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BIO |
Ciaran Rushton grew up running cross country each week during winter for The King’s School, so it is fitting that he has qualified for the Australian team for the World Athletics Cross Country Championships to be held in Bathurst in February. Ciaran gained his place in the team, following a strong run at the Australian team trials in January, where he placed fifth and earned selection in the six-person Australian under-20 team.
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Ciaran Rushton didn’t warm to cross country at the start of his athletics journey.
“I started running at school in the 7th grade. I didn't enjoy it too much at first, but I came back to it late in the 8th grade. The Master-In-Charge of Cross Country and Athletics at my high school, Ben Gavan, encouraged me to stick with it, which I'm so grateful for. Throughout high school I had a great team to run and compete with, with Ben and Jye Perrott coaching us.”
In 2021 and in Year 11, now training with Run Crew Ciaran’s track times were tumbling. He clocked 8:12 for 3000m and 14:54.27 for 5000m. Then in January 2022 a brilliant 3:47.8 1500m time and a week later fifth place in the Zatopek U20 3000m race. But then there was a major setback.
“At the start of 2022 I broke my foot on a rock. The healing time was supposed to be six weeks, but ended up being six months. I'm grateful that I didn't rush back into things, because, since coming back to running in September 2022 for my last GPS Athletics Championships, my foot has given me no trouble.”
However, he was lacking fitness upon his return to the track.
“After a bit of rough racing at the end of last year coming back from my injury, my main focus was to give the XC trials a go and have some fun on a great course.”
After a couple of promising track races in December 2022, Ciaran was set for the Australian team trails in January for the World Athletics Cross Country Championships. However he didn’t set any performance expectations.
“My main focus going into the trial was just to enjoy it. I raced cross country most weekends in the winter during high school, but most of the courses were at public parks or other schools. None of them compared to how well maintained the course was at Stromlo, so I was just excited to be able to race on it.”
But Ciaran exceeded expectations, placing fifth and earned selection in the Australian under-20 team.
In addition to Ben Gavan, Jye Perrott, a former King’s School student, who has now progress to 1:45 in the 800m, has had a strong influence on Ciaran.
“Seeing where Jye had taken his running after school was always motivating for myself and, I'm sure, the other people on the team.”
Jye would also guide Ciaran’s post school coaching pathway.
“Mid-way through the 11th grade I asked Jye if I should join a squad outside of school, and he suggested Run Crew. I knew very little about Run Crew at that point, and I'd only ever trained at school. Having Ben St Lawrence and Gary Howard develop a proper training plan with me, and having a squad to train with every week with people who are quicker than me pushes my fitness and strength every week.”
Memorable sporting achievement? Running the GPS cross country season in the 11th grade (2021). I didn't know it at the time, but it was my last season as the following year I was injured, and we had a very strong team. I remember waiting on Saturday afternoons for the point score to come out to see if King's had won the race from the morning. Things came together that season and we took the win, but I think more importantly, the team got really close over that season, and we all have great memories from it…Hero: Michael Jordan. His ability to focus under extreme pressure is always something I've admired. Even with heaps of media following him everywhere, the drama caused by the Bull's management, and a name he had to live up to every game, he never let pressure impact him on the court…Most influential person in your career: Ben Gavan. Ben was the person who really got me into running, and throughout high school he was always there for me, particularly towards the end of school when exams and study became more intense. I remember that at the start of every season he'd give a presentation going over the training expectations, racing expectations, and how everything was organised. The last slide in the presentation detailed the goals of the season and, every year, one of the goals was for us to finish the season and think "I'm glad I did that.". He was one of the first people to show me how to make hard work enjoyable…Advice to your young self: Not to worry. Running was seen as a kind of outside sport at my high school, and I was always worried that it would impact how I was perceived. But that stuff doesn't really matter. I've met plenty of great people through the sport… Hobbies: I like to read, go to the driving range, and watch basketball… What do you like best about competing: I enjoy the exhilaration of racing and how different every race is. Every race I've done has been so different, even those that are the same distance. There's always something to remember about each race…Biggest challenge you've faced: Being injured. In early 2022 I broke my foot. The area was slow to heal due to poor blood flow. The uncertainty of the healing time and rehab time was a challenge, but I think I learned a lot of valuable lessons from the process.
@ 3 Feb 2023 david.tarbotton@athletics.org.au