seventh place.
That wasn’t all from the Australians in Switzerland with long jumpers Liam Adcock (Gary Bourne) and Chris Mitrevski (John Boas) collecting silver and bronze at the meet. Adcock landed 8.04m for his fourth best mark of his career, while Mitrevski rounded out the podium with a 7.95m on his second attempt.
Fan favourite Liz Clay (David Reid and Sharon Hannan) made a stellar comeback to the hurdles following her Oregon heartbreak last year, exceeding all expectations with a 13.02 (-0.1) performance for fifth place as she builds back to full health. Also in the hurdles Jacob McCorry (Alex Stewart) clocked his eighth fastest performance of 13.74 (+0.6) for 10th place.
Over in Oslo at the Boysen Memorial at Bislett Stadium, Australia took home five medals, as World Championships representative Tess Kirsopp-Cole (Craig Mottram) clinched the win in 2:02.15 over 800m. World Cross Country representative Archie Noakes (Charlotte Wilson) scored himself a new personal best of 13:52.41 in the 5000m, while Olympian Alex Beck (Mark Ladbrook) finished in third in 46.43 over the 400m. Michael Romanin (John Nicolosi) delivered two quality performances in the sprints, running 10.48 and 21.16 over the sprint double.
Adding to the Australian results, sprinters Mia Gross (John Nicolosi) and Hana Basic (John Nicolosi) used the meet as an opportunity warm up for their Lausanne Diamond League relay, storming down the home straight in 11.67 (+1.9) and 11.91 (+1.9) respectively. Gross finished fourth, as Basic finished in ninth place.
Ella Connolly (Andrew Murphy) took the win in a hotly contested 100m at the Meeting Internazionale Citta' Di Nembro in Italy, with an11.46 (-0.2) performance in the heat followed by a swift 11.42 in the final. In the second heat Kirstie Edwards (David Reid) and Riley Day (Paul Pearce) took charge, stopping the clock at 11.68 and 11.71 respectively. While Connolly took the honours in the final, Edwards placed third with another 11.68 performance while Day finished in fifth with a consistent 11.77.
The Australian action continued in Italy, as rising distance stars Ellie Sanford (Terri Carter) and Sarah Billings (Collis Birmingham) made their presence known in the 800m as Sanford charged to a win at 2:03.59 over two timed finals, while Billings clocked 2:04.64 for fifth. Rose Davies (Scott Westcott), Lauren Ryan (Bob Braham) and Jack Bruce (Nic Bideau) all toed the line in the 3000m. In the women’s event, Olympian Davies (8:49.96) finished behind Ethiopia’s Francine Niyomunkunzo who took gold in a meet record time of 8:48.21, while World Athletics Indoor Championships representative Ryan, placed fifth in 9:03.00. Bruce finished in seventh with a time of 7:58.40. Zane Branco (David Reid) found the silver lining in the long jump with a second place finish at 7.74m (0.2) with William Freyer finishing in fifth place with a best leap of 7.67m.
Meanwhile in England, Harvard-product Stephanie Ratcliffe (Harvard) continued the scorching form that saw her become the Australian record in the hammer throw, when throwing 66.72m to place first at the Oxford and Cambridge vs Harvard and Yale meet. Compatriot and teammate Alexander Kolesnikoff outclassed his rival in the shot put with a best throw of 19.32.
Maudie Skyring (Craig Mottram) continues to enjoy her form seen throughout the season, finishing with a slick second-place performance of 4:11.61 in the 1500m at the British Milers Club Grand Prix in Watford. Jaylah Hancock-Cameron (Andae Kalemusic) showed consistency with her sixth fastest performance of her career, placing fifth in 4:13.29. In a field of 11 800m runners, Riley McGown (Des Proctor) was the fastest Australian with a performance of 1:48.60 for fifth place, while Under 23 star Jack Lunn went 1:48.97 over two laps of the track.
After achieving a world best performance last weekend, Michael Roeger (Philo Saunders) clocked 3:48.87 for 11th place in the 1500m B race at the British Milers Club Grand Prix as he counts down less than a week until the World Para Athletics Championships begin in Paris.
By Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia
Posted: 2/7/2022
