Australian Mile Championship Review

4 December 2022

Australian Mile Championship Review

After an absence of two year due to COVID, the Australian mile championship, which was revived four years ago, was held in perfect conditions at The Crest, in Bankstown, last evening. The early season championship races were won in tactical battles by Izzy Thornton-Bott and Cameron Myers.

MEN

Half-mile specialist, Joseph Deng, looked the favourite on paper, but in the end 16-year-old Cameron Myers would take the title in a 0.01 second PB time of 4:07.04.

Through the first lap there was a bunched pack with Adam Pyke and William Lewis piloting the field. On the second lap, Myers had moved to the front, while Deng, boxed in around fifth place, made a decisive move to free himself.

With a lap-to-go Myers now was a few metres clear of the field, as Deng, Pyke and Lewis were well positioned.

“At bell, I was at the front,” recalled Myers. “I did have a look at the screen and I saw they were right there.“

Over the final lap, now running scare, Myers extended his lead but was oblivious to where the chasers were.

“At 100m I still thought they were right on me. I had no idea. I just didn’t look back.”

Myers ran onto the line in 4:07.04 and claimed a comfortable win by 1.4 seconds, from Joseph Deng (4:08.44) and William Lewis (4:08.47).

“I shocked myself, but am very happy with it,” said Myers.

“Coming into the race I didn’t think I would win, but I had my eye on some prizemoney.”

Myers time would equate to about a 3:48 1500m, not far from his PB of 3:46.30.

WOMEN

In contrast, the women’s race largely went to script with the favourite Izzy Thornton-Bott overcoming travel from the US and competing out of season to take the title.

“I’d be lying if I said I went in feeling my freshest, I’m definitely at the tail event of a heavy season right now,” said Thornton-Bott who placed 36th in the recent NCAA cross country – the second Aussie over the line.

From the gun, South African international Aynslee Van Graan was in the lead with Tokyo Olympian Georgia Winkcup second, and in close contact NSW 3000m champion Holly Campbell and junior international Jaylah Hancock-Cameron. By lap two, Campbell was toeing the field.

At the bell, Campbell was still leading with Hancock-Cameron beautifully positioned on her shoulder. For the first three laps, Thornton-Bott had sat around fifth, but was now running wide to progress up the field.

“Realistically it wasn’t where I wanted to be for the majority of the race,” said Thornton-Bott. “I really had to work hard. I didn’t want to be as far out from lane one as I was, I wanted to get on the rail and stay there. But that is how it panned out, so I had to change tactics and go with the flow for a while and steadily move my way up through the field.”

Down the back straight, Hancock-Cameron seized an opportunity to take the lead.

“When Jaylah made the move with 250 metres to go, I knew that it was now or never, and I had to commit and go.”

Thornton-Bott, who was coming off a successful cross country season, responded well.

“I backed myself and I backed my leg strength and my speed.”

Thornton-Bott sprinted for home, passing Hancock-Cameron, to register a close victory 4:35.36 to 4:36.12.

Being out of season impacted on Thornton-Bott’s tactics to make her move.

“As it stands, I had to leave it a little later than what Jaylah did. I’d like to think by the time indoor and outdoor track comes around I will have worked hard enough and have the leg speed for kicks like the one Jaylah was making and pull them off.”

There was a close battle for bronze with 15-year-old Fleur Cooper defeated by Anyslee Van Graan by seven thousandths of a second 4:38.481 to 4:38.488. Cooper was rewarded with breaking the NSW under-16 record. Her time would be equal to about a 4:17 1500m – 12 seconds faster than her current PB.

Izzy Thornton-Bott in 2022

Izzy Thornton-Bott, now based in the US on scholarship at the University of Oregon, took timeout to discuss her build-up for last nights Australian mile and coaching changes for her

It has been a breakthrough year for her which has included a 9:26 indoor 3000m, a relay bronze at the NCAA Indoors, qualifying for the NCAA outdoor finals, taking nearly four seconds from her 1500m PB and placing 36th at NCAA cross country championships.

Mid-year it was announced that four-time US Olympian Shalane Flanagan and legendary US coach Jerry Schumacher, will now coach at the Thornton-Bott’s University of Oregon.

“I feel it is the beginning of a new chapter for me,” said Thornton Bott. “I’ve started now with a new coach Sharlane Flanagan and then also Jerry Schumaker. It is a new approach to training. Very simple, very efficient, hard, but well worth it. I feel I’m starting to come into my own. I have a huge amount of support, both from here in Australia from my family and old training team at Central Performance and the new team in Oregon. It is fun, but an opportunity to invest in hard work which is what I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”

Coming into the race, she was feeling positive about the outcome.

“Looking at the field I thought there was a reasonable chance I could win. I’m strong, I’m fit, I’m health and I’m in a really good place right now. I was coming back specifically for this event. So as much as looking at the field, it was the investment made to come and compete at this event and take it seriously - it was not just that I decided to compete because it was available. I’d been planning on it for a while.”

After a short break in Australia, Thornton-Bott will be back to the US for her second indoor season, with two years of eligibility remaining.

“I believe my eligibility is a junior, but it is a little all over the place as I went over as a transfer student from UTS,” said the Anthropology student.

After her terrific NCAA cross country performance, will she had a compete at the Australian World cross country trial?

“No. It coincides with a pretty big meet they have for us indoors and 10km cross country is not going to be my forte right now. I have different plans for next year and Paris 2024.”

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW
Image: Izzy Thornton-Bott (image courtesy of David Tarbotton)