Home » News and Media » News » 2010 » February » Olympic medallist to launch into action Down Under this summer
16.02.2010
The 2007 world javelin champion and bronze medallist at the 2008 Olympic Games will arrive in Australia ready to take on Australia’s own Beijing Olympic finalist Jarrod Bannister, as he aims to make a return to international competition at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, in October after a serious elbow injury threatened to derail his career.
The Sydney meet will be the first time Bannister and Pitkamaki have met since the ill-fated Olympic final of 2008, where Bannister injured his elbow in the third round of competition and was forced to withdraw. While his opening throw of 83.45m was enough to secure sixth position, the highest place and best ever throw by an Australian at an Olympic Games, Bannister has unfinished business on the javelin runway and will be wasting no time in staking his claim for Commonwealth Games selection when the 27-year-old Finn hits town.
Across a 10-year international career Pitkamaki has compiled an impressive resume, highlighted by his 2007 world titles win, 2008 Olympic bronze medal, a fifth place at last year’s world championships, two World Athletics Final titles (2005, 2007), an eighth place at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004 and a personal best of 91.53m.
Under the guidance of former world record-holder Uwe Hohn, the only athlete ever to have exceeded the 100m-mark with his throw of 104.80m in Berlin (GER) in 1984, Bannister is one of Australia’s brightest athletics prospects and is working with Hohn as part of a six-month pilot program commissioned by Athletics Australia to ensure Bannister is coached to the level the national sporting body believes he can achieve.
The 25-year-old Queenslander, who now resides in Melbourne, began working with Hohn in Germany in 2008. As part of Athletics Australia’s new initiative, Hohn has relocated to Melbourne to work more closely with Bannister and the national sporting organisation.
“It’s definitely a lot easier now that Uwe’s in Australia, we can pretty much work on all aspects of my throwing and my development so it's definitely a positive influence having him here,” Bannister said.
Athletics Australia High Performance Manager Eric Hollingsworth, who was the driving force behind bringing Hohn to Australia, said the former East German representative would look to develop the nation into a throws powerhouse as part of his role with the national sporting body.
“Uwe’s first role is to look after Jarrod Bannister, the highest-ranked javelin thrower in the country and a potential gold medal-winner in London, and his secondary role is to start the development and to research the information to develop Australia into a throws country,” Hollingsworth said.
“It’s a six-month pilot where we’re going to see how it all works out and then see where we go from there.
“The goal for Jarrod is Commonwealth gold and then a medal in the next Olympic Games, that’s got to be his target. He’s already been sixth at an Olympic Games so he’s got to go up from there and that’s why the investment has been made.”
Twenty-five year-old Bannister made a winning return to competition at the Briggs Athletics Classic in Hobart at the weekend, launching the javelin 76.25m to take out the men’s event.
With a personal best of 89.02m, Bannister said he hoped Pitkamaki would help him to surpass the Commonwealth Games A-qualifying mark of 80m at Sydney Olympic Park next Saturday night.
“It’s good to have some of the top international guys coming over to compete in Australia, it’s definitely exciting,” Bannister said.
“Anyone that’s throwing further than you or even around the same distance is going to push you to throw better in that competition so hopefully I’ll get over the 80m-mark and I’ll be pretty happy.”
Bannister said it was a nervous return to competition at the Domain Athletics Centre on Friday night but vowed this was just the start of his comeback campaign.
“I was a bit nervous but it was exciting at the same time to be back out on the track. It’s a start but I’ve still got a lot to work on,” he said.
“I haven’t really been back throwing for a long time so there are some technical aspects that I have to improve but that will all get better as the year goes by.”
Pitkamaki joins David Neville (USA, 400m), David Rudisha (KEN, 400m/800m) and Trevell Quinley (USA, long jump) on the international guest list for the premier legs of the 2010 Australian Athletics Tour in Sydney and Melbourne.
Sydney Track Classic: Sydney Olympic Park – Saturday, February 27
Click here for ticket details
Melbourne Track Classic: Melbourne Olympic Park – Thursday, March 4
Click here for ticket details
News
Olympic medallist to launch into action Down Under this summer
Former world champion and Beijing Olympic Games bronze medallist Tero Pitkamaki is the latest international challenger signed up to test his mettle against Australia’s top athletics talents this summer, the Finnish star heading south for the Sydney Track Classic on Saturday, February 27 and Melbourne Track Classic on Thursday, March 4.The 2007 world javelin champion and bronze medallist at the 2008 Olympic Games will arrive in Australia ready to take on Australia’s own Beijing Olympic finalist Jarrod Bannister, as he aims to make a return to international competition at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, in October after a serious elbow injury threatened to derail his career.
The Sydney meet will be the first time Bannister and Pitkamaki have met since the ill-fated Olympic final of 2008, where Bannister injured his elbow in the third round of competition and was forced to withdraw. While his opening throw of 83.45m was enough to secure sixth position, the highest place and best ever throw by an Australian at an Olympic Games, Bannister has unfinished business on the javelin runway and will be wasting no time in staking his claim for Commonwealth Games selection when the 27-year-old Finn hits town.
Across a 10-year international career Pitkamaki has compiled an impressive resume, highlighted by his 2007 world titles win, 2008 Olympic bronze medal, a fifth place at last year’s world championships, two World Athletics Final titles (2005, 2007), an eighth place at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004 and a personal best of 91.53m.
Under the guidance of former world record-holder Uwe Hohn, the only athlete ever to have exceeded the 100m-mark with his throw of 104.80m in Berlin (GER) in 1984, Bannister is one of Australia’s brightest athletics prospects and is working with Hohn as part of a six-month pilot program commissioned by Athletics Australia to ensure Bannister is coached to the level the national sporting body believes he can achieve.
The 25-year-old Queenslander, who now resides in Melbourne, began working with Hohn in Germany in 2008. As part of Athletics Australia’s new initiative, Hohn has relocated to Melbourne to work more closely with Bannister and the national sporting organisation.
“It’s definitely a lot easier now that Uwe’s in Australia, we can pretty much work on all aspects of my throwing and my development so it's definitely a positive influence having him here,” Bannister said.
Athletics Australia High Performance Manager Eric Hollingsworth, who was the driving force behind bringing Hohn to Australia, said the former East German representative would look to develop the nation into a throws powerhouse as part of his role with the national sporting body.
“Uwe’s first role is to look after Jarrod Bannister, the highest-ranked javelin thrower in the country and a potential gold medal-winner in London, and his secondary role is to start the development and to research the information to develop Australia into a throws country,” Hollingsworth said.
“It’s a six-month pilot where we’re going to see how it all works out and then see where we go from there.
“The goal for Jarrod is Commonwealth gold and then a medal in the next Olympic Games, that’s got to be his target. He’s already been sixth at an Olympic Games so he’s got to go up from there and that’s why the investment has been made.”
Twenty-five year-old Bannister made a winning return to competition at the Briggs Athletics Classic in Hobart at the weekend, launching the javelin 76.25m to take out the men’s event.
With a personal best of 89.02m, Bannister said he hoped Pitkamaki would help him to surpass the Commonwealth Games A-qualifying mark of 80m at Sydney Olympic Park next Saturday night.
“It’s good to have some of the top international guys coming over to compete in Australia, it’s definitely exciting,” Bannister said.
“Anyone that’s throwing further than you or even around the same distance is going to push you to throw better in that competition so hopefully I’ll get over the 80m-mark and I’ll be pretty happy.”
Bannister said it was a nervous return to competition at the Domain Athletics Centre on Friday night but vowed this was just the start of his comeback campaign.
“I was a bit nervous but it was exciting at the same time to be back out on the track. It’s a start but I’ve still got a lot to work on,” he said.
“I haven’t really been back throwing for a long time so there are some technical aspects that I have to improve but that will all get better as the year goes by.”
Pitkamaki joins David Neville (USA, 400m), David Rudisha (KEN, 400m/800m) and Trevell Quinley (USA, long jump) on the international guest list for the premier legs of the 2010 Australian Athletics Tour in Sydney and Melbourne.
Sydney Track Classic: Sydney Olympic Park – Saturday, February 27
Click here for ticket details
Melbourne Track Classic: Melbourne Olympic Park – Thursday, March 4
Click here for ticket details
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