24.08.2009

Blistering bronze for Flame

The men’s 4x400m relay team of John Steffensen, Ben Offereins, Tristan Thomas and Sean Wroe have finished the Australian Flame’s inaugural campaign at the 12th IAAF world athletics championships with an outstanding run, taking out the bronze medal.

It was a first for Australia to be represented in the final of this event at a world athletics championships, despite medaling at both Olympic and Commonwealth Games, so to medal in the event is an even more outstanding result.

John Steffensen led the team out with a controlled first leg and passed the baton on even keel with expected leaders the USA.

Offereins, who flew down the back straight in the heats to get in front at the 200m mark, did the same in the final to put Australia into second behind the USA. The West Australian passed to Tristan Thomas but by that time the Brits had slid past.

The Tasmanian, known for some incredible relay splits throughout his junior career, maintained third place and didn't let the Brits get too far away.

The US had an unassailable lead, and Australia and Great Britain were battling for silver.

Anchoring the team home, Wroe ran gallantly as he tried to peg back some ground on Olympic finalist Rooney. Although he fell short, he crossed the line in 3.00.90 for a fabulous bronze medal.

John Steffensen was ecstatic with the result.

“This is a testament to all of them," he said.

"They’re great guys to work with, I’m really proud of them. I felt like a dad yesterday.

“We had a game plan from the start we were always working to make the final, we knew we had a great opportunity to medal and all of the guys believed in it and it really worked as a great team.”

The Commonwealth champion has had problems with his hamstring and was rested from the heat.

“Down the home straight I felt it go”, he said.

“All week I’ve been battling a bit. I knew I had one more race left in me, the boys pulled it off yesterday, so I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them.”

Tristan Thomas, accompanied by his life size cut out of Berlino, the mascot of the championships, was also thrilled.

“To come away at the end of a championships with a medal, to do it as a team and to come out and know that we put in 110% is amazing," he said.

"We believed in this, we truly believed that we should be on that dais. One day America will drop the baton and we will pounce."

Ben Offereins, still struggling to believe that just two months ago he was competing on the Gold Coast, was all smiles.

“First, it was so good just to make this team,” he said. 

“It’s my first world champs, it’s a big eye opener to see how people go through their processes and it was good to have John here, he’s a great team leader.  He sat me down, gave me some good talks, really inspirational and helped me to block out the crowd and get down to business.”

A composed Sean Wroe said: “I had full belief that I was capable of what I was doing. Chasing down Rooney, you’ve got to back yourself in and try to run over the top of him. Tonight I left my run a little bit late. The last 50m I thought I was going to catch him, hats off to Rooney, he’s a quality relay runner. The boys set it up for me today; all I had to do was hold that position.”

Watch the post-race interview with the 4x400m relay team here

It was an outstanding end to a great championships for the Australian Flame, Australia’s best result after the hugely successful team in Seville in 1999. With Steve Hooker, Dani Samuels, Mitchell Watt and the men’s 4x400m relay all collecting medals it was our biggest ever world championships haul.

Australia finished 10th on the medal table behind traditional powerhouses the USA, Jamaica, Kenya, Russia, Poland, Germany, Ethiopia, Great Britain and South Africa. On the placings table, which counts medals as well as top eight finishes, Australia was 11th behind the USA, Russia, Jamaica, Kenya, Germany, Ethiopia, Great Britain, Poland, Cuba and China.

With 32 countries represented on the medal table and 62 on the placing table, and considering a staggering 197 countries take part, this is a fantastic result for Australian athletics.

Team leader Eric Hollingsworth said: “It’s ended up a really great championships. We started off a little bit slow but our top guns came through late, Hooker last night was unbelievable, it was one of the best things I’ve seen in a major championship, ever.

"Mitchell Watt, a new guy, a new face coming through who has only competed in the last year, producing a medal was another fantastic performance.

“I’m surprised a little bit, but I was also very hopeful and optimistic before the championships.

“People like Mitchell Watt have competed very consistently on the European circuit. Fabrice (Lapierre) and Dani only lost once in the lead-up and we just hoped they could cope with the pressure and that’s one of the main things I was looking for from the Australian athletes, to be able to cope with the pressure and a lot of our athletes have really stepped up in that way.”

Watch the interview with Eric Hollingsworth here

Two other members of the Australian Flame were in action on the ninth and final day of the championships, Lisa Weightman in the women’s marathon and Collis Birmingham in the final of the men's 5000m.

Women's marathon

Melbournian Lisa Weightman this morning lined up for only her third race over the marathon distance in the women's race at the iconic Brandenburg Gate on the final day of competition at the world championships.

Weightman ran a smart race and finished strongly in 18th position in a personal best time of 2.30.42, almost two minutes faster than her previous best of 2.32.22, set when debuting in London last year.

Starting conservatively, Weightman hit the 5km-mark in 51st position in a field of 73 runners, 22 seconds behind a lead pack of more than 40 runners. She then turned up the pace in the second half of the race to gain 24 places.

The day was hot and conditions challenging, the cobbled streets of Berlin just as tough on Weightman as they were on the men yesterday. Her experience in the hot conditions at the 2008 Olympic marathon, where she placed 33rd in 2.34.16, no doubt helped her prepare.

The Victorian’s 18th placing is equal to the second best placing, alongside Sue Mahony, by an Australian at the world championships. Australia's best finish is held by the late Kerryn McCann, with fifteenth in Goteborg in 1995.

In good shape at the end of the race, Weightman said: “I felt good at 10km and it was good to come home and be passing people instead of them passing you. I have only run three of these things (marathons), so I have a lot to learn, but this one was good, it felt good except for about three or four k's.”

She told of her race strategy: “I was pretty safe; you have to be because of the heat. I’ll try to run a cooler one and see what I can really do. It was a big PB and I am really happy I could run that fast in a championships.

“(Former Australian marathon runner) Lisa Ondieki is a bit of an inspiration. We have the same name so hopefully I will run as fast as her. Well maybe not as fast, but I’ll try.”

Distance team coach Tim O'Shaughnessy was also impressed by Weightman's race plan and the way she executed it.

“It was a great effort by Lisa, she ran the race exactly to plan and it worked. She’s getting stronger and this is only her third marathon so I don’t think we’ve really seen what she can do,” he said.

Men's 5000m - Final

Collis Birmingham tonight became Australia's second world championships finalist in the 5000m, placing 16th in 13.55.58.

After a solid performance in his heat on Thursday night the Victorian made it through to the final as the 11th-fastest qualifier in 13.23.48.  Birmingham stayed with the pack early but found it difficult to keep up when the pace increased at 2000m. An additional surge with 2000m to go meant the Aussie lost touch with the pack and finished in 16th place in a time of 13.55.58.

It was Australia's third best performance at the world championships after Craig Mottram's two appearances in 2005 and 2007, when he was third and 13th respectively.

The race up the front was a fight to the end between distance legends Kenenisa Bekele and defending champion Bernard Lagat, the Ethiopian edging ahead over the final metres to win his first ever 5000m world championships title.

Birmingham was disappointed with his performance and struggled to get comfortable after failing to finish the 10,000m on day three.

“Tonight it was very tough, different to the heats. Rather than the legs I was struggling with the breathing. It was like a fartlek session,” he said.

“There is no doubt I felt it out there today. It was hard, it was a decision (to run both the 5000m and 10,000m) we made so I won’ think about it too much just now. I’ll just get on with it, we’ve still got some of the season to go. Hopefully that will help motivate me and get quicker.”

Expecting a different style of race, the VIS athlete said: “We just wanted to be with them when it counted and just try to get as many blokes as I could. But it didn’t happen that way so I’ll just go away and get better.”

But it’s all not back to the drawing board for Birmingham, who believes he is on the right track and just needs more time.

“I think I’m heading in the right track, it’s just that all of those guys have been doing the type of training I’m doing for a couple more years. That’s what distance running is, layer on layer, training year on training year. I think I’m heading in the right direction, I’ve just got to keep at it and get stronger.”

Watch the post-race interview with Collis Birmingham here