WAIS Track and Field Struggle in Cold and Wet London

Published On: 16 August 2010

Steve Hooker

WAIS track and field athletes endured a difficult campaign in London on the weekend at the 12th Diamond League event for 2010.

In cold and wet conditions, world and Olympic champion Steve Hooker, Alana Boyd and 400m national champion Ben Offereins all struggled to come to terms with the Crystal Palace course.

In the field, Steve Hooker and Diamond Race leader Renaud Lavillenie (FRA) both made an early exit from the rain-delayed men’s pole vault competition, unable to negotiate the opening height of 5.51m. Polish champion Lukasz Michalski claimed an unexpected victory with a clearance of 5.71m.

Ben Offereins placed fourth in the men’s 400m ‘B’ final in a time of 46.59. Just as he did in Stockholm last week, the WAIS scholarship holder ran a strong opening 300m to lead the field into the final straight before being run down by a trio of Britons led by Conrad Williams, who crossed the line first in 46.09. Alana Boyd also struggled for form in the wet, finishing ninth with a best clearance of 4.11m.

Sally Pearson’s good form has continued and middle distance men Collis Birmingham and Craig Mottram have gone head-to-head on the track for the first time in over two years to highlight the Australian action on day one of Round 12 in the IAAF Diamond League series in London (GBR) overnight.

One week after taking out her maiden Diamond League victory in Stockholm (SWE) in Round 11 of the Diamond League tour, Sally Pearson placed second in last night’s 100m hurdles event, clocking 12.61 (w:0.2) on a rain-soaked track.

The 23-year-old Queenslander arrived in the British capital with two successive wins under her belt, backing up her victory in Stockholm in the season-best time of 12.57 (w:0.2) with a win at the Spitzen Leichathletik meet in Lucerne (SUI) on Sunday night (12.59, w:0.0).

Taking out last night’s heat in a controlled 12.66 (w:1.3) ahead of US college champion Queen Harrison and 2003 world champion Perdita Felicien (CAN), Pearson looked poised for a second Diamond League title but said a poor start hindered her chances.

“I didn’t have the best start like I did in the heat or my other races,” she said.

Leading the field until the final hurdle, the Olympic silver medallist said she was ecstatic just to be back on the track after an injury-interrupted 12 months.

“I don’t want to get too excited. It’s only my fourth race in a year and I’m just enjoying being back on the circuit,” Pearson said.

Canadian rival and likely Commonwealth Games challenger Priscilla Lopes-Schliep took out the race in the meet record time of 12.52, the fastest time in the world this year. Diamond Race leader Lolo Jones (USA) was third in 12.66.

In the men’s 3000m, national 10,000m record-holder Collis Birmingham and national 5000m record-holder Craig Mottram met on the start line of a track race for the first time since 2008, the pair turning on a showdown that lived up to its pre-race hype.

In the early stages of the race the Australians ran in single file behind a long line of the best middle distance men in the world, including 2007 1500m and 5000m world title-holder Bernard Lagat (USA), recently-crowed European 5000m and 10,000m champion Mo Farah (GBR) and winner over 5000m in Stockholm last week, Mark Kiptoo (KEN).

In the final kilometre of the race the two Victorians turned on a thrilling contest for the Crystal Palace crowd, as Mottram attacked the lead then Birmingham surged to hit the front with one lap to go, the 25-year-old going on to take over three and a half seconds off his previous best time of 7:46.01 to place fourth in 7:42.39 behind Lagat (7:40.36).

Mottram placed eighth in a season’s best time of 7:45.87.

Birmingham, who crossed the line with two bloodied knees, said he was out to make amends for last week’s disappointing run.

“I had a disappointing race in Stockholm last week so I wanted to come out here and be competitive,” he said.

“The race wasn’t that quick and a bit messy at times but my goal was to be competitive in the last 400m, to get near the lead and try to compete with them at the end.”

The time sees Birmingham rocket from eighth to fourth on the Australian all-time list behind Mottram, Shaun Creighton and Lee Troop.

“It’s about time I got that PB, it’s been hanging around for a while,” he said.

Richard Colman was third in the men’s T54 1500m wheelchair race in 3:20.64 behind Switzerland’s world record-holder Marcel Hug in 3:14.68. Canberra’s 2004 Paralympic medallist Richard Nicholson placed sixth in 3:31.66.

Rounding out the Australian action, in-form New South Welshman Youcef Abdi, who posted his first Commonwealth Games A-qualifying time in the 3000m steeplechase at the Folksam Grand Prix in Gothenburg (SWE) on Tuesday night, placed sixth in his premier event in a time of 8:31.87.

In other results Tyson Gay (USA), the second-fastest man of all-time, turned on the highlight of day one in London with an outstanding win in the world-leading time of 9.78 (w:-0.4) in the 100m.

Before the meet the race lost some of its lustre as first world record-holder Usain Bolt (JAM) and then compatriot Asafa Powell (JAM) withdrew from the line-up. The Jamaicans would have needed to be in their best shape to defeat Gay, his winning time made more exceptional given the cold weather and slight headwind.

“I wasn’t expecting to go that fast in these conditions but I knew I was in good shape and was going to go fast,” Gay said.

“I wasn’t necessarily sending a message to Asafa and Usain, I was just running my own race. I think there’s more to come.

“It’s great to be on top of the world, that’s important to me. This is not the best shape I’ve ever been in because I’m still dealing with a few little injuries. My coach said that I can run 9.7 in any conditions and I think I showed that tonight.”

– Athletics Australia