09.02.2010

Shot put champion bids farewell to athletics

Nine-time national shot put champion and Australian Flame athlete Justin Anlezark has announced his retirement from athletics, effective immediately.

Anlezark, the winner of nine national shot put titles and a national discus championship, steps away from athletics after 17 years of involvement in the sport and having competed for his country almost every year since his selection for the world junior championships in 1994.

As the youngest competitor in the boys' shot put event at the Lisbon-hosted meet, Anlezark placed 12th at the world junior titles and his since seen athletics in Australia go from strength to strength.

“Athletics has provided me with some wonderful memories over my 17 years as an international athlete and I’ve seen the sport go through many changes,” Anlezark said.

“The positive thing though is that we have always been willing to learn and improve on mistakes, guaranteeing a really positive outlook for the future and proving that athletics in Australia is in good hands.”

An 11-time senior national representative, Anlezark’s resume is highlighted by a gold medal in the men's shot put at the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002, representation at the 2001, 2003 and 2009 world championships and Sydney, Athens and Beijing Olympic Games, and a former national shot put record (20.96m set on April 5, 2003, superceded by Scott Martin in February, 2008).

In addition to his Commonwealth Games win, Anlezark's international career featured a seventh place at the 1998 World Cup, seventh at the Athens Olympics in 2004, fifth at the world indoor championships in 2003 and fourth place at the world titles in the same year.

“Athletics, unlike so many other high-participation sports, provides you with the unique opportunity to say that you’ve been an Olympian,” Anlezark said.

“That’s the best form of promotion a sport can have in my books.”

Victory at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games bolstered Anlezark’s standing as one of Australia’s greatest ever shot putters ahead of further success in the form of a silver medal at the Madrid World Cup that same year.

A 2009 national crown resulted in Anlezark’s selection to the Flame team bound for Berlin in August, where he competed alongside countryman and long-time rival Scott Martin in the men's shot put.

“Justin’s career is something every athlete can aspire to,” Martin said.

“To represent your country so frequently and to have that many national trophies in your cabinet proves that he is one of the greatest our sport has seen.”

Thirty-two-year-old Anlezark will now shift his focus to family and the development of a new generation of athletes in his home state of Queensland.

As he awaits the birth of his third child with wife Angie, Anlezark has commenced work on further developing his nutrition and fitness-based program Proactive Future.

“I really am closing one door and opening another,” Anlezark said.

“The new challenge of a growing family is exciting and I’m now able to more closely focus on spreading the message of nutrition, fitness and chasing one’s dreams to primary schools across Queensland.”

Athletics Australia Chief Executive Officer Danny Corcoran said Anlezark had made a significant contribution to Australian track and field. 

“Justin is an outstanding competitor, as proven by his extensive achievement at a national level, and his contribution to the sport across many years has been instrumental in the development of today’s success.

“We wish Justin and his family continuing success and look forward to seeing the stars of tomorrow as they develop through his work with primary school programs throughout Queensland.”

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