27.12.2006

Australian Athletics 2006 - A Year in Review

It has been a sensational year for Australian Athletics with a magnificent Commonwealth Games, medals in the major IAAF competitions, world number one rankings and a world record – you name it, Australian athletes have achieved it in 2006.

So what are the most memorable moments?

The team at Jump Media has enjoyed covering all the big events in 2006 and provides their most memorable moments.

Equal Tenth - So Super Fast for Sarah

Sarah Jamieson demonstrated early in 2006 that she would move into the top echelon of female middle distance runners when she overcame being boxed-in to take silver in the women’s 1500m at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Following the Games, Jamieson produced a sensational season, twice beating her personal best, setting a new Australian record and consistently reaching the podium in the major European meets this summer. Facing strong opposition all season, the 31-year-old proved she could mix it with the world’s best, launching her international campaign in May with a win and a new PB of 4:03.51 at the World Athletics Tour meeting in Osaka. After a series of wins in the US, she also claimed victory in Madrid, before moving to Stockholm where, in sweltering conditions, Jamieson broke Margaret Crowley’s decade-old Australian 1500m record , finishing third behind Bahrain’s Maryam Yusuf Jamal, clocking 4.00.93 to shave 0.41 seconds off the previous mark. Jamieson finished third in Monaco, fourth in the World Athletics Final and third at the World Cup to round out her best season ever.

Equal Tenth – Making a B Line for the Finish

Benita Johnson finished 2006 with a flourish – highlighted by a new Australian record for the marathon in Chicago. In just her third race over the distance, ‘B’ broke the 18-year-old national record held by Lisa Martin (Ondieki) by over a minute. Martin’s time of 2:23.51 had stood since 1988. Racing in extremely cold conditions and facing gusty winds, the 27-year-old finished third in a time of 2:22:36, breaking her previous personal best of 2:26.32 by nearly four minutes. The performance capped off a great year. After being disappointed to miss out on a medal in the 10,000m at the Commonwealth Games, Benita once again had a sensational world cross country championships – finishing fourth in both the long and the short distance races. Thankfully her efforts were rewarded with the bronze medal in the team’s event in the short course race.

Number Nine – The Muscles of Martin

With the balance of Baryshnikov, the nerves of Nureyev and the muscles of Martin, we welcomed a new athletics hero in 2006. After what was undoubtedly the most creative and visible advertising campaign associated with the Commonwealth Games, Scott Martin became a household name. And after the disappointment of missing the shot put gold, he looked destined for a repeat of his bronze in the men’s discus sitting in third place with one throw remaining. Martin stepped into the circle, launched the platter and the crowd held its breath. Hitting the MCG infield at 63.48m he moved into the lead and as the distance came up on the board he ran to the crowd where his coach, seven-time national hammer champion Gus Puopolo was waiting. After buckling the fence, the duo celebrated then watched nervously for the final round efforts of two Canadians. Both failed to overtake him, and the crowd was treated to the scene of Puopolo standing on the fence to celebrate with his charge. The MCG fence as not been the same since. Martin finished the year with a successful tour of Europe – constanly over 20m in the shot put and producing a personal best of 20.38 to finish fifth in that event at the World Athletic Final, before finishing fourth in the shot and fifth in the discus at the World Cup.

Number Eight – There’s No ‘I’ in Team

Australian athletes proved that team success is just as rewarding as individual glory, with historic first-time team medals the IAAF World Walk Cup and the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. 2006 was a good year for our walkers, with the heal-toe brigade capturing the silver medal in the men’s 20km event at the IAAF World Walk Cup in La Coruna, Spain in May. Nathan Deakes, Jared Talent, Luke Adams, Adam Rutter and Duane Cousins defeating a host of race walking powerhouses including Russia, China, Italy and Mexico to improve on our previous best placing of fourth in the 50km team event in 2002. Hosts, Spain took the gold. At the World Cross Country it was Benita Johnson who combined with Melissa Rollison, Anna Thompson, Donna MacFarlane, Victoria Mitchell and Eloise Wellings to collect the team bronze in the short course event. It was an impressive result for the Australian women who provided a rare non-African appearance on the victory dais over the two-day championships - of the 36 medals awarded, only three were not won by African athletes.

Number Seven – Opening Night is Athletics’ Night

Memories from the Commonwealth Games dominate the top ten and when it came to the opening ceremony of the Games, athletics dominated. Dual Commonwealth Games gold medallist Jane Saville led the Australian team onto the Melbourne Cricket Ground during the opening ceremony. Saville’s selection made her the third woman after swimmer Lisa Curry-Kenny (1990) and athlete Pamela Kilborn (1970) to bear the flag for Australia in a Games ceremony and the third track and field athlete to be awarded the honour; with Kilborn and Rick Mitchell (1982) the previous flag bearers. And with eyes of the Commonwealth focused on Melbourne, it was Australian athletics legends of the past 50 years who carried the Queen’s Baton on the last stages of its epic journey. Herb Elliott, Catherine Freeman, Ron Clarke, Marjorie Jackson and John Landy were the final five runners with Governor Landy handing the Baton to Her Majesty, the Queen who declared the XVIII Commonwealth Games open. Perhaps a little unfairly there was not a swimmer, cyclist, boxer or badminton player in sight. And athletics fans loved it.

Number Six – The Gospel According to John

He came, he talked, he won gold. That sums up 2006 for John Steffensen. At the beginning of the 2006 domestic season, John started pumping up his own tyres, stating he wanted to be “the Cathy Freeman moment of the 2006 Commonwealth Games. I’m here to win and I will.” After setting personal best in the heats, the Athens Olympic silver medallist and finalist at the 2005 World Championships soon let his feet do the talking, giving Clinton Hill windburn over the last 150m at the Telstra Nationals in Sydney, again setting a new PB of 45.15 in the final. After talking it up, Steffensen slapped a media ban on himself during the Games, only loosing the larynx after capturing gold in a masterful display over one-lap. After a PB of 45.05 seconds in the heats he sped to the line to record his first sub-45 second effort with another PB of 44.74. He danced, he sang, he stood on the fence and celebrated as the ‘People’s Champion.’ He said he’d win in Melbourne – and he did.

Number Five – Ready for takeoff

It is impossible to separate our pole-vaulting duo when it comes to memorable moments in 2006. They should be renamed P1 (Hooker) and P2 (Burgess) in recognition of their standing in world athletics, and their close bond since forming a dynamic training combination in Perth. In 2006 the duo won the World Athletics Final (P2), Commonwealth Games and World Cup (P1), and scored wins in IAAF World Tour events in Melbourne, Heusden, Helsinki and Berlin (P1), and Osaka and Rome (P2) in a combination that cemented their position at the top of their event. Hooker ended the year with a best of 5.96m, Burgess 5.92m and the duo became the first Australians in 38 years to be ranked one and two in the same event. Hurdlers Maureen Caird and Pam Ryan held the top two spots in the world after claming the gold and silver medals in the 80m hurdles at the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games. The pair then announced an unusual motivational technique to ensure they remain focused on the goals over the next two years – they have sworn off girlfriends. The Perth-based pair have each put $5000 on the line to continue their world-beating form with long term-steady relationships off the agenda. “We’re just going to try and keep our athletics as our main focus and keep the grief that women provide out of the picture. If one of us does happen to slip into one of those horrible, horrible relationships, then they have to pay the other $5000,” Hooker said at the 2007 Season Launch.

Number Four - Deakes Digs Deepest

It’s been a good year in Australian athletics when a world record only comes in at number four on the year’s most memorable moments. Sorry Deakesy! After defending his titles in both the 20km and 50km events at the Commonwealth Games, leading his Australian team to team silver over 20km at the World Walk Cup, breaking the Australian record over 30km in Hobart, Nathan Deakes left the best to last in a stellar 2006. In front of an enthusiastic home crowd in Geelong, Deakes broke the first world record by an Australian since Emma George in 1999 and the first by an Australian male since Ralph Doubell equalled the 800m world record at the 1968 Olympic games. Despite a course not conducive to fast times, a blustery wind and no competition, Deakes recorded a time of 3:35.47 to take 16 seconds off the previous world record. And it was not just any record, but a time set by the wizard of the walk Robert Korzeniowski from Poland at the world championships in Paris in 2003. The 29-year-old is rapidly compiling a record to rival the best in Australian athletics - four Commonwealth Games golds, Olympic bronze, Goodwill Games gold and now a world record. It is fair to say that we are all looking forward to Osaka and Beijing. Four events, four golden opportunities.

Number Three – Buster Move

For the past two years athletics aficionados have been telling the sporting public and non-athletics media that Craig Mottram is one of Australia’s best athletes. In 2006 they understood why. After breaking the Australian record and running the eighth fastest of all-time for 2000m at the World Athletics Tour meet at Olympic Park, Buster lined up for the 5000m final at the Commonwealth Games. The 2005 world championship bronze medallist produced an epic battle with Kenya’s Augustine Choge in what Steve Ovett described as “the greatest championships 5000m of all-time.” Choge out sprinted Mottram to win gold, running sub 13 minutes. Mottram moved to the 1500m where he was the favourite for the final, but clipped the feet of the Englishman (and later to become training partner) Andy Baddeley - ending any hope of MCG victory. After breaking the 3000m Australian record in July in Liege he set a PB over 1500m in Zurich. After a troublesome month in August, Mottram and his now-famous mullet lined up in the 3000m at the IAAF World Cup in Athens with the news that the new Emperor of Ethiopia – Kenenisa Bekele was a late entry in the event. In a performance that had the athletics world talking long after the race was run, the defending champion produced a stunning run – racing to a personal best, Australian, Oceania and championship record time of 7min 32.19sec, smashing the previous meet record of 7min 41.37sec he set in winning in Madrid in 2002. Mottram also created history by becoming the first Oceania athlete to defend a World Cup title, and in doing so produced the best run of his career to dethrone one of the best distance runners of all time. For his troubles, Mottram collected US$30,000 for his win – although stocks in Mottram Inc. have now risen considerably more - with the mullet now in demand all-over the world. The fact that there were a dozen Mottram ‘mini-me’s’ at the Telstra Zatopek in December – young athletes sporting the mullet to emulate their hero - demonstrates that he is already inspiring the next generation of distance running stars.

Number Two – Marathon Mum

The Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games were already four-days old and sports fans had already witnessed multiple world records in the pool by the time the 23 competitors in the women’s marathon set off on their 42.195km journey through the streets of Melbourne. Two hours, thirty minutes and 54 seconds later, one of the most memorable moments in Australian sport had materialised and Australia’s passion for the Games had been truly ignited. Just as Deek had captivated a nation in Brisbane in 2002, so too did two whippet-like runners - one a 38-year-old mother of two and defending champion from Australia, the other a twenty-year-old novice from Kenya. For the last half hour of the race Kenya’s Helen Cherono and Australia’s Kerryn McCann ran shoulder to shoulder. A surge here, a spurt there. They raced through the centre of Melbourne, alongside the Yarra and over a cruel incline up the footbridge to the MCG. When they entered the coliseum 76,000 fans roared. Cherono raced clear. McCann looked beaten by youth and her cramping calves. The crowd refused to concede, the yelled and willed, most likely some prayed – after all it was a Sunday! Kerryn drew closer. After 42 kilometres she hit the lead. It was a moment to savour, something to remember for the rest of our lives. Celebrating with ‘Team McCann’; husband Greg, children Josie and Brenton who were in the crowd, Kerryn excitedly lifted her eight-year-old son onto the MCG to share a lap of honour. Tears were shed. It was reality TV at its best. It was voted as the most memorable moment of the Games and will remembered as one of the great moments in the celebrated history of the MCG.

Number One - Athletics at the MCG

The largest ever Australian athletics team took on the best athletes in the Commonwealth at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March and whilst the team produced spectacular results, it was the MCG that was the undisputed star of the show. From the opening heat of the Victorian Championships – which provided the opportunity for 1340 grassroots athletics participants to compete at the hollowed stadium, through to the spectacular performance by Australia’s men’s 4x400m relay team in the final event of the Games, the MCG stole the show. More than 630,000 tickets were sold for athletics at the Games, with thousands more lining the streets to watch the marathons and walks. Australia’s most famous sporting venue looked like a purpose built athletics stadium, with any memories of Bradman or Coleman, Ponting or Lockett quickly replaced with stars like 100m world record holder Asafa Powell, along with Australia’s 16 gold medal winners including Jana Pittman, John Steffensen and Bronwyn Thompson. The new-look ‘G’ produced a noise of such resonance that the voices of our nation seemed to bounce off the roof only to wash down over those who had created the cacophony. They yelled for Kerryn and Jana, Johnny Steff and Scotty Martin. The roared, and roared and roared some more for Mottram in the 5000m, then cried for him in the 1500m. Hard bitten and hard to please media types were left lamenting following the final night of competition. We all knew we had experienced something really special. We also knew that we where never likely to see it again. Within hours of the closing ceremony the track was torn to shreads, leaving the athletes who had made the games such a success, along with the hard working officials and volunteers who allowed it to unfold so flawlessly, with just the memories of a special seven days.

Honourable Mentions

There were plenty of highlights in Australian athletics in 2006, and the following also deserve special mention for thrilling us in 2006.

Kurt Fearnley

Following three gold medals at the IPC World Championships in Assen, Fearnley captured the New York marathon title and became an instant celebrity in the US after being spilled from his chair after hitting a series of pot holes, connecting with the city sidewalk and damaging his ribs and shoulder in the process. The huge New York crowd cheering him on like one of their own in the closing kilometers.

Tatiana Grigorieva

In a year that started with a family affair at the Commonwealth Games when 16-year-old niece Vicky Parnov made the team, Tatiana finished the year with three PB’s in what may be the final competitions of her career. We hope it isn’t so.

Kym Howe

Kicked off the 2006 Telstra A-Series in style with a new Commonwealth, Australian national and Allcomers record of 4.61m – and then went one centimetre better at the Commonwealth Games.

Bronwyn Thompson

Blitzed at the Games to win the Commonwealth gold with a leap of 6.97m, then had a hen’s night in front of 80,000 people at the closing ceremony. Silver at the World Athletic Final and fourth at the World Cup completed a great comeback following serious injury in 2004.

Jana Rawlinson (nee Pittman)

A big year for the 2003 world champion, a popular win at the Commonwealth Games and the new chapter in her life as mother to baby son Cornelis Levi Rawlinson.

Robbie Crowther and Dani Samuels

World Junior Champions Robbie Crowther and Dani Samuels both captured world junior titles in Beijing, each setting new Australian records in the process. Crowther, 19, leapt 8.00m to win the long jump. Samuels beat a 16-year-old record to clinch the discus title with three throws over 60m.

We look forward to a bigger and better 2007, with the upcoming Telstra Australian Athletics Season, the 2007 World Championships in Osaka and the 2007 World Youth Championships in Ostrava - just some of the major events to captivate us next year.