Australian XC REVIEW: Open – Podiums for Pompeani, Goddard as NSW Women Team take gold

28 August 2022

Australian XC REVIEW: Open – Podiums for Pompeani, Goddard as NSW Women Team take gold

NSW’s strong distance running depth was on display at the 82nd Australian XC Championships at Oakbank Racing Club on the outskirts of Adelaide on Saturday. Ed Goddard and Leanne Pompeani both finished on the podium, while the NSW women dominated with four in the top-6 resulting in a convincing win in the women’s team title.
Ten years after the 2012 Australian Cross Country were held at the same venue, the conditions were just as challenging. Almost the entire course was a hard slog with most of the surface either damp of a mud bog.

OPEN WOMEN 10KM
24 Finishers, 5 x 2km laps

One of the favourites, local athlete Izzi Batt-Doyle was a non-starter, leaving Caitlin Adams, a 2019 World XC representative to fly the flag for the host State. Before the first kilometre a lead group of four had started to form – Caitlin, Victorian Georgia Hansen, and NSW pair Leanne Pompeani and Lucy Mauviel. Just behind, NSW’s Paige Campbell and Aynslee Van Graan were in close pursuit. By about 2.5km Lucy had dropped back and was running with Paige and Aynslee as large gaps had opened between the first and second packs and the rest of the field.
For about the next 4.5km Leanne Pompeani and Georgia Hansen ran side-by-side, with Caitlin Adams 20 metres behind in third. A particularly difficult mud bog to negotiate was 400 metres from the finish line. It was ankle deep mud at the bottom of a dip. Athletes needed to work hard on an incline immediately after the bog. On the penultimate lap Leanne didn’t take a good line through the bog and seemingly lost momentum, then had to work hard to get back alongside Georgia. 

Over the last lap Georgia was able to break away from Leanne going on to post victory by 22 seconds in a time of 37:01, with Leanne second in 37:23. SA’s Caitlin Adams was third with 37:33 and a surprise fourth NSW’s Lucy Mauviel with 38:22, from Aynslee Van Graan fifth in 38:37 and Paige Campbell sixth with 38:45.
Jess Noble was 9th in 39:49 and was second in the U23 National title behind Lucy Mauviel. 14th was Amelia Gorman 41:26 and in 21st Ashleigh Gardiner 47:30.

NSW easily won the team title with 17 points from VIC 25pts and SA 49 pts.

For second, Leanne won $1800 prizemoney.

OPEN MEN 10KM
41 Finishers, 5 x 2km laps

The men’s open 10km unfolded differently to the women’s race where the pace had been on from the start. The men’s was conservative early with eventual winner Seth O’Donnell about 20th after 500m and the entire field still bunched. By about 3km the field had started to string out. Seth was still back at 9th at this stage, while up front Matthew Clarke led from Liam Adams and NSW’s Ed Goddard.

By 4.5km the pace was on with six athletes now broken away. Ed Goddard led and was surrounded by Seth O’Donnell, Liam Adams and three SA’s - Riley Cocks, Isaac Heyne and Matthew Clarke. Two-time winner Andy Buchanan led the chase pack.

At 6km Victorian Seth O’Donnell was making his intentions clear and now had a few metres on the lead pack, now down to four with Ed Goddard leading Liam Adams, Riley Cocks, Isaac Heyne.
The punishing pace by Seth O’Donnell continued over the penultimate with only Liam Adams able to stay with him when they had reached the 7.5km mark Ed Goddard, Riley Cocks and Isaac Heyne were now about 25 metes behind the lead pair.

Seth pushed on over the last lap and with 400 metres to go he had the title in the bag with Liam Adams now 25 metres adrift seemingly hitting the wall, while just 5 metres back were Ed Goddard and Riley Cocks were running side-by-side. Through the final mud bog Liam Adams was looking back at the approaching pair. Ed flew through the mud bog, but Riley looked to take a better line and they were again on level terms. They successfully hunted down Liam Adams to finish on the podium. Riley got the better of Ed to take silver in 32:33 with Ed two seconds back and Liam drifting out to a gallant fourth in 32:40. Seth O’Donnell won by 14 seconds in 32:19.

In a tight race for the top-10, Aaron Spiessberger-Parker lost a few places in the last kilometre to finish 12th in 33:37. Hamish Longworth was 20th 34:34, Dylan Offord 23rd 35:03, Leo Peterson 25th 35:19, David Baker 37th 37:07 and Daniel Peeters 41st 40:56.

Ed Goddard collected $1000 for third.

NSW were third in the team event with 38 pts.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW
Image: Leanne Pompeani (#19) leads the open women XC with NSW’s Lucy Mauviel (#17) 4th  (image courtesy of David Tarbotton)