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Six bound for world half marathon championships
Athletics Australia has today announced a team
of six athletes to contest the 2010 IAAF world half marathon
championships, the 19th instalment of the event to be
held in Nanning (CHN) on Saturday, October 16.
Flying the flag for Australia in the men’s event will be
Clint Perrett (Vic), with the remaining five squad
members combining for the women’s team event under the guidance of
road running veteran Benita Willis (Vic).
Having already competed at the IAAF world cross country
championships (70th, 35:39.00) and the London Marathon (13th,
2:18:55) earlier this year, Perrett will make his return to the
half marathon distance on the back of his victory at the Melbourne
Half Marathon (1:04:34) last November, lining up as the sole male
competitor at the world half marathon meet.
Boasting an impressive road running resume that includes six career
marathons, Benita Willis will headline the women’s team with bronze
at the 2003 edition of the championships (1:09.26) to her name. A
three-time Olympian and four-time world championships
representative, the 31-year-old last took on the 21.1km distance at
the 2009 Great North Run in England, where her time of 1:11.57
placed her 10th.
The 2004 world cross country champion will be joined on the start
line in Nanning by Nikki Chapple (Vic),
Cassie Fien (Qld) Jessica
Trengove (SA) and Melinda Vernon (NSW),
with the top three place-getters to combine for a team score.
Chapple, the reigning Australian road running champion, took line
honours at the Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon in Marugame (JPN) in
February in a time of 1:08.37. Returning to the international
running circuit just last year, Chapple took fourth at the Great
North Run and surged to fifth on the Australian all-time list with
her time of 1:10.03.
Cassie Fien took gold (1:11.58) at the Sydney Morning Herald Half
Marathon in May and silver in a personal best time of 1:11.45 at
the Gold Coast Half Marathon in July in what was a strong start to
the year, after rounding out her 2009 campaign with a new personal
best time of 52:47 in the 15km road race event.
Twenty-four-year-old Fien was Australia’s only female
representative at the 2009 world half marathon championships, where
she crossed the line in 31st place in a time of 1:12.55.
Placing seventh in the Zatopek:10 late in 2009, Melinda Vernon this
year placed second at the Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon,
crossing the line in the new personal best time of 1:14.50. In 2010
the 24-year-old has also taken to the start line of the World
University Cross Country Championships, placing seventh
overall.
The bronze medallist at the Gold Coast Half Marathon in July,
Jessica Trengove is set to make her international open-age debut at
the IAAF world half marathon championships in October. The winner
of the 5000m (17:20.47) and 10,000m (35:34.25) events at the
Australian University Games in 2009, Trengrove placed 10th at the
World University Cross Country Championships in April in a time of
17:14.00.
Athletics Australia National Distance Coordinator Tim O’Shaughnessy
said the return of Willis was a coup for the Australian team.
“Having Benita as part of the women’s team is a real boost for the
girls, she is a seasoned campaigner at meets like this and her
experience is invaluable,” he said.
“Nikki is a great runner proven by her result in Japan earlier this
year alongside her win at the Launceston 10 last weekend, so
fingers crossed that as a group the girls can combine for some high
places resulting in a good team score.”
Departing Australia for the championships in early October, the
five-strong women’s team will be chasing Australia’s first medal in
the team event since Steve Moneghetti led an
Australian men’s team to silver in 1993.
19th IAAF world half marathon
championships
Nanning (CHN)
October 16, 2010
Women (5):
Nikki Chapple (Vic, 29)
Cassie Fien (Qld, 24)
Jessica Trengove (SA, 22)
Melinda Vernon (NSW, 24)
Benita Willis (Vic, 31)
Men (1):
Clint Perrett (Vic, 27)
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