NSW 3000m Champs: Holly Campbell defends, while Josh Phillips adds 3k to his 10k win

Published Sun 05 Nov 2023

5 November 2023

NSW 3000m Champs: Holly Campbell defends, while Josh Phillips adds 3k to his 10k win

Following intermittent rain during the afternoon, the weather cleared for the NSW 3000m championship races at ES Marks Field last evening. Lining up in the 41st edition of the women’s race, Holly Campbell defended her title and claimed the fourth win in six years for the Campbell family, following twin sister Paige’s victories in 2018 and 2019. Josh Phillips won the 20th men’s title, first held in 2004, to add to his recent 10,000m win.

WOMEN’S 3000M – Holly Campbell

It was a commanding win by Holly Campbell in the women’s race. Within the first kilometre she already had a few seconds gap on the field and extended this to six seconds by mid-way.

Holly explained this was her race plan.

“I have been going well in training, so I wanted to run as fast as I could. I didn’t see the point in jogging around,” she said.

“So, I went out really hard, but to be honest it was probably a little too fast.”

That was evident by her leading margin, which was out to 10 seconds with 800m to go, being cut to just three seconds at the finish by half-mile specialist Carley Thomas who closed in the races fastest 400m split of 69.4 seconds.

Thomas, back in Sydney for a semester, before she returns to Washington State University for her fifth year, was conservative early, running with Bankstown’s Jaylah Hancock-Cameron until she started to break away with 800m to go.

All athletes were rewarded with personal bests, Campbell clocking 9:04.65, over three seconds under her previous best. She also ran the fourth fastest time in the history of the race and in the last dozen years only Tokyo Olympian Rose Davies has run faster.

Carley Thomas had not finished a 3000m race as a senior athlete, but clocked easily her best time with 9:07.59, while bronze medallists Bankstown’s Jaylah Hancock-Cameron finished with 9:11.93, a 12 seconds lifetime best.

“I felt really strong tonight. It was really good to be out there and I enjoyed it,” remarked Campbell. “I haven’t run many track races this year because I was out for the summer last year. It has taken a bit to comeback from the foot injury at the start of the year and to get the confidence back.

“I’ll next go on to the 10k (Zatopek), which will be my debut at that distance on the track. I’m pretty excited about that, but also nervous. I’m hoping my cross country strength can translate across.”

The race was stacked with impressive runs by teenagers, including Ada Rand 9:31.30 (4th, 18 years, 14 seconds PB), Mia Toohey 9:42.35 (6th, 18 years, debut PB), Annabelle Miller 9:47.58 (7th, 16 years, 5 seconds PB), Piper Simpson 9:48.19 (8th, 15 years) and Lily O’Reilly 9:50.18 (9th, 16 years, 2 seconds PB).

Holly Campbell reflected on her own journey and particularly the 2015 3000m championship where a 19-year-old Holly placed 9th and was inspired by Bridey Delaney winning her fourth title and second placed Jenny Blundell, a future dual Olympian. Not dissimilar to last night’s race, in 2015 the first 14 set personal bests. Holly hopes her performance tonight can inspire the next generation of emerging athletes like she was inspired eight years ago.

MEN’S 3000M – Josh Phillips

The men’s event was a competition for gun to tape. Eventual winner Josh Phillips arrived with a flexible race plan.

“One plan was to take it out from the gun, but it went out a little slow, then Stefan (Music) took the lead so I figured if I make a run for home from about half-way and keep the pace honest I should be able to run the legs off everyone,” said Phillips.

“It is hard to come in with a set plan because if that goes out the window you start panicking. So, I just waited and waited and I knew to win the race you had to be there with a lap to go, so that was the main plan to be there at the bell.”

By the kilometre mark, it was a race in five and with one interstate amongst them, four were chasing the three podium spots. The group comprised NSW 10,000m champion Josh Phillips, Tasmanian Sam Clifford, NSW 1500m champion Connor Whiteley and Randwick Botany duo Stefan Music and Ben Thomas.

Until the last half mile, less than a second separated the group, but over the penultimate lap the cracks started with Music and Thomas now four seconds behind the leads and now effectively battling for the bronze medal. Over the last lap Music would be the strongest clocking 67 seconds, to Thomas’ 71, as he clinched the medal in a time of 8:11.87 – taking nearly two seconds off his PB.

The action up front was fierce. At the bell half a second separated Josh Phillips, Sam Clifford and Connor Whiteley. But over the last lap Phillips was pushed to sub-60 running, clocking 59.90, ahead of Clifford’s 60.31 split, while Whiteley faded with a 64.27 seconds lap. Phillips stopped the clock at an agonising close 8:00.01. It was his fourth fastest time and quickest in Australia – superior to his 8:00.10 in the same race in 2020. In the last dozen years only Jordan Gusman and Zach Facioni have clocked faster winning times. For 20-year-old visitor Sam Clifford, his time of 8:00.63 was the second fastest of his career. Whiteley clocked an impressive 8:05.06 - an eight seconds PB, and adding to his string of PBs this calendar year - four at 1500m and one over 5000m.

“I came out here with the goal of winning and I didn’t want anything less than that and I’m glad I got it done tonight,” said Phillips who has his eyes set on the next goal. “Zatopek is next and I’m just entering that next phase of training and getting ready to peak.”

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW
Image: Holly Campbell (courtesy of David Tarbotton)

WOMEN RESULTS

1 Holly Campbell RBH 9:04.65

2 Carley Thomas UTN 9:07.59

3 Jaylah Hancock-Cameron BAN 9:11.93

4 Ada Rand SGD 9:31.30

5 Kate Spencer UTN 9:35.21

6 Mia Toohey SUT 9:42.35

7 Annabelle Miller KOT 9:47.58

8 Piper Simpson RBH 9:48.19

MEN RESULTS

1 Josh Phillips SSR 8:00.01