All pointing to London: By Len Johnson

Don’t you just love those signs that give you the direction to almost anywhere in the world.

Actually, I don’t seem to recall too many such signs in major European and US cities informing me that if I proceed 20,000 kilometres in the direction indicated I will find myself at home in Melbourne, Australia.

But, I digress. You can certainly find such signposts in public spaces in many places in Australia. There’s probably even one in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct.

Even if there isn’t, it seems that everyone is still pointing to London – London 2012, that is. Mitch Watt isn’t competing in the domestic season? He’s pointing to London. Steve Hooker needs more time to rebuild his confidence? He’s pointing to London, too.

It is perfectly reasonable for this pair – and other proven medal hopes – to be directing their talent and resources to being ready to compete in London rather than squander it on the process of getting there. But there’s a sneaking suspicion that a few too many may be “pointing to London”, assumedly on the basis that what’s good for potential gold medallists, is just as good for potential team members.

A man whose opinions on athletics I respect put that very view to me just last week when we met on Melbourne’s Tan track after we’d separately completed our Saturday morning exercise.

We got to chatting about athletics and how the domestic season had been a bit slow to get into high gear. We hoped that night’s meeting in Perth might bring some acceleration.

Around that point he wondered whether many of our athletes had been quietly given the word – or formed the impression – they could “point to London”, rather than peak during the domestic season.

Surely not, though it would explain what has been an amazingly low-key season to date in terms of athletes achieving the Olympic A-standards. You’d think people would be hell-bent on getting the A: the pathway to automatic Olympic selection is to win the selection trial (in Melbourne on 1-3 March) with an A-standard performance, or having already achieved it at the world championships in Daegu last year. You can also do it if you win and have achieved two A-standards, anywhere.

Top-8s from Daegu (a group which includes long jump silver medallist Watt) have been pre-selected for London, but there are only a couple of others who got an A-standard at the worlds and few are indicating they are in shape to produce one at the trials, now only a week or two away.

If the difference between being pessimistic and being a pessimist is that the latter is not delighted to be proven wrong, then I’m being pessimistic. I hope the proof that I’m wrong may start to emerge at this weekend’s Sydney Track Classic.

Sydney has been boosted by a strong international contingent. David Rudisha, the world champion and world record holder at 800 metres, will take on our best at 400. If he is in ‘pb’ shape, he will beat them, too, unless they improve on recent form.

Olympic 1500 champ Asbel Kiprop also steps down in distance. He races over 800 metres, along with US Daegu finalist Nick Symmonds, giving Lachlan Renshaw, Jeff Riseley, James Gurr and James Kaan a big target to aim at.

Valerie Adams is a big target, but there is no-one capable of pushing her in the women’s shot put. The New Zealander will be pumped up, no doubt, by the fact that her main rival, Nadzeya Ostapchuk, took the world lead at 20.90 metres in Belarus last weekend.

The lack of A standards has not meant there is not plenty to interest us in the season so far. Kelly Hetherington’s improvement in the women’s 800 to the point where she has beaten Tamsyn Manou once and is a big threat to do it again is just one example. Given good conditions, surely they will approach at least the 2:01.30 B-standard in Sydney.

Alana Boyd’s form in the pole vault has been another highlight. Her 4.66 in Perth put her in the anomalous position of having the highest vault outdoors by an Australian woman, but not the national record. The latter stands to Kym Howe with her 4.72 indoors in 2007. Boyd looks as if she might achieve that any time soon.

Sally Pearson has been a highlight every time she competes. This week she again runs over the hurdles, and hopefully US rival Nia Ali can get closer to her than she did in Perth. Pearson is also running the 200.

Craig Mottram returns to the track in the 1500 where he is sure to find plenty of competition from Collis Birmingham and several others.

Yet again, it looks like we could see multiple A-standards. It is to be hoped we do. If you’re going to be pointing to London, it’s better to do so from the vantage point of an Olympic qualifying performance.