Athletics Australia – News – The Australian Flame is filled with a new generation of talent

A new look Australian Flame team is set to battle it out at the IAAF World Championships later this month, and not just because the Australian athletics uniform will return to the traditional colours of green and gold.

Providing an exciting taste of what emerging talent we can expect to get to know this coming Olympic and Paralympic cycle, the team also includes 19 debutants, set to compete at an open age major international championship for the first time.

“The number of debutants here highlights the new generation of blood coming through. These are athletes aspiring to make their mark in the new four-year period, and it is early enough for those that have been selected to this team to improve at a rate that makes them Rio contenders. From that point of view it’s an excellent result,” Hollingsworth said.

“If any debutant here can make a final then you can usually expect that over the next three year period they will go on some more, making them a world class athlete and that is what is exciting about having them all here.”

Conscious of how the experience of an IAAF World Championships will affect a rookie athlete, Hollingsworth accepts that although development is vital you must allow for a young athlete to learn from the experience.

“We have to show patience with young people, and not expect too much from them first time around. We expect them to develop of course, but the ways in which people learn to handle the situation in which they find themselves and how they cope with the rigours of being here can sometimes be more important than performance,” Hollingsworth added.

“It’s a delicate balance that we are working closely on monitoring, but I am confident that the team here will rally around them and that the older and wiser heads will be able to perform at a level that allows for some to focus on bettering themselves rather than delivering a result that the team needs.”

One athlete looking to make his mark on the world stage is Alex Rowe (Vic), who has been selected to compete in the men’s 800m.

The winner of the men’s 800m at the Qantas Melbourne World Challenge and Sydney Track Classic, 21-year-old Rowe went onto win his maiden national crown at Sydney Olympic Park in April.

Deciding to make the pilgrimage to Europe to chase the qualifier and ensure automatic selection, he has spent the last two months training in Cologne (GER), with the hard work he has put into a very exciting season rewarded with a new personal best of and IAAF World Championships B-Standard of 1:45.44, in turn securing his selection to the Australian Flame team bound for Moscow.

“Winning an Australian title has always been something that I wanted to do. My coach Justin (Rinaldi) has won two national crowns before and despite having a faster PB than him it was nice to get one back to bring to a halt the banter at training. It meant a lot. Athletics is such a dynamic sport in terms of injury and wellbeing so you need to take chances you have when they come and cherish them,” Rowe said.

“Coming to Europe has been a fantastic journey as well. After success during the Australian season with wins in Sydney and Melbourne, and then at Nationals it was something that I came into quite confident and for me that probably pushed me a little. When I crossed that line in Oordegem and saw that the winner had run 1:45.1 I knew that I was in with a shot, and then to see a result sheet with a qualifying time was unreal. It was so exciting.

“I think the best is still to come though. My program has always been tailored to qualifying for the team and then being able to perform at my best level at the World Championships. I was not always on the team but I have been training like I was. I think I am capable of something around 1:44 and I think that if I do that I will make a semi-final. That’s my realistic aim but that has got people into a final before and that would be out of this world.”

To watch our extended interview with Alex Rowe, please click here.

Joining Rowe on the debutants list are Kelly Hetherington (Vic, 800m), Jackie Areson (Qld, 5000m), Lara Tamsett (NSW, 10,000m), Jane Fardell (NSW, marathon), Nikki Chapple (Vic, marathon), Tanya Holliday (SA, 20km walk), Brett Robinson (ACT, 5000m), Shawn Forrest (Vic, marathon), Dane Bird–Smith (Qld, 20km walk), Rhydian Cowley (Vic, 20km walk), Ian Rayson (NSW, 50km walk), Brandon Starc (NSW, high jump), Hamish Peacock (Tas, javelin), Jarrod Geddes (NSW, 4x100m), Nick Hough (NSW, 4x100m), Alex Beck (Qld, 4x400m), Josh Ralph (NSW, 4x400m) and Craig Burns (Qld, 4x400m).

The Australian Flame team is now together at the Australian Flame Team Camp at the Tonbridge School in Tonbridge (GBR). The team will remain here until Tuesday 6 August, before travelling to the host city of Moscow for the IAAF World Championships. 

Competition commences on 10 August, and continues through until 18 August 2013.

For more information on the Australian Flame and the IAAF World Championships, please follow this link to athletics.com.au.

 

Athletics Australia – News