21.03.2009

The boss is back in Brisbane

Joshua Ross has tonight confirmed his return to the track, coming back from the ‘worst year of his life’ to take out the men’s 100m at the 87th Australian Athletics Championships.   

On an action-packed night of athletics at Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, six athletes booked their ticket to the world championships in August, with Kimberley Mickle, Sally McLellan, Tristan Thomas, Tamsyn Lewis, Sean Wroe and Donna Macfarlane all bound for Berlin.  

The final event of the night marked Ross’s return to the national stage, the 27-year-old Victorian posting a winning time of 10.34 (w:-0.4) to claim the blue riband event ahead of training partner Aaron Rouge-Serret (10.36, w:-0.4) and New Zealander David Ambler (10.41, w:-0.4).

“As always I don’t know how I do it, I just did it,” Ross said.

“The old boss is back for business.”

The five-time national champion, who last year came close to quitting the sport, said his return to form was all in the mind.  

“I almost gave up last season. It was the worst year of my life, it just feels like a whole blur to me.

“I didn’t even watch the Olympics, I hardly watched nationals, I just didn’t even want to smell the track but I found my mojo and went away for a while and thought about things and I love the sport and came back and it’s always been inside of me.

“I was a bit of a mess but it’s made me stronger mentally so I can’t complain. For a while I wasn’t enjoying life so it was just a matter of finding myself as Josh Ross.

“I believe I haven’t even reached my potential yet so I’m going to keep building, keep training.

“I was born to run.”

In the women’s 100m, Olympic silver medallist Sally McLellan fell short of the coveted national record but stormed home to claim her fourth national title in the event.

The Gold Coast local took out the race in a time of 11.32 (w:-0.1) ahead of ACT young-gun Melissa Breen (11.61, w:-0.1) and South Australia’s Alicia Wrench-Doody (11.77, w:-0.1).

“I’m really excited to be Australian champion again,” McLellan said.

“The conditions weren’t perfect for sprinters so I just went for the win tonight and to get it back and hopefully get the double back for the fourth time in a row is really exciting.

McLellan said it was only a matter of time before she eclipsed Melinda Gainsford-Taylor’s record of 11.12, set in 1994.  

“I’m definitely in shape for it, unfortunately the conditions haven’t been favourable for sprinters this season so unfortunately I wasn’t able to do it but I still know it’s in me,” she said.

“This is only the start of the season, I’ve got Europe to go to so I’m sure I’ll be able to run 100m over there and get good times.”

In-form Victorian Sean Wroe held off a strong field in the men’s 400m to win the one-lap event in a new personal best time and within A-qualifying standard.

Wroe clinched the win in 45.07, shaving .1 off his previous best to cross the line ahead of fellow Beijing Olympian John Steffensen (45.51, also an A-qualifying time) and Kurt Mulcahy (46.33).

“To secure that automatic qualifier for world championships is a really important goal for me and obviously to run a PB is also good,” he said.

24-year-old Wroe, who will head to country Victoria next month to contest the Stawell Gift, has threatened his best is yet to come.

“I haven’t put together the perfect race, today was the first time I took it out kind of hard,” he said.

“In Sydney and Melbourne I sat back a little and did the rest with 150m to go so if I put the two together anything can happen.”

Tamsyn Lewis continued her run of good form, blitzing the field in the women’s 400m in a personal best time to claim her 14th national title and draw equal with athletics greats Raelene Boyle and Catherine Freeman on the all-time national champions list. 

The five-time winner of the one-lap race said while she was disappointed by tonight’s time, the world championships final was firmly in her sights.

“I was kind of expecting to go a lot quicker tonight so I was a bit disappointed,” Lewis said.

“I think I’ve got a lot more chance of running a 400m final than I do an 800m final, I’d really love to make a world championships final and that’s what I’m going to be trying my best to do.”

AIS gun Tristan Thomas booked his ticket to Berlin in the men’s 400m hurdles, winning the final in 49.26 ahead of Brendan Cole (50.11) and Dane Richter (51.35) to secure his place on the world championships team.

The AIS athlete, who has posted personal best times in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 400m hurdles and 800m this season, said there would be no holding back in Berlin.  

“I think I can run fast, whether my fast will be good enough to make the final I have no say in what the other guys do in the race, but I can put a good race together.

“I’m more than happy to go out and try to smash it in the heat; 48 gets into the semi and 48-low makes the final, so if I have a positive attitude and I can control my nerves, I’m not saying it will happen, but I’m certainly saying I’d like it to happen.”
   
In other highlights:

- Donna Macfarlane secured her place on the world championships team with a resounding win in the women’s 3000m steeplechase, her time of 9:57.14 delivering a fourth national title in the event.

- West Australia’s Kimberley Mickle is bound for Berlin after claiming her fourth national javelin title with a distance of 60.69m in the women’s event.

- 18-year-old Victorian Blake Lucas cleared a new personal best height of 5.45m to become the youngest Australian male to win the national pole vault title.

- Target 2012 athlete Jacinta Boyd won the women’s long jump with a leap of 6.40m.

- Liam Zamel-Paez took out the men’s high jump with a clearance of 2.23m.

- Scott Martin claimed his fourth men’s discus title with a throw of 59.10m.

- Sarah Jamieson won the women’s 1500m in a time of 4:16.15 to record her fifth national title in the event.

- Nick Bromley held off all challengers in the men’s 800m to win the two-lap race in a time of 1:47.76.

- Stephen Cain is the men’s decathlon champion, ending the two-day competition with 7137 points.

- Lauren Foote has taken out the women’s heptathlon with 5697 points.

The following athletes with a disability took out national titles on day two:

- Xavier Elsworthy (T/F54) - men’s 800m (wheelchair), 1:57.07

- Katherine Proudfoot (T/F3) - women’s shot put (ambulant), 8.0m

- Russell Short (T/F12) - men’s shot put (ambulant), 14.10m

- Tim Sullivan (T38) - men’s 400m (ambulant), 54.13

- Rachael Dodds (T/F35) - women’s 400m (ambulant), 1:30.00

- Sam Carter (T54) - men’s 400m (wheelchair), 53.36

- Matthew Cameron (T54) - men’s 100m (wheelchair), 15.60 (w:-1.2)

- Kelly Cartwright (T/F42) - women’s 100m (ambulant), 17.37 (w:-0.7)

- Tim Sullivan - men’s 100m (ambulant), 11.98 (w:-0.9)

The final day of the 87th Australian Athletics Championships will feature finals of the men’s 200m, 110m hurdles, 1500m shot put, javelin and long jump, and the women’s 200m, 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles, 800m and high jump.

For the full list of day two results, click here.