Athletics Australia – News – Buster to lead Australian charge at world cross country titles

Punta Umbria (ESP) will play host to the 2011 IAAF world cross country championships this weekend, with distance icon and three-time Olympian Craig Mottram set to lead an Australian team of 16 when the gun sounds this Sunday, March 20.

Donning the green and gold for the first time at a world championships meet since he placed 31^st at the world cross country titles in 2008, Mottram is a seven-time world cross country championships representative, the national 5000m record holder and only a fortnight ago won a silver medal in the Australian 5000m championship held at the IAAF Melbourne Track Classic

Joining Mottam on the start line for the senior men’s race are Commonwealth Games 5000m and 10,000m representatives Collis Birmingham and Ben St Lawrence, fellow Australian Flame athlete David McNeill and cross country guns Liam Adams and Clinton Perrett.

Toby Rayner, who placed sixth at the world cross country selection trial in January has been named as reserve for the men’s team.

In the women’s division, four-time world cross country representative Lara Tamsett, national 10,000m champion Eloise Wellings, dual world cross country teams bronze medallist Anna Thompson (2006, 2008) and Australian Flame Kaila McKnight will take to the start line.

The quartet will now also be joined by 2010 Australian cross country champion Jess Trengove after eight-time world cross country representative Benita Willis was forced to withdraw as a result of injury.

Young gun Lara Tamsett gained automatic selection to the team following her win at selection trial in January, crossing the line of the 8km course in a time of 27:05.60, 40 seconds clear of Thompson (27:45.10) and 1500m specialist McKnight (27:49.10), who turned on the surprise performance of the day to earn selection to her first world cross country squad.

Juniors Hugh Williams, Joshua Johnson, Glen Yarham and Ethan Heywood will contest the junior men’s 8km race and Celia Sullohern will don the green and gold in the junior women’s 6km event.

Australia has won three medals at the IAAF world cross country championships in the meet’s 39-year history, Willis taking gold in 2004 and the senior women’s teams of 2006 and 2008 each taking bronze.

To view the event website for the IAAF world cross country championships, please click here.

To view and download preliminary entry lists for the championships, please click here. 

IAAF world cross country championships
Punta Umbria, Spain
Sunday March 20, 2011

Senior men – 12km (6):
Liam Adams (24, Vic)
Collis Birmingham (26, Vic)
Craig Mottram (30, Vic)
David McNeill (24, Vic)
Clinton Perrett (27, Vic)
Ben St Lawrence (29, NSW)
Reserve: Toby Rayner (24, Vic)

Senior women – 8km (5):
Kaila McKnight (24, Vic)
Lara Tamsett (22, NSW)
Anna Thompson (34, Vic)
Eloise Wellings (28, NSW)
Jess Trengove (24, SA)

Athletics Australia – News