Sydney Track Classic - Saturday 12 January, 2008

With warm conditions forecast, the third annual Sydney Track Classic is set to provide ideal sprinting conditions this Saturday as Australia’s best athletes commence their preparations for the Beijing Olympics.

Sprint queen Sally McLellan is eager to compete after a lengthy period of base training following the Osaka World Championships, where she advanced to the semi-final stage of both the 100m and 100m Hurdles. McLellan is so hungry for competition that she will compete three times on the night: in the 100m, 100m Hurdles and the 2x100m relay.

Four-time national 100m champion Joshua Ross will also compete as part of his preparation in facing the world’s fastest man, Jamaica’s Asafa Powell, a month later on the same track at the Sydney Grand Prix. Ross’s preparation has been hampered by a recent calf strain, but his coach Paul Nancarrow has indicated that his charge is ‘better than an 80 percent chance’ to contest the 100m. Ross will not decide on his participation until after running the 2x100m relay earlier in the program.

The 2x100m relay events are being held at the request of Athletics Australia’s Sprints and Relays Co-ordinator Paul Hallam. Hallam, an advocate of the view that Australia’s sprinters must hone their relay running talents before concentrating on their own endeavours, requested the 2x100m relay events as the conclusion of a three day relay camp which will commence on Thursday.

Tamsyn Lewis will make her season debut over 800m after having already recorded a fast time of 52.13 seconds in winning the Zatopek Classic in December. Lewis suffered a rare domestic defeat in last year’s event at the hands of the rapidly improving Lisa Corrigan. Corrigan will not contest this year’s event, but 23 year old Madeleine Pape, who placed second in last year’s national title and then improved to 2:01.17 in a tour of the United States, should provide stiff competition for Lewis.

Looking to return to good form in domestic competition after a number of years in the athletics wilderness are Matt Shirvington and Lauren Hewitt. Both will grace the track for the first time this domestic season. Shirvington, 30, produced solid runs in Europe last winter, with his best run of 10.28 seconds earning him a place in the relay team for Osaka (he later withdrew due to injury). Hewitt will contest the 100m and 200m and hopes to qualify for her fourth Olympic team, after first competing in Atlanta as a 17 year old.

The men’s 400m sees a battle of upcoming quarter milers, with Joel Milburn and Dylan Grant keen to press for relay spots for the Beijing Olympics. Milburn has been the form runner of the pre-Christmas season, recording a personal best of 46.1 seconds in a race in Canberra before defeating Sydney Olympian Daniel Batman at the Zatopek Classic in December. Both he and Grant, who ran a spectacular leg as part of the 4x400m relay team at the Osaka World Championships, will be hoping to break the 46 second barrier for the first time.

Other athletes in action include Commonwealth Games discus champion Scott Martin, who will contest the shot put; World Junior discus champion Dani Samuels, who narrowly missed qualifying for the final in Osaka; Australian 110m Hurdles champion Justin Merlino, the second fastest Australian ever in the event; three-time Australian 800m champion Nick Bromley; and teenage sprinter Olivia Tauro, who has recently moved up to the 400m, recording a promising debut of 53.13 seconds three weeks ago in Sydney interclub competition.

With just 15 days to go until the Sydney Track Classic, the fields are starting to take shape. The women's 800m and men's 400m are set to be two of the highlights races of the night.

In the 800m, eight-time national champion Tamsyn Lewis will seek to record her first victory at the meet. Last year she was involved in an epic tussel against Lisa Corrigan, with Corrigan producing a breakthrough performance to take victory.

Corrigan will not compete this year, but 21 year old Madeleine Pape will to keen to challenge Lewis. With a personal best of 2:01.17 to her name, Pape will provide strong competition to Lewis, who has shown good form this season over 400m.

The men's 400m, arguably the event with the most depth in the nation, will see athletes jostling for positions in the relay team for the Beijing Olympics. Of the six athletes already confirmed for the event, the slowest personal best is 46.1 - owned by the inform quarter-miler of the season so far, Joel Milburn.

Milburn scored an impressive victory at the Zatopek Classic over Daniel Batman, who will also run in Sydney. With World Championships relay runners Dylan Grant and Kurt Mulcahy in the field, as well as Athen's silver medalist Clinton Hill and 21 year old former national champion Ben Offerins, the race looks like being one of the highlights of the meet.

Athletics NSW are proud to announce that Joshua Ross and Sally McLellan will contest the Sydney Track Classic on Saturday, 12 January 2008.

With Athletics Australia's recent announcement that world record holder Asafa Powell and Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner will compete at the Sydney and Melbourne Grand Prix's in February, the athletics community is abuzz with excitement - and that includes Ross.

The 26 year old is keen to make amends for a disappointing Osaka World Championships. Under the guidance of his new coach, Paul Nancarrow, they have targetted the Sydney Track Classic as an important stepping stone to facing the world's fastest man a month later on the same track.

"It's just another race," said Ross on competing against Powell. "Anything can happen on the day."

The Sydney Track Classic will also be an important indicator of form for 21 year old Sally McLellan. The world championship semi-finalist, who has been in heavy base training recently, will feature three times during the action packed program: in the 100m, 100m Hurdles and 2x100m relay.