News14 Oct 2002


Mottram asserts his new found authority

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Craig Mottram wins the men's 3000m (© Getty Images)

Although blinded by atrocious weather, Australia’s front running World Cup 3000m champion Craig Mottram demoralised a quality field to win the Burnie Ten in Tasmania on Saturday.

In his first race since becoming the only Aussie male ever to win at the IAAF World Cup, Mottram ran to the top of the national 10km road rankings in a time of 28min 30sec.

In the women’s section, fellow Victorian Susie Power also set a cracking pace for most of the way before Canberra's Benita Johnson surged to victory in 31:45 with a 4 second margin over the Commonwealth 10,000m bronze medallist.

They became the first two Australian women to break 32min on the road this year despite the difficult conditions.

Mottram, 22, broke away from marathoner Lee Troop 600m from the turnaround point, at which stage he held a 30m lead before heading into blinding rain.

“Conditions were brutal. You couldn't see. We had a headwind for the last 5km and the rain was coming sideways,'' Mottram told The Daily Telegraph. “It was eight degrees, windy and really wet. I just worked hard into the wind.”

Mottram is developing a reputation as one of the toughest men in the sport after leading from the gun in very windy conditions for an historic World Cup 3000m win three weeks ago in Madrid.

Asked whether his Cup title had fuelled his confidence, Mottram answered: “I don't know that it's done anything for my own confidence but I think it's scared a few people.”

Power ran the world's second fastest Half Marathon time this year of 67:56, for second to world leader Sonia O'Sullivan in the Great North Run last week in Scotland. She returned to Australia mid-week and was still fatigued yesterday

“I may run another half in Japan in January,” Power revealed.

As Australians enjoy a new sunny spring  - with the possible exception of those hardy folk residing in Tasmania - the revitalising of distance running 'down-under’ is also in full bloom.

In recent weeks Mottram and Johnson have parted amicably with their coaches - Bruce Scriven and Dick Telford respectively - to work under Australian Nick Bideau in partnership with Britain's Alan Storey, who is Sonia O'Sullivan's coach. They will also coach two-time IAAF World Youth Championships gold medallist Georgie Clarke.

Bideau, who has fathered two beautiful children with O'Sullivan, was a major influence on 400m sprinter Cathy Freeman's rise to stardom.

There are other significant changes in the breeze, which are at the "sensitive negotiations" stage.

And none of these adjustments have yet involved the Moroccan superstar Said Aouita who has settled in Sydney as Australia's new head coach for middle distance events.

Aouita has been busy, quietly meeting coaches, athletes and administrators around Australia.

He will attend the Australian Track and Field Coaches Association national conference this week in Bendigo.

Aouita predicts Mottram could be a 3:28 1500m performer and an Olympic medal contender in Athens 2004.

By Mike Hurst (Daily and Sunday Telegraph, Australia) for the IAAF

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