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Preview of the Cross Country and Race Walks national title events this weekend. ©Athletics Australia
Athletics Australia – News – Albany Preview
Two major athletics national championship events will be held in Albany, Western Australia this weekend, with the 2014 ‘Go For 2& 5’ Australian Cross Country and Australian School Cross Country Championships to be run on Saturday and the 2014 ‘Go For 2&5’ Australian Race Walking Championships on Sunday.
Hundreds of talented junior and senior athletes have converged on Albany, a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia some 418 km South-East of Perth, to compete in what promises to be a stunning weekend of competition.
Albany's population of just over 35,000, which makes it the sixth-largest city in WA, has already started to swell ahead of the start of competition on Saturday with competitors, coaches and officials arriving in town.
Saturday’s event will be the 76th time that Athletics Australia has held a national cross country championship, with the first-ever event staged back in 1908 in Sydney as a men’s only event.
In 2014, both men and women will compete in Albany in the Open age category cross country with 26 females registered for the Open women’s race over 8km and 26 males in the Open men’s 12km race at the Great Southern Grammar course.
In the men’s open race Anthony Aloisio of Victoria will look to move onto the medal dais this year after finishing fourth in 2013. Fellow Victorian Nicholas Wightman is also set to compete in Albany after registering a top five finish last year.
After winning bronze in the women’s event last year, Tarli Bird of Victoria will be eyeing off the gold in 2013 while yet another Vic, Sophie Barker, should also be a contender after her top four finish last year. The locals should also have plenty to cheer for as WA native Kate Fitzsimons is also on the start list and was a top ten finisher last year, coming eighth within a minute of the winner.
Given the proven cross country quality of the Victorian men’s and women’s Open teams, they will enter the weekend favoured to repeat their feat in 2013 when they swept both the men’s and women’s team titles.
The junior categories will also have plenty of contenders, with 43 men set to contest the Under 20 8km course and 42 women on the start list for the Under 20 6km event.
In all, 804 athletes ranging from 10 years to the open age category and including para-athletes will take part in 28 cross country events on the Saturday.
On Sunday, the walkers will take centre stage, with age groups from Under 12 through to Open taking on courses from 2km through to 2km on Albany’s Flinders Parade.
Reigning men’s Open 20km national race walk title holder and 2013 IAAF World Championship representative Dane Bird-Smith (Qld) will look to defend his title in Albany. He will take on an expected field of six other athletes over the 20km distance.
Women’s defending champion Kelly Ruddick (Vic) will also be back to defend her national 20km race walking title.
Click here for information on the 2014 ‘Go For 2&5’ Australian Race-Walking Championships
Athletics Australia – News
