KK,
Ross scrapes through to third grab at Gift
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Dan Silkstone
April 12, 2009
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* Wroe ready to motor in sprint showdown
* Ross' coach hedges his bets for gift
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AUSTRALIA’S fastest man, Josh Ross, is still some sort of chance to win a third Stawell Gift tomorrow, but the only Australian to claim the historic race from scratch was nearly eliminated at the heat stage yesterday.
Ross finished third in his heat, behind Queensland surf lifesaver Aaron Stubbs, a runner to whom the Australian 100-metre champion conceded a 7.5-metre head start over the 120-metre race.
The two-time winner powered home from the rear of the field, but could not overhaul all of his rivals in a fast heat. With the winner from each of the 20 heats progressing automatically, Ross faced a nervous wait to see if he was among the 20 fastest of the remaining runners.
“I’d like to be back Monday, I felt good and relaxed,” he said. By day’s end he had snuck into tomorrow’s semi-finals, 14th among the also-rans.
On yesterday’s performance, Ross will find it difficult to become the first man ever to twice win the race from scratch. Another fancied runner, Ross’ training partner and national 200 champion Aaron Rouge-Serret, also scraped through despite finishing second in his heat.
National 400 champion Sean Wroe, who began the day as second favourite for the race, won his heat in commanding fashion and dispelled doubts that his inexperience on grass would cost him, despite a generous handicap. “I enjoyed it thoroughly,” Wroe said after recording the 11th quickest time of the day. “I really didn’t know what to expect.”
Wroe was pitted against Matthew Hargreaves, rated third favourite for the Gift yesterday morning and starting off 7.75 metres. Hargreaves — a 400 runner of relatively little accomplishment — took on Wroe, who made the Olympic semi-final at that distance. But in the handicapper’s delight that is the Stawell Gift he was considered a strong chance.
“To be honest I’d never really heard of him but I thought, ‘I’m pretty good at the 400 so surely I’ve got him covered’,” Wroe said. Having run and won for the first time on grass, Wroe said his confidence was high that he could now win the Gift. “It’s not that different to running on the track,” he said. “You’ve just got to catch someone.”
The Gift belongs to the unknowns of professional sprinting at least as much as it does the Olympians and household names. Among them was Ross’ conqueror and Australian beach sprinting champion Stubbs who will benefit from a 7.25-metre start tomorrow.
The day’s fastest qualifier was Dale Woodhams, a 21-year-old university student from Adelaide who grew up playing football and soccer and only took up running after pressure from his mates. Woodhams — coached by 1985 Gift winner Paul Young — will start from 7.5 metres ahead of Ross.
Geelong’s David Tinney was second fastest going into the semi-finals, while Adelaide’s sprint veteran Andrew Steele — off a generous 8.25 metres — was thrilled to qualify with the third quickest time after battling injuries in recent years.
Steele and Stubbs were installed as joint second favourites by the bookmakers last night. Ben Vickery, who ran third in the Gift last year and was among the fancied chances, bombed out of his heat.
I think JR has got no chance.