07.05.2009

The road to Berlin: Athlete news in brief

With just 100 days until the commencement of the 12th IAAF world championships in Berlin, the stars of the Australian track and field team are honing their preparations for their tilt at a world title.

Jared Tallent: The dual Olympic medalist has endured a rigorous start to the year, with three weeks of altitude training in the USA and IAAF series events in Mexico (third) and China (fifth).

The 24-year-old race walker will continue his world championship preparations in Canberra before heading to St Moritz, Switzerland, for a second round of altitude training in June.

He will line up in the IAAF Challenge event in La Coruna, Spain, on June 20 before returning to St Moritz. Tallent will arrive at the team training camp in Cologne, Germany, in July. 
 
Sally McLellan: After an impressive domestic season in which she came dangerously close to claiming the national 100m record and stormed the field to take out the 100m hurdles, the Beijing Olympics silver medallist will be back in action in the 100m and 4x100m relay events at the Osaka Grand Prix this weekend before returning to her Gold Coast training base.

In July she will depart for Europe where she will contest five races in 10 days in Lausanne, Rome, Athens, Lucerne and Paris. McLellan will follow that stint with events in London, Monaco and Stockholm before entering the Cologne camp in early August.

Fabrice Lapierre: Following his last-ditch leap to claim the national long jump title in March, Lapierre will join the European circuit via the USA. He will enter the team camp in August.

Jarrod Bannister: Bannister received the all-clear from medical staff to return to training this week following time out with an elbow injury he sustained at last year’s Beijing Olympics.

He will travel to Europe in July to finalise his world championships campaign.

Dani Samuels: Samuels heads to Belgrade, Serbia, to contest the World University Games from July 1-12 and will then base herself in Cologne in the lead-up to the world championships.

Tamsyn Lewis: Preparing for her fifth world championships campaign, there seems no stopping Lewis on the road to Berlin.

With her focus shifting towards the 400m hurdles in 2009, the 30-year-old track stalwart claimed her first international victory in the event in Shizuoka, Japan, last weekend.

On Saturday she will contest the Osaka Grand Prix before departing for Europe in July.

The newly-crowned national 400m hurdles champion will base herself in Cologne from July and look to race in Lucerne, Paris, Huesden, London, Monaco and Stockholm in the lead-up to Berlin.

Sean Wroe: The reigning 400m national champion will line up in the Osaka Grand Prix this weekend.

He will contest the World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia, in July before making his way to Cologne. Wroe will aim to race in Lucerne, Paris, London and Stockholm before taking on the best of Berlin.

Tristan Thomas: On the back of a stellar domestic season in which he set 11 personal best times over five track events, Thomas will contest the Osaka Grand Prix this Saturday before heading to St Moritz, Switzerland, in July. He will consider events in Lucerne, Zaragoza, London and Stockholm before joining the team camp in early August.

Jana Rawlinson: The two-time world champion in the 400m hurdles (2003 and 2007) will continue her preparations for Berlin from her Canberra base under the guidance of AIS medical staff and training specialists.

Nathan Deakes: Also on track for his fifth world championships campaign, the reigning 50km world champion will travel to Dublin and then on to St Moritz to join fellow race walkers Tallent, Luke Adams, Chris Erickson, Adam Rutter and Claire Tallent for a block of intensive altitude training.

Deakes will join the team in Cologne in late July in the countdown to his world title defence.