Josh Ross Not Running at Nationals

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Joshua Ross out of trials
By Mike Hurst and Scott Gullan
Melbourne Herald-Sun
February 27, 2008

AUSTRALIA’S fastest man, Joshua Ross, is considering his future in athletics after pulling out of the Olympic trials that start in Brisbane tomorrow.

Ross, 27, has won the past four Australian 100m titles - the trials double as this year’s national championships - but his withdrawal because of lack of motivation and poor form almost certainly brings his Beijing Olympics campaign to a sorry end.

“I’m in the dumps. If I go to the nationals I’d be forcing myself to be there and I’ll just go through the motions,” Ross said after training yesterday near his home at The Entrance on the New South Wales Central Coast.

"I’m not even focused. I’ve got to do some thinking. Paul (Nancarrow, his third and current coach) mentioned canning the whole year, including the Beijing Olympics, and just get back to training for the next (2009) world championships, but even that doesn’t even worry me. There’s no emotion about it.

“I really don’t know what I’m going to do in the future with regards to athletics, but it (athletics) is the only thing putting food on my table right now.”

Ross ran 10.08sec to win his fourth 100m title this time last year. But in his only 100m race this season he jogged to the finish in a sorry 10.88sec in Canberra in January.

He has struggled with motivation since the middle of last year, with his problems starting in Europe in the lead-up to the world championships in Osaka in August.

It was during the world titles that he plunged into depression, which forced him to withdraw from the Australian relay team and return home early.

“That whole trip really turned me off. It scarred me,” Ross said last night.

He didn’t return to training until November and then lost a month to an injury that was possibly brought on by acupuncture treatment. He then fell back into depression again after a love affair broke down.

Nancarrow, the strength and conditioning coach for new A-League champions the Newcastle Jets, has ridden his own emotional roller-coaster with the highs of soccer and the lows of his coaching experience with Ross.

“Josh just hasn’t done enough work at training. When he said he wasn’t sure if he wanted to compete at the nationals, I withdrew him,” Nancarrow said.

"I think he needs to work out whether he still wants to do the sport.

“Whatever happened last year has just smashed him. There’s some scary demons there, that’s for sure.”

While Ross is missing, his rival Patrick Johnson will line up in the 100m heats tomorrow night.

A decision on whether he attempts the sprint double will be decided after Friday night’s final.

The Australian 100m record holder made his return to the track on Saturday in an interclub event in Canberra.

“Things are going OK,” Johnson’s coach Tudor Bidder said yesterday.

"He ran 6.58sec for 60m on Saturday and then 10.38sec for 100m 15 minutes later.

“His hamstrings are a bit twangy, but we think that is because he hasn’t raced for a while. He will go in the 100m and then we’ll assess about whether he goes to the 200m.”

Matt Shirvington, 29, who won the most recent of his five national 100m titles in 2002, has resurrected himself this summer with victory at the Sydney Grand Prix and a third place (10.35sec) in last week’s Melbourne Grand Prix behind Asafa Powell and Jamaican teammate Michael Frater.

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Did anyone see these runs by Patrick Johnson? Being a weak starter and strong finisher, he should have been able to run about 10.10 based on a 6.58s over 60m. Could this 6.58 be a typo or maybe a hand-timed result (They had some problems with the timing system and gave hand-timed results for one of the 100m heats.)?

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Mike
HURST

AUSTRALIA’S fastest man, Josh Ross, is reconsidering his future in athletics after dramatically
pulling out of the national
championships, which start in Brisbane
tomorrow.

Citing a lack of motivation and
depression due to a love gone sour,
Ross’s withdrawal almost certainly
brings his Olympic campaign to a
sorry end.

Ross, 27, has won the 100m title at
the last four nationals, but this year’s
edition doubles as the major Olympic
team selection trial.

‘‘I’m in the dumps. If I go to the
nationals I’d be forcing myself to be
there and I’ll just go through the
motions,’’ Ross told The Daily Telegraph
after training yesterday near
his home at The Entrance.

‘‘I’mnot even focused. I’ve got to do
some thinking. Paul [Nancarrow, his
third and current coach] mentioned
canning the whole year including the
Beijing Olympics and just get back
to training for the next [2009] world
championships, but even that
doesn’t even worry me.

‘‘There’s no emotion about it. I
really don’t know what I’m going to
do in the future with regards to
athletics, but it [athletics] is the
only thing putting food on my table
right now.’’

Ross ran 10.08sec to win his fourth
100m title this time last year but in his
only 100m race this season he jogged
to the finish in a sorry 10.8 in Canberra
in January after making a very late
return to training. He then lost a
month to an injury possibly brought
on by an acupuncture treatment gone
wrong and depression as a consequence
of his broken love affair.

But the problems in motivation
started in Europe last season with his
consequential withdrawal from the
Australian relay team and his early
return home from the world championships
in Osaka in August.

‘‘That whole trip really turned me
off — it scarred me,’’ Ross admitted.

Nancarrow, the strength and conditioning
coach for new A-League
champions the Newcastle Jets, has
ridden his own emotional rollercoaster
with the highs of soccer and
the lows of his coaching experience
with Ross.

‘‘Josh just hasn’t done enough work
at training and when he said he
wasn’t sure if he wanted to compete at
the nationals, I withdrew him,’’
Nancarrow said. ‘‘I think he needs to
work out whether he still wants to do
the sport.

‘‘Whatever happened last year has
just smashed him. There’s some scary
demons there, that’s for sure.’’

The Australian Athletics Championships
at the Queensland Sport
and Athletics Centre will be staged
from tomorrow to Saturday.

Among the highlights will be:
● 3000m final tomorrow 8.30pm:
Craig Mottram in record shape.

● 100m final Friday 8.55pm: ‘‘Shirvo’’
goes for his sixth career title after
last winning back in 2002.

● 800m final Saturday 7.20pm: Sub-
2min stars Tamsyn Lewis and Madeline
Pape clash.

Some friendly sledging by Commonwealth
champion John Steffensen
toward Joel Milburn—the revelation
of the summer — has set the
scene for an exciting 400m showdown.

It will have everything from high
quality — with three sprinters in
Steffensen, Milburn and titleholder
Sean Wroe already bettering the
Olympic A-qualifying time of 45.55sec
— to high intrigue given that the two
fastest men, Steffensen and Milburn,
are both returning from injuries.

In fact Blue Mountains resident
Milburn, 21, ran into Steffensen at
the Olympic Park sports medicine
centre last Friday.

‘‘I asked him whether he was running
in the nationals and he said ‘I’m
ready to go’,’’ Milburn said. ‘‘I said, ‘me
too, bring it on’. I was getting some
treatment from our physiotherapist
Brent Kirkbride and John laughed
and said, ‘I’m not the one laying on
the [treatment] bench’.’’

TV: Highlights package 11am-12.30pm
Sunday on SBS. Webcast live on
www.athletics.com.au from 6.30-9pm
each night.

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In retrospect I think there were warning signs before the Europe trip.

Over a year ago he did an interview (probably SBS or ABC TV) where he talked about how he could have / could still make it in Rugby League and the money he could have made. And last season he talked about adding other events, such as the long jump.

Maybe the focus was already going, and homesickness, women troubles just adds on.

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Wanting to win is so important. Without that you are lost. Getting your house in order is always first priority.

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Inspiration always comes before Motivation; he finds nothing inspiring about the World Championships, much less the Olympics. What else could stir him into action? Nothing I suspect.

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Maybe a trip to the Stawell Gift this Easter. That is where it all began for him.

8

Joshua Ross is depressed because he is running badly. All this other stuff about motivation, desire bla bla!!.. is crap… simple cover up. Joshua has not been diagnosed with clinical depression.

If Ross ran 10.08 at nationals this week he would soon be on top of the world.

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Josh ran 10.13 (?) in the lead up to World Champs overseas (CZE maybe?) and was still unable to get motivated for World Champs.
As KitKat mentioned, if the WC or Olympics doesnt get someone motivated, it is unlikely anything will.

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So he needs to be diagnosed?

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Back in November all the talk was about Ross running 9.9 this season. He said to the papers that he had been running 6.3s H in training. Two months later when things went sour , its all down to depression. I just down buy it. Its too simplistic.

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Yes, depression is both a psychological and physiological condition that should be assessed by a professional who has expertise in the field. In cases where people experience clinical depression, they often do not have the motivation to get up in the morning.

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From what I hear that sounds like Josh Ross right there. But nobody close to him thinks he has clinical depression, just that he doesn’t consistently come to training and when he does, he might put in, or he might not bother. When he was in Osaka, he freaked the team staff and medics out because he just didn’t want to come out of his room. That was not good. Plus he has been reduced to tears a number of times since back in Australia seemingly with no great cause. Most unusual. The guy is hurting. And you can buy what you like but you’re not close enough to him to know anything about his current state so perhaps you should reserve your judgement. Just like characters like Sharmer should reserve judgement on the coach because, A, they klnow nothing of how he coaches, B) they know nothing of the attitude of the athlete.

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This is VERY sad. I feel sorry for Josh - it could have been a highlight year in his career … Olympics and all that. And especially for Nanny, who tried his BEST… not only as a coach, but a mentor, a motivator, etc. I still hope that SOMETHING happens to turn the scenario RIGHT OVER!!

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Sounds very sad, I hope he feels better soon.

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I have found people who ask for help, in regard to psychological issues (depression etc) are probably pass the point they should of initially got help.

To Josh and his family, friends, coach and team mates. Good luck and I hope everything turns out well this is has nothing to do with athletics this about a young man who is in need of getting his life in order.

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Having structure and exercise are good elements in fighting depression. At the moment Josh seems to be free wheeling things, which may even make things worse. Giving someone who is depressed time to think can worsen the problem. Having a daily structure and routine is vital in frighting depression, thinking about things won’t change them only actions will.

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Agree. I’m not an expert but have been involved in depression issues with family, friends and clients.

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by Jim Morton
BRISBANE, Feb 27 AAP - Joshua Ross’s coach believes his disillusioned superstar still has the time and talent to make it to the Beijing Olympics.
And Paul Nancarrow today warned that Australia’s 4x100m relay team’s Games qualification hinged on whether the Jekyll and Hyde'' sprinter could overcome the personal demons which have grounded his career. Nancarrow today officially scratched Ross from the Olympic athletics selection trials in Brisbane starting tomorrow after telling the reigning four-time national 100m champion to weigh up his future. The Newcastle-based coach feared Ross, who ran a slow 10.87 in a handicap 100m race at Lithgow last weekend, would be smashed’’ if he backfired at the national titles at the Queensland Sports and Athletic Centre.
He's that close to pulling up stumps and saying I'm over it, I didn't want to throw him in the deep end because he just isn't ready,'' Nancarrow told AAP. He’s doesn’t have the desire and isn’t in the mental shape where he can compete.
I told him to go away and have a look at himself and ask `have I achieved everything I want to achieve in the sport?' If the answer is yes then give up, if the answer’s no then get your arse back into training.
``It’s up to him to find the inspiration or motivation to go on.’’

A frustrated Nancarrow said it was such a sad waste because he has days at training when he's on and he's magnificent''. It’s like Jekyll and Hyde, he could turn up and run out of his skin or he could turn up and stand behind the blocks and think `fuck it, I don’t want to do this’.’’
But Nancarrow believes the 27-year-old will still run at Beijing if he snapped out of the doldrums before Athletics Australia finalised their squad in late June.
As far as the relay goes, without a doubt, he'd be a certainty,'' he said. Physically wise he’s 100 per cent.
The individual spot has long gone. It's done and dusted unless he can come out and do something extraordinary in June. And they need him for the relay time or (Australia) won’t qualify.
``He’s someone who will run 10.2 and you would lose three tenths of a second as the No.5 sprinter is at 10.5 and you can’t afford that.’’
Australia’s best relay team would also feature the in-form Matt Shirvington and the injured Adam Miller.
But the problem they face, even if Ross snaps back into form, is finding the time and place to run two 4x100m times to place Australia among the 16 quickest nations.
Ross told his newly-appointed coach his troubles stemmed from a three-month stint in Europe which sapped his enjoyment from the sport before crashing out of the world championships in Osaka last August.
Shirvington, who ran third in 10.35 behind Asafa Powell in Melbourne on Thursday, wouldn’t write Ross off today but also predicted he would challenge his personal best of 10.03 this year.

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I can say he has not been left alone to his own device and the support he has received from some athletes here via calls, txts and also talking to me is encouraging, shirvo as always is a class act, without going into details he said he will be in contact with Josh as well as other sprinters, Adam Basil, Kyle Vanderkyp to name a few have been great.

AA have offered continued support and will do whatever they can to help.