Offereins to Run in Madrid
WAIS sprinter Ben Offereins will have his first competitive hit-out since being officially named on the Australian team for the 2012 London Olympic Games this week, when he competes at the Meeting de Atletismo Madrid on Saturday.
The AOC officially ratified Offereins as a member of the Australian men’s 4x400m this week, and he will warm up for London with a run in the individual 400m in Madrid, alongside fellow relay teammate John Steffensen.
Offereins admitted he is relishing the opportunity to do what he enjoys best this weekend.
“I’m just looking forward to racing, I love racing and after some good training I am ready for a competitive hit-out against some pretty formidable rivals,” he said.
“It will be good to see John have a run too. The team for London is shaping up pretty well with Steve Solomon heading to world juniors and Joel Milburn capable of anything so it will be great to watch the fourth starter in action.”
Fellow WAIS scholarship holder Steve Hooker will take to the runway in Madrid to compete in the men’s pole vault as the reigning Olympic champion looks to step up his title defence in London.
Other Australian Flame athletes in action over this weekend include:
Dani Samuels (NSW), who will make her European competition debut in the women’s discus in Paris (FRA) on Friday night against a loaded field that is led by Nadine Muller (GER) who has the world lead of 68.89m.
The last time Samuels competed on the Samsung Diamond League circuit was in Shanghai (CHN) where she equalled her season’s best of 62.34m. Croatian Sandra Perkovic won that competition with a then world-lead, and she will again provide competition for the Australian.
Samuels will also face, for the first time this season, Olympic silver medallist Yarelis Barrios (CUB), who is one of three athletes in the field with a 68m-throw this season.
In the men’s javelin, Jarrod Bannister (Qld) will compete for the first time outside of Australia this year.
Bannister, who threw 82.97m at the Qantas Melbourne Track Classic in March, will face world-lead Vitezslav Vesely (CZE) who hit 88.11 in Oslo (NOR) last month and Vadims Vasilevskis (LAT), silver medallist from the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens (GRE).
Sally Pearson (Qld) will step-out for her second Diamond League appearance of 2012 against some familiar faces including Briton Tiffany Porter whom Pearson beat at the IAAF world indoor championships in Istanbul (TUR) earlier this year.
While no insight will be gained into her London-bound American rivals, with Dawn Harper, Lolo Jones and Kellie Wells all absent from the field, there is still plenty of opposition from the stars and stripes, led by last year’s world championship silver medallistDanielle Carruthers.
In the penultimate race of the evening Lachlan Renshaw (NSW) will take to the track for the 800m, with David Rudisha (KEN) looking for a third Diamond League win after his formidable run in New York (USA) last month.
Back in Madrid, in the 400m hurdles Tristan Thomas (Tas) will be looking for revenge over Justin Gaymon (USA) who beat him at the Sydney Track Classic this year as well as Jack Green (GBR).
Mitchell Watt (Qld) returns to the long jump after his victory in New York with world leader Greg Rutherford (GBR) and South African Godfrey Mokoena also in the field. Tamsyn Manou (Vic) will take to the track in the 800m.
Meanwhile at the Lillestrom Hyundai Grand Prix (NOR) on Tuesday evening Ben St Lawrence (NSW) continued his Olympic preparations with a solid win in the 5000m. The current 10,000m Oceania record holder won the event in 13:51.95, which was 30 seconds ahead of his nearest opponent.
Fellow members of the Australian Olympic team, Kaila McKnight (Vic)and Eloise Wellings(NSW) finished fourth and fifth respectively in the 5000m. McKnight ran a season’s best of 15:35.96 while Wellings finished just behind in 15:40.75.
– Athletics Australia