Australian Cross Country: Pompeani battles pain to claim silver

27 August 2023

Australian Cross Country: Pompeani battles pain to claim silver

At the 83rd Australian Cross Country Championships in Canberra today, both NSW open teams finished on the podium while there were individual wins in the para races by Tamsin Colley and Kyle McIntosh.

OPEN PARA EVENTS

Rio Paralympian Tamsin Colley (T36 classification) defeated Victorian Georgia Powning (T20 classification) to take the open women’s Para 3km cross country title. Powning was first over the line in a time of 11:38, while Colley clocked 15:14, but on percentages in their classification, Colley took the title 38.40% to 37.82%. Colley, who sprinted the 200m in Rio in 2016, has switched her focus to endurance running and another endurance sport soccer in the hope of selection for the Paris Paralympics. Third in the National title was Jessica Filocamo (T20 classification) clocking 19:13 for a percentage of 22.90.

In the men’s open race Para 3km race North Coast’s Kyle McIntosh (T20 classification) was untroubled to take the win in 9:44, from SA’s Jack White (T20 classification) with 11:24. McIntosh’s winning percentage was decisive 38.70 to 33.04. It was a step-up for McIntosh who placed third last year in Adelaide. Today’s time of 9:44 was well ahead of his last year's 11:04 in the mud.

OPEN WOMEN 10KM

The open women’s race was a terrific three-way battle between Australian steeplechase champion and Queenslander Gen Gregson and NSW’s duo Leanne Pompeani and Holly Campbell. At the World Cross Country trial in January Pompeani had placed second, Campbell fifth and Gregson 10th, but a lot has happened since then for all three.

Over the first two laps a small group numbering as many as eight ran together as a pack. But at the start of lap three the pace had picked up and Gregson, Pompeani and Campbell had broken away. Early in the lap Campbell had taken a firm lead, but couldn’t move clear. At the same point on the last lap, Pompeani made a strong run for home with Gregson following her and Campbell dropping back.

A further kilometre into the race, going up the hill at the 9km mark, Gregson made a decisive move passing Pompeani and running on home for a seven second win in 34:43 minutes, from Leanne Pompeani with 34.50, and Holly Campbell in third with 35.04.

Pompeani participation had been in doubt, as she explained post race.

“Three weeks ago, two weeks ago, even a week ago, I was not running,” she said. “I’ve been dealing with a pretty severe pain with an injury for seven months and in the last two months it got significantly worse. I can’t train properly and with Paris around the corner I have to get this sorted now as there are races later that are far too important.”

She left it to the very last minute to decide if she would be on the start line.

“I was just going to wake up this morning and make a decision. But it being a home course and a home Nationals I decided I will just try and do it. I hadn’t done much running the past three weeks, so I had no idea….”

But after the strong performance she was pleased.

“I’m happy with the result. I know how Gen races so I knew what to expect. She kicked away with 600m to go. With not much running in my legs I didn’t really have it.

“To hold on for second I’m really happy with that.”

However she is still waiting to understand the extent of the hamstring injury.

“I had an MRI last night and will find out the results this week. It is so much better when an athlete knows what the injury is you can actually start sorting it out. Then I’m hopeful I can be back into full training.”

Campbell’s run was very strong as she continues to return from injury which forced her to withdraw from the World Cross Country team in February.

NSW placed third in the team event with Ruby McPhillips and Shayla Szakacs joining Campbell and Pompeani on the podium.

Team result - QLD 27, VIC 30, NSW 40, ACT 49

OPEN MEN 10KM

The men’s open 10km race was dominated by Victorian’s with UTS Norths’ Ed Goddard the only challenger. From the gun and over the first two laps of the four-lap race all the medal hopes were in the lead pack. Over halfway into the race, one of the favourites Australian 10,000m record holder Jack Rayner, made a move on the first hill, about 500m into lap three. It strung out the field, but Goddard remained in contention sitting in third.

“In the first two laps I tried to push it and we dropped a number of athletes,” recalled Goddard. “Then on that downhill, at about 6km we split up the field.”

Goddard did slip back through the field finishing in sixth place in 30:44.

He was however positive about the result.

“There are good signs and it was a bit better than the world cross trials at the beginning of the year, but there is still work to be done.”

NSW had four more in the top-20 with Harry McGill 11th 31:30, Josh Johnson 13th 31:57, Connor Whitely 16th 32:23 and Hamish Longworth 20th 32:44.

Goddard led the State team home to a comfortable silver medal.

Teams result: VIC 10 points, NSW 33, QLD 60, ACT 68.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Image: Leanne Pompeani, Holly Campbell and QLD’s Gen Gregson (image courtesy of David Tarbotton)