Athletics Australia – News – Birmingham and Chapple earn automatic nomination in 10,000m

The road to Glasgow 2014 has taken an exciting turn for Collis Birmingham (Vic) and Nikki Chapple (Vic) tonight after both won the Australian 10,000m championship and Commonwealth Games Selection Trial in Melbourne.

Stopping the clock at 27:56.22 and 32:56.25 respectively, both performances were better than the required Commonwealth Games B-Standard for men and women, which means that both will now be automatically nominated to the Australian Commonwealth Games Association for selection.

Edged out for Zatopek:10 victory in the closing stages by Sam Chelanga (USA, first, 27:46.06), Birmingham sat confidently in the chasing pack after Harry Summers (NSW, third, second Australian, 28:16.05) made an early move to sit way out in front for much of the first 3000m.

Closing the gap through the half-way point, Birmingham and Chelanga broke away from the small contingent of leaders with just over ten laps to go and were unrivalled for the remainder of the race.

Birmingham was the race leader until the two-laps-to-go point when Chelanga moved to the front strongly, as the Ballarat-based runner closed out his race to take out a third national 10,000m crown.

“I guess the Commonwealth Games qualifier is what we are here for. The main thing is to win under the B-Standard. I knew that if I did that I would be all but going and it provides the basis for your yearly plan. It’s good,” Birmingham said.

“Sam helped with that situation I guess. I had a bit of a chat with him with about 11 laps to go. He asked me to go to the front and I said ‘look mate, it’s the national title and I will go to the front when I think I can drop these boys’ and a lap or two later I thought we could make a break. I was hoping he would come back past after a few laps or so, but I think I might have annoyed him a little bit so he held on making his move until two laps to go.”

“I want to be in the 5000m too. It’s just good to be in the little early. It’s a big help to making that happen because the pressure is off a little bit.”

Chapple’s success ensures her first Australian 10,000m championships gold medal, and it came after a hard fought battle with IAAF World Championships marathon star Jessica Trengove (SA).

Leading for much of the race after early frontrunner Linda Spencer (WA, fourth, 33:40.00) dropped off the pace, Trengove led throughout from the 3000m mark until Chapple came to the front with two laps to go and never looked back. Trengove ran a personal best of 33:08.26 for second, with Milly Clark (NSW, 33:27.00) third to cross.

Content in the knowledge she could find the required kick to close out her first track race in four years, Chapple now faces a decision about whether to focus on qualifying for the self-professed tougher marathon or to improve her 10,000m time in the lead up to Glasgow 2014.

“I didn’t want to lead the whole way, which I have done in the past because I’m a bit impatient. I knew Jess and I are pretty evenly matched fitness wise so it was nice to have that little bit more at the end there. It worked out well this time but it doesn’t always – I was lucky today,” Chapple said.

“I haven’t actually run on the track for four years so I honestly didn’t know if I could still sprint. It’s great to know that it is there when I need it I suppose.

“I do like the distance of the 10,000m. I have to say that marathon isn’t my favourite, if only there was the half-marathon at championships to be honest. I’ve never thought that I was much of a track runner because you need that change of speed and I don’t think I have that. I would want to run a quicker time in this event again before I committed to running it at the Commonwealth Games.”

The two Australian champions will be nominated to the Australian Commonwealth Games Association for selection following the initial selection meeting for the marathon and 10,000m to be held this week, provided that they are eligible (click here for Selection Policy).

The Australian Commonwealth Games Association will make official selections to the team in 2014.

In other positive results:
–        2013 Australian Flame debutant Joshua Ralph (NSW), who was selected for the men’s 4x400m relay team in Moscow (RUS), stopped the clock at 1:47.12 in the men’s 800m to become the first man qualified (B-Standard) in the two-lap race for the Commonwealth Games.
–        IAAF World Junior Championships representative Brooke Stratton (Vic), who is a Development Athlete as part of the National Athlete Support Structure, soared 6.53m (w: +1.8) on third attempt to record her first Commonwealth Games B-Standard in the women’s long jump. Corinna Minko (Vic, second, 6.36m, w: +1.5) joined her on the qualifiers list.
–        Damien Birkinhead (Vic), who won bronze in the boy’s shot put at the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships, threw 18.64m in the men’s shot put to place second behind visiting New Zealander Tom Walsh (first, 20.61m). His performance is his first Commonwealth Games B-Standard.
–        Athletics Australia Under 19 Talent Squad member Kate Spencer (Vic) stormed home in the final lap to win the girl’s under 20 Ondieki 3000m and record an IAAF World Junior Championships qualifying time of 9:18.86. She was joined on the qualifiers list by Courtney Powell (NSW, third, 9:25.28) and Samantha Prime (Vic, fourth, 9:27.51).

To read a full review of the Zatopek:10, a Celebration of Athletics, please click here to visit the Athletics Victoria website.

Athletics continues this weekend with the Australian 50km Race Walking Championships in Melbourne on Sunday. The Selection Trial for the men’s 50km race walk at the 2014 IAAF World Race Walking Cup, this event will also be considered by the Athletics Australia Selectors at their initial selection meeting next week.

 

Athletics Australia – News