by Chris Wainwright

When I watch the women's 4x100m final at this years Commonwealth Games I will be thinking to myself - why don't we have an Australian team running around? How can we have the likes of Sally Pearson, Melissa Breen and Laura Whaler (who have all run under 11.50sec in 2010) not competing?

Put simply the selectors didn't believe that a women's team would be competative, especially considering the injury concerns around Charlotte Van Veenendaal (who missed the National Championships, after earlier in the year running a personal best over 100m of 11.59sec in Brisbane). Maybe then it's just bad timing and that if we had four healthy female sprinters we would have had a team in New Delhi.

Looking away from the disappointment of not having a relay team competing in India, are we looking any better in terms of our women's sprinting stocks in Australia? Well if we look back to 2005 we had three women finish the year with sub 11.50sec performances - Pearson 11.41sec, Hewitt 11.48sec and Kleeberg 11.49sec - so in fact 2010 has seen a similar situation, with Melissa Breen leading the way with a best of 11.34sec.

Going back even further to 2000, the depth of women's sprinting was clearly evident, with four athletes in Australia breaking 11.40sec throughout the year - lead by Australian record holder Melinda Gainsford-Taylor (11.24sec SB). So can we return to the heights reached in 2000? Well there are certainly signs that we can, with Breen, Whaler and Van Veenendaal leading the charge (not to mention our no.1 spring hurdler in Australia - Pearson - who owns a PB of 11.14sec, only 0.02sec away from Gainsford-Taylor's National record).

One of the athlete's mentioned above, Laura Whaler, has been a late bloomer to the top ranks of Australian sprinting, but has started to make some big improvements over the past 12 months. A new personal best of 11.46sec, a wind-assisted 11.41sec and a bronze medal at the National Championships (11.72sec) has all of a sudden thrust Whaler into the limelight, and it can only get better for the 23 year-old in 2011.

We were fortunate enough to catch up with Whaler to discuss in more detail just what she thought was the catalyst behind her rapid improvement in 2010 and what the future holds fo the talented sprinter.



(above) Laura Whaler competing in the 1st semi final at the 2010 Australian Championships

Article by Chris Wainwright

When Melinda Gainsford-Taylor announced her retirement at the end of 2001 we all thought that she had left women's sprinting in Australia in good hands. After such a successful career, where she set Australian records in both the 100m (11.12s) and 200m (22.23s), we have been waiting for the next sprint sensation to step onto the track. Eight years later have we really found our next sprint champion?

We take a look at some of those Australian athletes that have looked the most likely at reaching the standards set by the likes of Cathy Freeman and Gainsford-Taylor.

#1 Sally McLellan (100m) - Showed the talent that would eventually see her win an Olympic silver medal in the 100m hurdles at the Beijing Olympics, with a blistering 11.57s 100m as a 16 year-old in 2003. She then went onto run 11.40s a year later to win bronze in the 100m at the World Juniors, to be the only Australian athlete (male or female) to medal at a World Junior Championships in the 100m. In 2006 McLellan made the final in the 100m at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, while in 2007 she amazed us all with a 11.14s performance in her heat of the 100m at the World Championships (a time that now has her ranked at no.2 on the Australian all-time ranking list).

In 2008 McLellan decided to concentrate on the 100m hurdles, being an Olympic year, and came away with an Olympic silver medal in her main event. This year we have seen McLellan record a season's best of 11.26s in the 100m, while also recording a very quick 200m in a wind-assisted time of 22.66s (recorded in Canberra). There has been consistent talk of a new Australian 100m record from McLellan in 2009, although she will again be concentrating on the 100m hurdles at the World Championships in Berlin.

So where does McLellan rate in the history of Australian female sprinters? Well her 11.14s performance in Osaka was outstanding, and there is no doubt that she has the ability to be the first Australian female to break 11 seconds for the 100m. If she ever concentrated purely on the 100m/200m double then we could definately see her edge past Gainsford-Taylor as Australia's best ever modern day sprinter by the end of her career.

#2 Melissa Breen (100m/200m) - As a junior Breen now ranks as the no.2 Australian female 100m runner of all-time (behind Raelene Boyle's Australian junior record of 11.20s at altitude, which was set in 1968 when she placed 4th at the Olympic Games in Mexico). Her time of 11.33s (+1.9) was set in Canberra (8 November, 2008) and came in a year where she was a semi finalist at the World Junior Championships. Breen also broke 11.50s four times in 2008, which raised everybody's expectations of how far the 18 year-old could go in 2009.

Although 2009 hasn't seen any improvements on the already impressive personal best of 11.33s in the 100m for Breen, the highlight was definatley the fact that she was named on the Australian team for the World Championships in August. With Breen not turning 19 until September, this is an excellent achievement. She will also represent Australia at the World University Games in July, which is a nice lead in event to the World Championships in August.

At 18 years-old there is a sense of excitement surrounding this talented sprinter from Canberra. Could we see Breen beat McLellan to being the first Australian female sprinter to break the magical 11 second barrier? Well the main thing is that McLellan has some real pressure placed on her to remain as Australia's no.1 female sprinter. Competition will always bring out the best, as seen this year in Australian men's distance running.

#3 Well this is where it becomes difficult. Although there is genuine excitement surrounding both Breen and McLellan, which athletes would be next in line to take over as the no.1 female sprinter in Australia? Well at the moment it looks as though it would be a battle between 22 year-old South Australian, Alicia Wrench-Doody and 24 year-old Western Australian Jody Henry. The only problem is that both athletes don't have times that would be classed as competitive internationally (in both the 100m or 200m), so you would have to say our depth in women's sprinting in Australia is limited. In fact we have yet to see an Australian female sprinter break 23 seconds (non wind-assisted) in the 200m since Lauren Hewitt ran 22.87s in 2004, and apart from Breen, McLellan and Crystal Attenborough (11.43s in 2007) we haven't seen an Australian female sprinter break 11.50s in the 100m.

So do we just hope that McLellan and Breen will fill the void left by the likes of Gainsford-Taylor, Hewitt and Freeman? Well it's nice to know that both athletes look set to have bright futures in both the 100m and 200m, but are there other female sprinters around Australia that could also one day compete at a major championship (i.e Olympic Games or World Championships)? Well we take a look at some of Australia's most promising and exciting junior talent.

#1 Olivia Tauro - there have been whispers around that Tauro had retired from track and field but these seem unsubstantiated. Ran a very fast 23.90s 200m as a 15 year-old, and was 8th in the final at the 2005 World Youth Championships. Also made the semi-finals at the 2008 World Juniors (in the 200m). Has personal bests of 11.68 (100m), 23.62s (200m) and 53.26s (400m). Could become a specialist 400m runner in the future, but we shouldn't dismiss her qualities as a "pure" sprinter.We will hopefully see her back on the track in the near future.

#2 Lauren O'Sullivan - as with Tauro, we haven't seen O'Sullivan on the track in 2009. Is still only 17 years-old, and has already posted personal bests of 11.67s (100m) and 23.54s (200m), which were both recorded in 2007 when O'Sullivan was only 15. In 2008 she was a multiple medal winner at the Commonwealth Youth Games (winning bronze medals in both the 100m and 200m) and also placed second at the Pacific Schools Championships in the 100m (11.90s w-a). Would have certainly been named on the Australian team for the World Youth Championships if she was fully fit. A return to her amazing form in 2007 would see O'Sullivan push both Henry and Wrench-Doody in both the 100m and 200m.

#3 Ella Nelson - well we probably won't see the best of this amazingly talented 15 year-old until 2011 and beyond, as she has just finished her Little Athletics career, but if her results are anything to go by then we are in for an exciting ride. Nelson has already run a blistering wind-assisted 23.89s in the 200m and a 12.01s wind-assisted 100m, and even without the wind she has personal bests of 12.21s (100m) and 24.09s (200m). Has broken NSW LA records previously held by Olivia Tauro, an achievement that can not go unnoticed. Watch out for this extremely talented sprinter in 2011, where she will certainly be in line to represent Australia at the World Youth Championships.(you can view our recently conducted interview with Ella Nelson by clicking here)

So do we have something to look forward to in terms of women's sprinting in Australia? Well if our junior athletes can remain on the track for the long term then we may see another Gainsford-Taylor or Freeman running around in the 100m or 200m. However it is interesting to note that only 35.8% of Australian female athletes that have competed at the World Youth Championships (since the Championships commenced in 1999) are still competing in track and field in 2009. Therefore if we can keep our talented junior athletes competing in the tough sport of track and field then the future looks bright.

Comments

Ben says...

"Well written. The thing about Jody Henry is that she has only ever run about two 400m races and has done no specific 400m training. She has the potential to improve out of sight. "

June 13, 2009

 

Sarah Jamieson is arguably Australia's best ever female 1500m runner. Sarah is the current Australian record holder over 1500m (4:00.93) and ended 2007 ranked 7th in the world. Sarah's story is one of resilience, toughness and hard work: After much success as a junior she was injured between 1994 and 1998 and had a total of five surgeries on her legs. Sarah then had a few successful years before again succumbing to injuries in 2001 and 2003 which both required surgery. Sarah bounced back in 2004 winning her second Australian title and qualified for the Athens Olympics. 2006 saw Sarah get a silver medal at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, win yet another Australian title, place third at the world cup and culminated in her breaking the decade old Australian 1500m record. 2007 was another strong year in which she broke the Australian national indoor 1500m record and placed 3rd at the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart. With the Beijing Olympics fast approaching we caught up with the latest from Sarah.

RunnersTribe: Sarah, thanks for agreeing to this interview. First off, what were your movements this past Australian season, were you injured?

SJ: I was recovering from hamstring tendonitis. It had hung around since the Aussie domestic season in '07. It got to the point, towards the end of the European season, where I couldn't train at 100%. It required some kind of intervention. I took October, November and December of '07 off training and had blood injections into my hamstring and an epidural. I was in no shape to run the Aussie season.

RT: You have spent a significant proportion of you career on the sidelines due to injury, and have had a crazy number of surgeries. If you had your time over, what would you do differently?

SJ: Not a lot to tell the truth! I don't know what I could have done differently. None of the injuries/surgeries were a result of overtraining or stupidity. I got some bad medical advice in Perth and probably had 3 unnecessary surgeries (compartment release). I saw the best sports medicine Doctors in Perth and had full faith that they knew what they were doing. I eventually flew to Melbourne and saw Dr Chris Bradshaw who was able to properly diagnose the issue, a trapped nerve. Maybe I should have sought Bradshaw out earlier but I was a struggling athlete in Perth. A trip to Melbourne and medical bills was a big deal. I decided pretty soon after my nerve release to have no bitterness about my situation. I was given the chance to run again and see what I could achieve.

RT: I take it you have developed various arrays of methods to help you stay injury free?

SJ: I am the queen of prevention!! I ice bath after my sessions, have 2 massages a week, see a physio once a week, do specific hamstring, glute and calf (my weak spots) strengthening 3 times a week and stretch until the cows come home. If you are going to be a world class athlete, you need to train hard, day in, day out. To do this, you have to treat your body like a temple and do everything in your power to have it in the best possible condition every day. Prevention methods are boring and a chore but a necessity if you are going to make it.

     

RT: How is the training coming along at the moment? Are you on track for your goal of proving to the selectors that you are ready for Beijing? What races to do have lined up over the next few months?

SJ: Everything is going great for me now. I have gotten myself into good shape in a pretty short space of time. I am cranking out solid tempo runs while at the same time, really tapping into my speed. I have had a couple of time trials now that indicate I am in shape to run well. I will race 3 times prior to the final team selections to show I am in good form. They will be Doha Grand Prix,1500 (May 9), Reebok Grand Prix, 1500 (May 31), then the Prefontaine Classic, 1500 (June 8).

RT: You are originally from Perth. How important was your move to Melbourne all those years ago? Do you feel you could have achieved the same things if you had remained based in Perth and simply traveled to races?

SJ: My move to Melbourne was seriously the key to my success. There wasn't a real distance running vibe around Perth back in the late 90's. Melbourne had a real distance running culture. Myself, my now husband, Jai Thomas (800 PB 1.47.8) and Mark Gorski (1500 PB 3.39.07) really wanted a shot at making the 2000 Olympic team. We just packed up the car and drove across the Nullabor Plain to Melbourne. It was really the beginning for me. I was fortunate enough to realize my dream of making the 2000 Olympic team. Jai and Mark sadly missed out! I don't believe I would have achieved the same things if I had stayed in Perth. The travel to and from interstate races did bother me but the things that helped me the most was having regular strong competition in Melbourne and having a strong group of athletes to train with who had similar Olympic aspirations. I knew from the moment I arrived in Melbourne what I needed to do to be a world class athlete as I was in the same training group as Catherine Freeman. I just put my head down and trained way harder than I ever had before.

RT: You changed coaches last year and now live part of the year in America! Why the change and how is the new set-up going? I presume you are coached via correspondence while you are in Australia?

SJ: I did. It was a decision that I didn't take lightly as the Beijing Olympics were less than a year away. I was unhappy in my current situation and knew that if I was going to train and race well I needed to find happiness. I researched a few coaches and liked the way Ray Treacy operated. He is a college coach at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island. He has a multi- cultural group of pro athletes who went through Providence College and have remained coached by him.

Kim Smith (New Zealand) 5km & 10km (PB's 14.49 & 31.20)
Roisin McGettigan (Ireland) Steeple (PB 9.28)
Amy Rudolph (USA) 5km & 10km (PB's 14.56 & 31.18)
Mary Cullen (Ireland) 5km (PB 15.19)
Molly Huddle (USA) 5km (PB 15.17)
Amy Moritmer (USA) 1500m (PB 4.06)

I am really enjoying it. The group is very supportive and I recently spent 5 weeks training in the States with them. I am coached by correspondence and remain in constant contact with Ray. I think being an older, experienced athlete allows this situation to work. I have a full-time training partner here in Melbourne in Brenton Rowe (1500 PB - 3.51). It would be tough without someone to train with. He does every run and session with me and travels with me to the States and Europe. He knows me well and between the 2 of us, we get the job done. We are about to head to the States to do a month's training then onto our European base, Cologne, Germany.

    

RT: Can you talk me through a typical week of training during your winter base building period?

SJ: I work off a 10 day cycle. Within the 10 days I do 3 sessions, a medium run, a long run and 3 weights sessions. I would clock between 120-130km per week.

A typical base week could look like the following:

Day 1 - 2 x 5km & run
Day 2 - 2 runs & weights
Day 3 - 80 minute run
Day 4 - 2 runs
Day 5 - 10 x 400 & run
Day 6 - 2 runs & weights
Day 7 - 70 minute run
Day 8 - 1 easy run & weights
Day 9 - 6 x 4 minute reps & run
Day 10 - 2 runs

RT: Do you do incorporate any weight sessions?

SJ: Yes, I think this is a very underrated aspect of middle distance running. I lift 3 times in my 10 day training cycle with a concentration on my core, upper body and areas I need to rehab.

RT: How long are your Sunday long runs?

SJ: 80-85 minutes

    

RT: Do you have any track sessions which stand out as being your favorite or most worthwhile?

SJ: Not really. I love training on the track. Maybe 10 x 300 or ladders such as 1200, 1000, 800, 600, 400

RT: Speed is vital if you are to get through the early rounds in Beijing, given the fact that the heats are often very slow for the first two or so laps, followed by a fierce kick down. What sort of things are you doing to develop and maintain this speed?

SJ: I'm not blessed with speed. I'd have to say that my strength is my strength. It is something that we are addressing in training. My hamstring issues last season meant speed work had to be avoided. This showed in my semi final at Worlds where it was a walk for 900 metres and became a 600 metre race. I was totally exposed. Now my hamstring is strong again, I have been able to pump out faster 200's and 300 reps on the track. I have started doing strides after my runs on non session days as well as drills for form.

RT: A lot of runners have trouble with tapering and subsequently end up flat on race day! Can you talk us through your training for the week leading up to a big race.

SJ: I would do my last session 4 days before race day. It wouldn't be a session where I bury myself or bring on much lactic. I would do a second run also. 3 days before I would do 2 runs. 2 days before I would do 1 run and some strides. The day before I would do just the 1 run. I head out the morning of a race and run easy for 15-20 minutes.

RT: You are sponsored by Reebok! How important has their roll been in allowing you to be a full time athlete?

SJ: Massive. Their support has meant that I don't have to squeeze work into my day. It enables me to do the things required to be the best I can be such ice post sessions, stretch, fit in my physio and massage sessions and sleep during the day. I love it!

RT: Sarah, thanks for the interview, all the best your Olympic build-up and the Olympics themselves. We hope to see you line up in that final and smash under that 4 minute mark.

'The greatest stimulator of my running career was fear'
Herb Elliott