29.03.2010

Willis the best of the Aussies in Bydgoszcz

Former world cross country champion Benita Willis has turned on a top-20 performance to lead Australia's charge at the world cross country championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, overnight.

The 30-year-old Victorian and 2004 world cross country title-holder was the highest-placed finisher of the 16 Australians in action, crossing the line of the senior women's 8km course in a time of 25:56 to place 17th.

Willis, who posted her eighth top-20 finish in as many starts at the world cross country tittles, led home fellow Australians Lara Tamsett (32nd, 26:34), national 10,000m champion Eloise Wellings (48th, 27:05), dual world cross country teams bronze medallist Anna Thompson (58th, 27:31) and senior international debutante Tamara Carvolth (79th, 28:49) to steer the senior women's team into eighth place.

Kenyan Emily Chebet took out the women's title in 24:19 ahead of countrywoman Linet Chepkwemoi Masai (24:20) and Ethiopian runner Meselech Melkamu (24:26).

In the senior men's event four-time world cross country representative Liam Adams led the way for Australia in 38th place, covering the 12km course in 34:55.

Adams crossed the line ahead of teammates Clint Perrett (70th, 35:39), national 10,000m record-holder Collis Birmingham (84th, 36:09), 2009 world half marathon representative Jeff Hunt (100th, 36:37) and young gun Duer Yoa (DNF) to help the men’s team into 15th place overall.

Joseph Ebuya took out the men's world championship (33:00), the Kenyan followed home by Eritrea’s Teklemariam Medhin (33:06) and Uganda’s Moses Ndiema Kipsiro (33:10).

The 38th edition of the world cross country meet was dominated by Kenya, the powerhouse African nation adding two junior victories to its senior success to complete a clean sweep of the gold medals on offer in Bydgoszcz.

Kevin Batt (24:08) headlined the junior results for Australia, placing 39th over the boys' 8km course in a time of 24:08. He was chased across the line by David Ricketts (64th, 24:57), Ethan Heywood (83rd, 25:20) and Joshua Tedesco (96th, 26:02), the junior boys’ team placing 14th overall.

In the junior girls’ 6km event Demi Wood raced her way through an asthma attack to take out 50th place (21:29) ahead of Grace Thek, who finished 73rd (22:06).

Athletics Australia national distance coordinator Tim O'Shaughnessy, who is in Poland with the team, said there were some promising signs for the Australians on what was a tough day at the office.

"It was rough, I've been coming to these events for years and they just seem to get tougher each year," O'Shaughnessy said.

"The course is tough and the competition is tough, it's very hard to appreciate just how tough it is. The athletes go at an incredible pace and the Africans at the moment are just dominating, the Kenyans were absolutely amazing here today."

O'Shaughnessy said Willis's return to the elite ranks of senior international competition was one of the highlights of a cold, muddy day in Bydgoszcz.

"Benita was terrific, it was good for her to get back into the top finishers and start to be a world-class runner again and she definitely took a step forward today with regard to that. The senior girls' team got eighth but I think with Nikki Chapple in there we certainly would have got fourth, she only had to place 30th or so to get us fourth spot," he said.

Chapple was forced to withdraw from the Australian team just days prior to its departure for Europe due to a stress reaction in her bone marrow.

O’Shaughnessy said Victorian Liam Adams was the standout performer in the senior men's division on a day that brought mixed results for the Australians.

"Liam was our great result in the men's race, this is his fourth world cross country titles and he's finished around 70th all the other years and this year he's improved to the top 40 so that was good," O'Shaughnessy said.

"Both Jeff Hunt and Clint Perrett were solid in their first world cross meet, Clint was looking for top 50 and he got 70th so he was a little disappointed but he's got the London Marathon coming up in a couple of weeks and it will be a good preparation for that.

"Collis (Birmingham) just had a bad day, there are no real excuses, he just didn’t have a great day and young Duer Yoa hurt his back in the first 100m, he was pushed early and it put something out in his back and he was hobbling after one kilometre and that put him out of it."

In other athletics news from across the weekend, Victorian sprinter Aaron Rouge-Serret has rocketed to No.5 on the Australian all-time list following a scintillating run of 10.17 (w:1.8) at the Western Australian state titles in Perth.

The Commonwealth Games A-qualifying performance and fastest 100m on Australian soil this year was the highlight of a bumper weekend of track and field action around the country that saw four states - New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia - host their annual state titles.