Athletics Takes to the Streets
On a bright sunny day on the Tyne River, two traditional rivals came together for a non-traditional battle of street athletics. In a two hour showcase, defending champions England edged past Australia on the line to finish with the Bupa Great North City Games trophy five points to four. It was second consecutive win for the English team but it was an immense battle and an outstanding display of athletics for the parochial crowd.
Team Australia got away to a good start with Sally Pearson drawing first blood on the track. Blasting out of the blocks, Pearson continued to increase her lead right to the line and stopped the clock at 12.85 ahead of English women Angelita Broadbelt-Blake (13.49).
Later in the program Pearson returned to the track for the 150m, and again her pace was blistering as she made it two for two.Getting away well Pearson made a strong move through the middle of the race and crossed the line in 16.86 well in front of UK 100m and 200m champion Laura Turner (17.07), Australian 400m champion and WAIS athlete Jody Henry (17.51) and Montell Douglas (17.65).
Pearson was delighted with the two wins, “I’m turning 24 tomorrow so it was a really good birthday present to get both. I was really nervous in that 150 but I really wanted to win a point for Australia and I did my job for the team so I’m really happy” she said.
The action moved onto the street circuit with England taking the first of two points up for grabs on the road in the women’s 1 mile. The defending City Games champion Hannah English, completed the picturesque course in a slick 4:38 with country woman Helen Clitheroe just behind in 4:39. Erica Fountain and Commonwealth Games bound athlete, Kaila McKnight worked hard but found the street circuit tough, finishing third and fourth in 4:45 and 4:47 respectively.
The men’s 2 mile on looked, on paper, to be one of the most exciting races on the program with Collis Birmingham in career best form this year posting new personal best marks over 1500m, 3000m and 5000m and England’s Chris Thompson recording a new 3000m best time of 7:43.34 on the London leg of the IAAF Diamond League.
Thompson led out strongly with Birmingham tucked in behind into the swirling quayside winds, and North England’s favourite Australian Craig Mottram and Commonwealth Games nominee Mitch Kealey not far behind. Mid way through the second lap 1500m specialist Kealey took the lead and increased the pace leaving the door open for Mottram to show his injury worries were behind him, and the big man took the lead up the final hill. A surge from Thompson saw him take back the lead in the last 500m but Mottram stretched out and took victory on the line for Australia in 8:31, ahead of Thompson (8:32), Andy Badderley (8:34) and Australian 5000m champion Ben St Lawrence (8:36).
“I’m just really happy. I enjoyed it out there today, it’s good to be back competing in athletics at an International level” Mottram said. “Chris Thompson led it out and did the hard work for me and I just played to my strength, which at the moment is strength. It’s lucky it was that kind of race and I did push it a bit because I knew if it got to a sprint finish I just didn’t have the speed to catch these guys” he continued.
England had the upper hand in the men’s sprints, Mark Lewis-Francis running an impressive 10.12 to claim the 100m ahead of Australian champion Aaron Rouge – Serret (10.30), and Marlon Devonish taking the 150m in 14.88 from Australian Isaac Ntiamoah (15.34) who will compete in the 4 x 100m in New Delhi.
In the field the two nations couldn’t be split with Chris Noffke winning the long jump in the final round, leaping 7.90m to defeat Greg Rutherford (7.78m) and England taking a surprise win in the pole vault. In blustery conditions Luke Cutts managed to clear 5.20 on his second jump to pip countryman Steve Lewis on a count back but it was a dirty day for the Australians with the Northern England breeze playing havoc with both Olympic champion Steve Hooker and youngster Blake Lucas who couldn’t clear a bar.
With the teams were locked in at four points apiece it was English captain, Andy Turner who sealed the victory for the home country with a strong display in the final event on the program. The European 110m hurdles champion was too good for Aussie Greg Eyears who finished second in a seasons best performance of 13.88.
Australian captain and WAIS scholarship holder Steve Hooker was disappointed he couldn’t get his team over the line, “in the end it (his event) was the difference between the two teams. It would have been really nice to win this one going into Commonwealth Games, but at the same time I’m really proud of the rest of the team. There were great performances from Sally (Pearson) winning twice, and Craig Mottram and Chris Noffke winning their individual events. Everyone put in a big effort and it was a great performance for us to push them all the way. It was just disappointing that I couldn’t do my job and get us the win.”
In the non points scoring women’s invitational 100m Canberra athlete and Australian 100m champion Melissa Breen recorded 11.62 to place second behind the fast starting local Katherine Endacott (11.47).
The Bupa Great North City Games was the final hit out for the Delhi bound athletes who will be joined by their European based team mates in Newcastle Gateshead to finalise their preparations before flying to the sub continent to meet with the rest of the team on September 29. With the Games just over two weeks away the Australian team will go to New Delhi with high hopes of bringing home 30 medals and again leading the athletics points score.
In other athletics action across the weekend Australia’s Commonwealth Games 20km walk nominees have shown they are in blistering form in the lead up to New Delhi with personal best performances over the 10km course at the IAAF Race Walking Challenge Final in Beijing (CHN). Jared Tallent was the fastest Australian finishing in 38:29 ahead of Luke Adams in 38:39 to and Chris Erickson (38:59). Adam Rutter too rounded out his season with a lifetime best of 39:20.
– Athletics Australia