ATHLETICS: There were high hopes at the Tokyo Stadium for Australia on Tuesday night, but it didn't go to script for Kurtis Marschall in the pole vault or the 5000m men.
Kurtis Marschall was expected to be in the mix for a pole vault medal having cleared 5.75 metres on his first attempt in qualifying and 5.80m this season. But the 24-year-old didn't get a chance to find his rhythm and show his fight when he missed all three attempts at his opening height of 5.55m
It was a big shock for the Perth-based jumper, who was caught up in a COVID-19 scare on the eve of the meet. But the 24-year-old was pragmatic about what had happened to his Olympic dream.
“It’s as simple as me not executing my queues; I used the same pole, the same stands, the same everything from the qualifying round. I came down on the bar the first time, brought the stands in, the same thing happened again and then it all happened again. Three unforgivable mistakes that I’ll learn a lot from,” Marschall said.
“No one prepares you for a no-height at the Olympics. We will have to sit down and reassess the whole season, the whole situation and use this as a genuine learning curve. We must find a way to develop a strategy and a plan to come back bigger and better from this.
“A lot of people only see the highs, and I was expecting that tonight, especially after seeing the results of my teammates. There will always be someone that has a disappointment and unfortunately this time it was me.
“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be here, I felt amazing and have no excuses. I just couldn’t capitalise.
“We’ve got a big year of championships in 2022 and in the future, we’ll determine how to tackle it.”
McNeill and McDonald run out in 5,000m heats
David McNeill and Morgan McDonald had run personal best times just a few months ago and are the 7th and 8th fastest Australians in history but they couldn’t reproduce that form in the heat of Tokyo and on the toughest stage.
Both Aussies were near the back of their respective heats and looked to move through the big fields as the pace came on in the final four laps but they weren’t able to push their way into the final. McNeil placed 8th in heat 1 in 13:39.97.
“I gave it everything, you always wish it was more, but that’s what it was today. I needed to be a bit higher up, but woulda, coulda, shoulda. I’m still proud,” McNeill said.
“It was special to be here, that’s the advantage of having done a couple of these. I feel like I entered it with a bit more experience and a bit more of a level head.
“The people that are watching you, the ones that mean the most to you, don’t care about the result. They care that you are there. It sounds like a cop-out, but I’m trying to replace my negative thoughts after the race with a little more perspective.”
The pace was quicker in heat 2 and McDonald needed to be 10th or better to advance. He was in touch and 15th with 1200m to run before losing touch with the leaders and had to tough it out. He made a move with 500 metres to run and was 10th with 250 metres to run but was passed and placed 11th in his heat in 13:37.36.
“It was pretty tough out there. My legs weren’t where they should be and I’m disappointed,” McDonald said.
“I just wasn’t in the shape that I wanted to be. At this level, you can’t fake it and today that showed.”
Pat Tiernan who collapsed with heat exhaustion in the final 200 metres of a courageous 10,000m on Friday night was entered to contest the 5,000m but withdrew earlier today as he had not recovered sufficiently to put his body on the line again.
Hough third in 110m hurdles heat and through to Olympic semi-final
Nick Hough is known for his big championship performances and on his Olympic debut he wasn’t going to let a less than ideal preparation in Sydney lockdown to spoil his plans.
He was the slowest to react and behind at the first hurdle but he fought hard and ran well from the last hurdle to finish third in 13.37 seconds and automatically progress to the 110m hurdles semi-finals.
“I was happy with everything but the start. I haven’t started against anyone for months, I’ve been caught in Sydney with lockdown, and it’s been tougher than I would have liked to prepare for Tokyo,” Hough said.
“That was almost like great training. The ultimate practice against the good guys to set me up for the semi-final.”
Hough is the first Australian to compete in this event at the Olympics since Kyle Vander-Kuyp in Sydney 2000. Hough boasts a personal best of 13.37 – less than 0.1s away from the longstanding national record of Vander-Kuyp.
“I love championship racing. I’m at my best in these environments. I’m in form and think I can find a personal best in the semi-final. I’m going to have to make the final and hopefully I can break that national record.”
Hough is rooming with athletes including Steve Solomon, Alex Beck and Peter Bol.
“It’s fantastic to see the team doing so well around me. I’m a bit of a let down in my apartment, everyone else ran a personal best in their heat. I’ve got some work to do for the final,” Hough joked.
Hough will race his semi-final at midday AEST on Wednesday, with decathletes Ash Moloney and Cedric Dubler leading the Aussie charge in the morning. In the evening session Linden Hall and Jessica Hull race their 1500m semis, Gen Gregson races in the 3000m Steeplechase final and Peter Bol looks to create history in the 800m final.
Andrew Reid, Cody Lynch, Sascha Ryner
