04.06.2009

Johnson waltzes to Vienna for Austrian 5km

Following her sixth placing at the Freihofer's Run in New York on Saturday, Benita Johnson jets to Europe this weeked to contest the Austrian Women's Run in Vienna.

Johnson will join two-time New York City Marathon champion Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia as one of the hot favourites at the start line of the 5km road race through the Austrian capital.

The three-time Olympian and fastest Australian over both the 10,000m (30:37:68) and marathon (2:22:36) distances, Johnson, 30, will face some tough competition from Prokopcuka in Vienna.

The 32-year-old European owns nearly every distance record on the books in Latvia, including the 10,000m (30:38:78) and marathon (2:22:56) national marks.

To date this year, Prokopcuka has taken out the Semi-Marathon de Paris for the third time (1:10:43) and finished fourth at the Meia-Maratona Internacional de Lisboa (1:09:58), third at the Great Ireland Run 10km (32:30), second at the Great Edinburgh Run 10km (33:14) and third at the Great Manchester Run 10km (32:41).

In one of few appearances to date in 2009, Johnson crossed the line in Saturday's Freihofer's Run in 16:00, well outside her career best time of 14:59 over the 5km distance set in London in 2002.
 
Also expected to compete this weekend are Jessica Augusto (POR), the silver medalist at December's European Cross Country Championships, and Krisztina Papp (HUN), a two-time Olympian over 5000m and Austrian Women's Run course record holder.

In 2006 Papp stormed home to claim the Vienna race in a time of 15:35:90, her winning time still the mark to beat when racing gets under way this Sunday.

The Austrian Women's Run has featured an elite field each year since 2005, with Eloise Wellings (2006) and Victoria Mitchell (2007, 2008) flying the Australian flag in previous editions of the race.

Last year Mitchell crossed the line in 16:42:90 to claim third place.

Sunday's run will be the 22nd edition of the run, the event attracting over 18,000 entrants since its inception in 1988.