ATHLETICS: The amazing career of Jared Tallent has continued in Rome, Italy, with the Olympic champion winning silver in the men’s 50km walk at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships.
Adding to the one gold and two bronze medals he has won in the event at previous instalments of the championship, the result highlights Tallent’s impressive return to form after a hampered build-up and sets him on course for yet another impressive Olympic campaign later this year.
“I’ve had a rough start to the year and this is a great turn around. I’m very proud of this result. It all started to come together at altitude and to come away with this amazing performance today shows me that I am back on track for Rio. This is the ideal stepping stone for the Olympic Games,” Tallent said.
One of the leaders from the sound of the gun, Tallent (3:42:36) shared the front spot with eventual winner Alex Schwazer (ITA, first, 3:39:00), Marco de Luca (ITA, 4th, 3:44:47, PB), Matteo Guipponi (ITA, 8th, 3:52:27) and Yucheng Han (CHN, DNF) for much of the race.
At the 30-kilometre mark, Schwazer put his foot down to take a lead that he would not relinquish, with Tallent moving into clear second at the 40-kilometre mark. Igor Glavan (UKR, third, 3:44.02) surged forward in the closing stages to win bronze.
“I tried to go with the pace throughout the race and stick with something that would see me finish with about 3:40:00. The eventual winner put in a hard ten-kay between the 30 and 40 kilometre mark, which made the road home seem long but I was able to hold it together. I’m happy about that given the short preparation I’ve had,” Tallent added.
Tallent will now return to the Australian Institute of Sport’s base in Varese, Italy before one final race in La Coruna (ESP) ahead the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. He will then return to Australia, where in Melbourne on 17 June he will at last be presented with his much deserved gold medal from London 2012.
“I have to get one more race in before the Olympics and La Coruna gives me that chance. I’m a bit underdone from a racing perspective and that should get the cobwebs out before Rio,” Tallent said.
“I can’t wait to get my medal in Melbourne. It will be the ultimate motivation to have it before heading overseas again and I can’t wait to share it with my family and friends.”
In other great news for athletics in Australia, Hamish Peacock (Tas) has thrown a new personal best of 83.53m in the men’s javelin to better the Rio 2016 standard for the first time.
Peacock’s performance at the Golden Grand Prix in Kawasaki (JPN) together with his national crown ensures that he will now be nominated for selection by the Australian Olympic Committee.
The already Olympic Games bound Lauren Wells (Tas) was also impressive, clocking 55.23 to win the women’s 400m hurdles, while Brooke Stratton (Vic) was second in the women’s long jump with a 6.55m (w: -1.7) leap and Brandon Starc (NSW) third in the men’s high jump, soaring 2.26m.
In the women’s 800m, the national champion Brittany McGowan (Qld) stopped the clock at 2:01.64 to miss the Olympic Games qualifier by just 0.14 seconds.
ATHLETICS AUSTRALIA
