Athletics Australia – Australians face freezing conditions at World Cross Country Champs

The IAAF World Cross Country Championships will follow the Queensland Track Classic on Sunday.

One of the most hotly contested events on the IAAF Calendar, the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 2013 will return to Bydgoszcz (POL) for a second time and welcome 456 athletes (248 men and 208 women) from 47 countries.

Australia will field a team in each of the four events on offer for the first time since Edinburgh (SCO) in 2008, with 19 Australians set to start across the men’s and women’s open events and the junior boy’s and girl’s races.

The men’s team boasts a fantastic mix of youth and experience. Two-time Olympian Collis Birmingham (Vic) and three-time Australian cross-country championship medallist Liam Adams (Vic) are set to enjoy their sixth start at the championship, while Brett Robinson (ACT), who was second at the Selection Trial, and discretionary selections Steve Kelly (Vic) and Mitchel Brown (Vic) will all make their debut.

“I’m actually quite nervous but confident at the same time. I’ve done some solid training leading into the race so I know I am in good shape, but the extreme conditions here certainly weren’t something that I could have prepared for in Australia,” Adams said.
 
“Adapting to the conditions has been quite tough considering I have come from a heat wave in Melbourne to the extreme opposite of a cold snap in what was supposed to be the Polish spring. It’s absolutely freezing here but I think as a team we are beginning to acclimatise to it. The course will be interesting, if they plough the snow off the course we will be competing in some very muddy conditions so the 15 millimetre spikes will be ready to go for Sunday.”

Tasmin McMahon (SA), Sophie Barker (Vic) and Tara Palm (SA) were automatically selected for the open women’s event, with the fast paced trio set to be joined by Celia Sullohern (NSW), who was the best placed Australian in the junior girl’s event at the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Punta Umbria (ESP).

“I have an overwhelmingly feeling of excitement just being here. It is a really unique experience to travel overseas with a relatively small Australian team to this event,” Sullohern said.
 
“Arriving somewhere completely unknown is always a little daunting and the days leading up to race day will bring their fair share of nerves. I feel strong and ready, especially having three other Aussies alongside me in the women’s team event.
 
“With such unfamiliar conditions is it hard to predict how anyone will perform. I think everyone will go into their event with a positive mindset and compete as well as they possibly can. There is a genuine sense of mateship amongst the Australian team so you can be sure that we will be supporting each other to do the country proud, and hopefully we do.”

Leading the charge in the boy’s event, which is raced over eight kilometres, will be all three Selection Trial medallists in Jack Curran (Qld), Morgan McDonald (Vic) and Jack Davies (Vic). Sean Guiney (Vic), Stuart McSweyn (Tas) and Jacob Birtwhistle (Tas) round out the team of six.

Comfortable winner of the Selection Trial Samantha Prime (Vic) headlines the girl’s team, with Michaela Quinn (NSW), Amy Cashin (Vic) and Courtney Scott (Vic) completing an Australian team of four.

Launched by the IAAF in 1973, the World Cross Country Championships were held annually until 2011 when the decision was made to change their occurrence to once every two years.

Australia has won three medals at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in the meet’s 40-year history. Benita Willis (Qld) won gold in 2004, and the senior women’s teams of 2006 and 2008 won bronze. In Punta Umbria (ESP) two years ago, Craig Mottram (Vic, 21st) and Lara Tamsett (NSW, 29th) were the best placed Australians.

For more information on the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, including entry lists by country and event as well as live results on race day, please follow this link to the IAAF website.

Athletics Australia – News