LACHIE MOORHOUSE
According to the script, the Tokyo Olympics have just concluded. The athletes are licking their wounds post celebrations and the track and field world is relishing some rare airtime in the Australian media. Chris, 42, is parked on his couch with a stubby, declaring that 13-minutes for a 5000m “isn’t that fast,” and that he probably could have done that in his day. After a few replays of the 4x100m final, athletics is put on the back-burner for another few years.
But we all know that the script was torn up a long time ago, and Stewart McSweyn will have to wait another year for Chris’ expert feedback via Twitter on how to handle pressure (Chris drives a forklift, he would know).
The good news for us running nerds is that athletics goes on, and the Diamond League swings into action on August 14th in Monaco. Seven Australians have made the start line with Joseph Deng, Peter Bol, Ryan Gregson, Stewart McSweyn, Matthew Ramsden, Genevieve Gregson and Jessica Hull all set to take part.
For us Melbourne locals, Monaco is fast like Lakeside is windy. At most meets you would ask IF it will be windy, but at Lakeside you ask HOW windy. Same goes for Monaco, it’s just a matter of how fast.
If you play FIFA you might’ve come across the stadium Stade Louis II and questioned why it has an athletics track around the soccer pitch. Well, believe it or not, people run around it. If you’re unfamiliar with FIFA you can check out the video below, which shows you everything you need to know except for the rumours that it might just be 397m.
Stacked fields in Monaco should be conducive to fast times.
Men’s 800m (4:12am AEST, Saturday 15th August):
Here we have The Fast8TrackClub duo of Joseph Deng and Peter Bol, complimented by a very classy field. The pair fall under the tutelage of Justin Rinaldi and have clocked some relatively outrageous time trials in the past few weeks. First, a 2:17.62 1000m time trial where they went stride for stride over the journey in their trademark casual style, going through the 800m mark in 1:48.90. Next was a 700m hit-out, where Deng ran aggressively out in front and Bol was conservative before closing quickly. A time of 1:30.70 was enough to suggest that these boys are more than ready, and will be competitive in Monaco. Monaco is a happy hunting ground for Deng in particular, the same venue in which he broke the Australian 800m record in 2018 with a 1:44.21. They find themselves in a slick field featuring the reigning World Champion Donavan Brazier (1:42.34 PB), along with Amel Tuka (1:42.51) and Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich (1:42.54).
Women’s 5000m (4:19am AEST, Saturday 15th August):
What an opportunity for our Aussie women. Genevieve Gregson and Jessica Hull will be toeing the line to kick-start their campaigns amidst the world’s best. Hull has continued her rampaging NCAA form since turning professional, and whilst based in the US under Pete Julian, she returned home in the Australian summer. In this time she took out the Australian 5000m national title in February in a time of 15:06.12, and ran an incredible 8:41.80 over 3000m in unfavourable conditions, taking home $2,000USD as part of Steigen’s virtual race initiative. She boasts a PB of 15:00.32, one that won’t last much longer. Gregson has also staked her claim over the 5000m, notably an Olympic finalist over the distance in 2016. Gregson has been staying busy in Australia, taking out the coveted national 10,000m title in a time of 32:47.83 at Zatopek in December of 2019, meaning it was no surprise that she also took out the Queensland state title this August. Gregson raced over 5,000m in an early season tester in February, clocking 15:20.60 to take out 2nd place behind Hull. A sneaky record around The Tan in Melbourne was also indicative of sublime form, along with an 8:56 rust-buster over 3000m recently. The girls find themselves in a stacked field featuring Sifan Hassan (14:22.12) and Hellen Obiri (14:18.37), but the strong contingent of runners with PB’s in the high 14-minute range will be particularly appealing to Hull.
Men’s 1500m (4:57am AEST, Saturday 15th August):
Assuming Genevieve Gregson runs in the low 15-minute range, we will only have to wait a further 23-minutes to see her husband, Ryan Gregson, apply his craft in the Men’s 1500m which is usually the fastest on the calendar. Gregson is a veteran on the circuit, highlighted by his Australian 1500m record of 3:31.06 being set in Monaco in 2010 (3,676 days prior to this race). This speed merchant’s form over the shorter distance is relatively unknown, with a 3000m time trial of 7:46.73 described by himself as “nothing flash but a solid platform.” Something a bit more flash was his last lap at the Queensland 10,000m championships just over one week ago, which looked like an unofficial 400m world record on Instagram. Gregson has proven to be a model of consistency over the last decade, in 2016 becoming the first Australian man to make an Olympic 1500m final in 40-years. He is showing no signs of slowing down and his experience should serve him well as he kicks off his season. When the pressure is poured on he shouldn’t be far away. The field consists of Timothy Cheruiyot (3:28.41) who wins just about everything, along with two-thirds of the Norwegian sensation that is the Ingebrigtsen’s, in the form of Jakob and Filip (3:30.16/30:30.01). Also in the field is Craig Engles, who falls down the list of PB’s (3:34.04) but is a cool guy.
Men’s 5000m (5:13am AEST, Saturday 15th August):
About 15-minutes of genuine excitement to see Matt Ramsden give the 5000m a real nudge along with Stewart McSweyn was brought to a close by Luke Mathews telling me he is only the pacemaker! So expect a cameo from the West Australian out in front, likely followed by one from Joshua Cheptegei as he attempts to break a 16-year old world record (12:37.35). McSweyn recently got the better of Ramsden in the Steigen 3000m virtual race, running 7:39.18 to secure the $2,000USD prize. Shouting Ramsden a beer for his duties here shouldn’t be a worry. McSweyn holds the fourth-fastest PB in the field with 13:05.23, along with being a major finalist in the event. He is no stranger to Monaco, where he set his 1500m PB of 3:31.81 in 2019. In December of 2019 he broke the Australian 10,000m record with a time of 27:23.80 good enough to claim the national title, and you have to fear for the longevity of both the 1500m and 5000m records. Apart from Cheptegei, the Kenyan duo of Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli (12:57.90) and Jacob Krop (13:03.08) may also wreak some havoc but McSweyn will be right among the action. If you liked Mottram because he matched it with the Africans, then McSweyn is your new man.
It’s been a funny old year but our Australian athletes making the start line on the international circuit is something to cheer about. Get around them!
Words by House 
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