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 Athlete Profiles 

 Joel Milburn 

Joel Milburn

Season 2007/2008 was a breakthrough year for the talented 400m runner.  With victory at the Zatopek Classic, Canberra Athletics Classic plus the Sydney Track Classic, he took some well known scalps along the way.

Lining up at the National Championships in Brisbane, Joel needed victory and one more A qualifier for guaranteed nomination to Beijing.  Joel ran a well-timed and controlled race to win over many more seasoned campaigners.  Though the time was not an A qualifier, the selectors nominated him for his first Olympics and he will line up in the 400m individual and 4 x 400m relay in Beijing.



Date of Birth:
17.03.1986
Discipline:
Sprints
Occupation:
Student
Height:
182cm
Weight:
75kg
State:
NSW
Coach:
Penny Gillies
Previous Coaches:
Kevin Junor, Paul Stenhouse, Tudor Bidder
Scholarship:
NSWIS
Club:
Asics west
Place of Birth/Residence:
Sydney
Marital Status
Single
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 Further Information 

Competition Stats

AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS:
400 metres - 2008 - 1st

INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS:
World Youth Championships: 2003 - 400m 4th semi (48.83)
World University Games: 2007 - 4 x 400m 2nd (3:02.76)
World Indoor Championships: 2008 - 4 x 400m 5th heat (3:12.69)

ANNUAL PROGRESSION:

400m
2003  47.73
2004  47.43
2005  47.11
2006  47.01
2007  46.54
2008  44.99

EVENTS / PERSONAL BESTS:
100m: 10.85
200m: 21.39
400m: 44.19

Interesting Facts

Joel is currently completing a psychology course at Macquarie university.

Sporting Career

Season 2007/08 was a breakthrough year for Joel taking the 400m at high quality meets across Australia including the Zatopek Classic in December, Sydney Track Classic and Canberra Athletics Classic. An impressive 45.19 at the NSW Championships sent a strong message to his competitors that he was seriously in the hunt for an individual and relay Olympic selection in what was quickly becoming the event for 2008.

A niggling hamstring injury kept him out of the Sydney Athletics Grand Prix and he was disappointed to miss his chance to tackle reigning Olympic and World Champion, Jeremy Wariner at the IAAF World Athletics Tour in Melbourne.

Fully fit and ready to go, he arrived in Brisbane for the Selection Trials and Australian Athletics Championships with a clear sense of where he was and what he wanted to achieve, and systematically moved through the heats and semis finishing second to Athens silver medallists Mark Ormrod and John Steffensen respectively. In the most anticipated final at the championships where a win to either Steffensen or Sean Wroe would see them an automatic selection, Milburn needed a win and an A qualifier to guarantee his spot.

Starting from lane seven, Milburn, on the outside of a lively Steffensen, kept a controlled pace kicking off the final bend to sprint clear to win in 45.90 from Steffensen and Wroe.

Just days later Milburn was on a plane to Valencia for the IAAF World Indoor Championships alongside 4 x 400m team mates Wroe, Dylan Grant, Daniel Batman and Mark Ormrod. Unfortunately the team failed to qualify for the final after a fumbled baton pass, but the experience will be priceless leading into Beijing.

Joel Milburn has been nominated to the Australian Olympic Committee for selection in both the individual 400m and 4 x 400m relay.