David Baxter: A Column By Len Johnson

David Baxter (27/3/1977-2/7/2010)

It’s always distressing when a life ends prematurely. Doubly so when the life is that of a talented sportsperson, and additionally so again when it is one poised to make a significant contribution to society.

David Baxter, who has died in Sweden tragically young at the age of 33, was such a person. Most of his allotted span was ahead of him, but David was already a sprinter of international class and a Commonwealth Games relay medallist. To his regret, he had failed to make an Olympic team, though he was not the type to dwell on disappointment.

In the months before he died as a result of a brain tumour, David Baxter had determinedly pursued his studies in neurosurgery. He was accepted into a course in Edinburgh, one of the handful selected from the hundreds of nominations. Those studies will now never be completed and that career never fulfilled, but his close friend and fellow-sprinter, Lauren Hewitt, says it is typical of his character that he embarked on the journey.

“He made it into the program. It was an irony being accepted into a neurosurgery course at the same time as he was diagnosed with a tumour.” It was an irony David Baxter would have appreciated.

Hewitt and other friends recall David Baxter as being a passionate man. “Athletics and academia were his two passions,” said Hewitt.

Tamsyn Lewis, another close friend and a teammate on several occasions, recalled how Baxter would usually have his head buried in a medical book as the team bus took them to the track. “He was one of the most amazing people you’d ever meet,” she said.

Jana Rawlinson described Baxter as “a pretty inspirational bloke.”

Baxter had only recently married his Swedish girl-friend, Judith. The ceremony took place in one of Stockholm’s public parks, a welcome and joyful outing during his treatment.

I met David Baxter when he competed for his Doncaster club in Victorian State League competition. One night at Olympic Park, I was in the Athletics Victoria office at the same time as a woman who turned out to be his mother. When she heard I was a journalist, she said I should write something about her son, who was a very good sprinter.

The David I remember was a someone who was passionate about his sport and never hesitated to give you his views about how it was developing. Like me, I suspect he occasionally enjoyed putting a contrary view for the sake of putting a contrary view, but he was a good listener, too, and the exchanges were always enjoyable.

Invariably, in the manner of his mother at that first meeting, he would be suggesting that I write something. Sometimes I did, sometimes I didn’t, but it was always a spirited conversation.

Athletically, the high points of David Baxter’s career were his bronze medals in the 4x100 metres at both the 1996 world junior championships in Sydney and the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. He was also the Australian junior champion at both 100 and 200 metres in 1995-96. He was a member of the 4x100 relay squad at the 1999 world championships in Seville. His best times were 10.30 seconds for 100 metres and 20.57 for 200.

. . . AND ALSO

Ryan Gregson’s win in the international mile at the Prefontaine Classic was impressive _ a personal best three minutes 53.19 seconds.

What was equally striking, was Gregson’s lead-up to the race. His races through June were the Balmoral Burn, a sprint up a steep 420-meter hill in which he was just pipped by Lachlan Renshaw (Renshaw’s fifth win in a row), followed by the Leonora road mile in WA, and capped by winning the New South Wales 12km cross-country title over the tough Nowra course.

Gregson won the latter race after a close battle with another ‘young gun’, James Nipperess. It was an interesting lead-up to a track mile, and rather gives the lie to those who argue for too much ‘specificity’ in preparation.

It was all rather redolent of Steve Ovett’s lead-up to the 1977 World Cup race in which he handed John Walker his first loss over 1500 metres in more than two years. Back then, Ovett jumped into a half-marathon which he won in a race record 65 minutes over a tough course and ahead of several Olympic marathoners.

When you’re hot  . . . .