Thursday, 28 February 2008 Mottram proves he’s ready – Australian Champs Day One
Craig Mottram victorious again in Melbourne (Getty Images)
Brisbane, Australia - Craig Mottram wrapped up his preparation for the IAAF World Indoor championships in Valencia with a powerful last-lap surge to win the 3000m at the Australian championships at the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre tonight.
The tall Victorian will fly out tomorrow for Spain where he won the first (in Madrid) of his two World Cup 3000m titles hoping to add the indoor crown to his collection.
“I’m looking forward to competing against the rest of the world now. It should be fun,” Mottram said of the Valencia titles from 7-9 March, following which he will compete in the World Cross-Country championships in Edinburgh on 30 March.
He only took the lead finally tonight with 450m remaining but with a 54 seconds last lap, Mottram (7:48.26) blew open a 40 metres margin over Kenyan Shadrack Kosgei (7:53.72) with Mottram’s rapidly improving training partner Collis Birmingham third in 7:55.47.
Bouncing back after Osaka’s disappointment
After battling a hamstring strain to finish 13th in the 5000m final at last year’s Osaka World Championships, he has fought back superbly this year to break his own national 3000m indoor record in Boston (7:34.50) on 26 January and grab a record sixth national 5000m title last week in Melbourne at the World Athletics Tour meet.
“I can go into next week knowing that I’m fit and I’m ready,” Mottram said, adding that there have been no repercussions from his humbling experience in Osaka.
“If it doesn’t work (in Valencia) then hey, I tried everything I could.
“I’m pretty confident that I can compete well and that it will be another good world championship for me.
“Osaka was a long time ago. It cut deep at the time, but the true measure of a man is how they bounce back.
“I went over to Boston in my first international race since Osaka and put my head down, ran hard, broke records and ran a PB.
“I know that’s long gone and I’m ready for the next challenge which is next week in Valencia.
“… I’m going there to try and win a world championship and I’ve got a good chance.
“There will be some great competition, but that’s distance running, that’s why I do it.”
Mottram said the World Indoor and World Cross titles in March were a good inducement to train well since Osaka and they also served to provide checks and balances in preparing for his overall objective this year, the Olympic Games opening in Beijing on 8 August.
"There’s a little something called the Olympics in August, but World Indoor and World Cross-Country are in the next three weeks and that makes it a little easier because five months is a long time,” Mottram added.
Vili close to 20 metres
In other events on the first day of the 86th Australian Championships, which double this year as the major Olympic team selection trial, visiting New Zealander Valerie Vili was once again outstanding in winning the shot put with 19.54m.
The mighty World titleholder, whose father was English and mother Tongan, was well clear of Tonga’s Ana Po’uhila (17.06m) with Victoria’s Kimberley Mulhall (14.94m) the first Australian in third place. Mulhall is the niece of 1984 Los Angeles Olympic shot put bronze medallist Gael (Mulhall) Martin.
South Australia’s Alwyn Jones, a medallist at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, won the Triple Jump with 16.42m (+0.8m/s) from Newcastle’s Michael Perry (16.05m, +1.4m/s).
The fluctuating winds and occasional spitting rain played tricks on some competitors tonight, not least of whom being former World Youth Long Jump gold medallist Chris Noffke.
The young Queenslander, now coached in the US by World Record holder Mike Powell, had a shocker placing 11th in the qualifying and missing the final with his best mark of 7.47m (-0.8m/s), while his only other measured jump was 7.24m (+3.2m/s).
World Junior champion Robbie Crowther (AIS/Qld), who is training in Canberra under Craig Hilliard - coach of the Sydney Olympic silver medallist Jai Taurima - leads the qualifiers with his second attempt 7.89m (+2.0m/s) from training partner Tim Parravicini (7.75, +2.7m/s) and Japan’s Daisuke Arakawa (7.71m).
Japan’s Hiroaki Doi won the Hammer Throw with 68.70m from South Australian Darren Billett (65.45m).
Queenslander Cal Pearce took the High Jump with a first time clearance of 2.22m but failed three attempts at 2.25m.
Javelin and 100m qualifications
An outstanding Javelin final looks to be in store with a handful of 80m performers all qualifying tonight. American Mike Hazle leads the qualifiers with his 76.68m mark, with Jarrod Bannister (75.17m), William Hamlyn-Harris (73.82m) New Zealand’s Stuart Farquhar (72.44m), Joshua Robinson (71.95m) and Oliver Dziubak (68.24m) all great talents.
In the absence of Josh Ross (NSW), winner for the last four years, the men’s 100m looks wide open with perhaps Victorian teenager Aaron Rouge-Serret planning to stage a palace coup with his heat win in 10.37 (+0.4m/s).
But the seasoned veterans, the Australian Institute of Sport scholarship-holder Patrick Johnson (10.31, +1.8) and Sydney’s Matt Shirvington (10.35, +1.7) will find more.
Ross, 27, withdrew from the nationals after questioning his own desire to run but found sympathy from Shirvington who has had lean times after winning the national 100m five times up to 2002.
“Shirvo” has praised Ross as supremely talented and believes he can still run with the best in the world if he sorts himself out and regains his love of the sport.
400m first round preludes exciting final
The Australian men’s 4x400m team shocked by winning the silver medals at the last Olympics and they look capable of mining more precious metal in Beijing with a new breed of endurance sprinter coming to the fore.
Leading qualifiers into tomorrow’s semi-finals is Kurt Mulcahy, from the NSW north coast country village of Mullumbimby. He put a Rugby League football contract on hold to trial for the Olympic team and was fastest of the four heat winners in 46.47 tonight, just ahead of big Queensland youngster Dylan Grant (46.95).
Commonwealth champion John Steffensen, in his first race since the Osaka semis, won the first heat in 46.78. Fellow Athens Olympic relay medallist, South Australia’s Mark Ormrod, won the second heat in 46.65 - with this season’s revelation Joel Milburn cruising through second in 46.99.
Milburn’s best this southern summer is the 45.19 he ran to win the NSW state title nearly three weeks ago. A slightly torn tendon attachment outside his right knee has kept him out of competition until tonight.
Defending national champion Sean Wroe of Victoria won the other heat in 46.91 from WA’s former national champion Ben Offereins (47.10) and Adelaide’s surprising veteran Duncan Tippins (47.26).
Mike Hurst (Sydney Daily Telegraph) for the IAAF