28.03.2008

A steep hill to climb in Edinburgh

Australian Craig Mottram will be chasing a top fifteen finish when he lines up against the world’s best distance runners at this Sunday’s IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh.

Seventy nations will congregate in Holyrood Park, in the shadow of the Queen’s Holyrood Palace residence, to do battle in four races – senior men (12km) and women (8km), and junior men (8km) and women (6km).

Being the son of a Scottish mother and having tackled the course on a number of occasions in the Great Edinburgh Run, Mottram will be one of the sentimental crowd favourites.

The 12km distance may not be his forte, however Mottram, who will contest the 5000m at the Olympic Games in August, is looking forward to the challenge in his seventh appearance at the Championships.

With just over four months to go until the Beijing, the progress and preparations of many of the world’s best will be a discussion point.

The showdown between defending champion Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea and 11-time title holder Kenenisa Bekele will be the highlight of the weekend’s action. After being knocked off his mantle last year following Tadese’s shock victory, Bekele is seeking to become the first man to win the classic long course title six times.

Nic Bideau, who coaches Mottram and a number of other athletes in the Australian team, believes his charge is on the right track.

“Craig’s trained well since the World Indoors,” Bideau said. “Of course Bekele and many other Africans will be tough but it is a world championship and you expect it to be tough.

“He’s really looking forward to being part of a team that will lead the next generation.

“He's got a lot of satisfaction from working with Collis Birmingham over the last year and is looking forward to him taking another step forward here, along with the other newer faces on the team.”

Struggling with a knee injury for the most part of the summer, Benita Johnson will have her first hit out for the year in Edinburgh.

Australia’s sole gold medallist after her triumph in the long course in 2004, the 28-year-old, who is putting her hand up for marathon selection in Beijing, has finished in the top ten on six occasions.

She joined Anna Thompson, Melissa Rollison, Donna MacFarlane, Victoria Mitchell and Eloise Wellings to claim an historic team bronze medal in Fukuoka, Japan in 2006 – four members of which will return in 2008.

“Whilst her preparation has been restricted due to a knee injury, Benita’s now injury free and is looking forward to regaining top form in the next couple of months, starting with a significant step forward with her performance in Edinburgh,” Bideau continued.

Chilly three degree temperatures and falling snow greeted the Australian contingent when they arrived in the Scottish capital last Sunday after an arduous 40 hours of travel.

For many, including Frankston junior Elise Clayton, and Sudanese refugee Duer Yoa, it was the first time that they had seen or touched the powder.

The team of 22 is one of the largest Australia has sent to the Championships, with six members representing Australia for the first time, and ten competing in their first World Cross Country adventure.

However there is still plenty of experience engulfed within the team, with Martin Dent and Thompson making their seventh appearance, and the likes of Mottram, Johnson and team coach Sonia O’Sullivan all on hand to offer their wisdom and support.

The course, which is renowned for its steep incline and decent, will challenge competitors.

“The course is a lot drier than we expected. It hasn’t rained here either, so it will be fast, although there is a 150 metre hill on each lap that will be tough,” observed Australian team manager Tim O'Shaughnessy.

In total, US$280,000 in prize money will be up for grabs in the two senior races - a US$30,000 prize awarded to each individual winner with US$20,000 going to the first team home.

Further information, start lists and results can be found on the IAAF website - http://www.iaaf.org/wxc08/index.html

A wrap of all the Australian results will be posted on the Athletics Australia website - www.athletics.com.au - on Monday morning.

	Edinburgh time (March 30)	AEDT (March 31)
Women’s Junior	1:00pm	12:00am
Men’s Junior	1:30pm	12:30am
Women’s Senior	2:05pm	1:05am
Men’s Senior	2:45pm	1:45am

TEAM AUSTRALIA

Men (12km): Liam Adams (Vic), Collis Birmingham (Vic), Martin Dent (ACT), Andrew Letherby (Vic), David McNeill (Vic), Craig Mottram (Vic), Ben St Lawrence (NSW), Michael Shelley (Qld)
 
Women (8km): Benita Johnson (Vic), Victoria Mitchell (Vic), Melissa Rollison (QLD), Anna Thompson (Vic), Melinda Vernon (NSW), Lisa Jane Weightman (Vic)
 
Junior men (8km): Richard Everest (SA), Ryan Gregson (NSW), Ashley Watson (Vic), Duer Yoa (Vic)
 
Junior women (6km): Emily Brichacek (ACT), Tamara Carvolth (QLD), Elise Clayton (Vic), Alexis McKillop (NSW)