10.07.2009

Bird-Smith flies into top eight

Dane Bird-Smith has scored Australia's fourth top-eight finish at the world youth titles for 2009, finishing eighth in today's 10,000m walk.  

Bird-Smith crossed the line at the end of the gruelling 25-lap course in 43:53.62, just shy of the personal best 43:47.00 he set at the under 20/23 national championships in Adelaide in April.

The top-eight finish marked an impressive conclusion to a tough day at the office for the Queensland athlete.

“It started out in the call room, I was getting a bit sick and I didn't feel too good coming into the race,” Bird-Smith said.

“It might have just been nerves, I wasn't feeling up for it but I still managed to hang in there for most of it and finish just outside my PB so that was really good.”

German athlete Hagen Pohle set a cracking pace in the final, leading from the gun to claim the gold medal in the new championships record time of 41:35.99.

Holding down second place in a tight pack of athletes for the opening laps of the race, Bird-Smith moved through the four-kilometre mark in 16:46 behind Pohle in 16:33.18.  

“I knew I had to go out fast to keep the pace even because I knew they'd come home quick but I couldn't hold on, I just didn't feel up to it,” Bird-Smith said.

Moving through the eight-kilometre mark in 34:59, Bird-Smith held on to eighth place across the final five laps to join fellow Australians Liam Speers, Huw Peacock and Amy Pejkovic on the top-eight finishers' list at the conclusion of day three.

Hoping for a new personal best at the meet, Bird-Smith was in no way surprised by the pace set by the field.

“I thought the German bloke and Dementiy Cheparev (RSA) would be up there and I was hoping to be able to pull out a pretty good PB and stick with them for most of it but it doesn't always happen on the day,” he said.

“It's a bit hot out there and maybe I just didn't get a good enough lead-up and enough distance and endurance.”

Bird-Smith said the opportunity to race alongside the best youth walkers in the world was a massive boost to his race walking career.

“It's been a great experience and I just love racing, I loved having the great competition here, you don't get much of it back in Australia so it's great to have a real crack and see some of the best walkers out here,” he said.

In other track results, Cameron Hyde and Mitchell Tysoe turned on strong performances in the semi-finals of the 110m hurdles but were unlucky not to advance to this afternoon's final.

Lining up in heat one of three, Hyde crossed the line in a season best time of 13.85 (w: -0.3) to finish fifteenth overall, just under the 13.87 (w: 0.5) he recorded in yesterday's heat.

Fellow New South Welshman Tysoe placed ninth with a time of 13.72 (w: -0.2) to narrowly miss a berth in the final.

“It's a bit disappointing because I could have run better, I missed the start and then after that nothing went right, I hit one or two of the hurdles on the way through,” Tysoe said.

“All in all the meet's been really good, I got through qualifying so I guess that's pretty good.”

US runner Dale Morgan went on to win the final in a new world youth leading time of 13.28 (w: 0.6).

Bronte Gange placed fifteenth overall in the semi-finals of the 800m, stopping the clock at 2:10.14.

For all the action from day three in Bressanone, click here.