Preview Australian Cross Country: Leanne Pompeani starts favourite as Ed Goddard chases fifth podium

16 August 2023

Preview Australian Cross Country: Leanne Pompeani starts favourite as Ed Goddard chases fifth podium

Next week in Canberra at the 83rd edition of the Australian Cross Country Championships, Ed Goddard faces his toughest challenge to keep a rare streak going, while in the women’s race, on her home track, Leanne Pompeani will line-up as favourite.

MEN – open 10km XC

At the last four editions of the Australian XC Championships in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022 (2020 and 2021 cancelled due to COVID), Ed Goddard finished on the podium, but the 2023 championships is one of the most competitive for a decade. Primarily he will face the might of Victoria, who have a current and future stars across their lineup – headed by Commonwealth Games marathoner and two-time champion Andrew Buchanan and Australian 10,000m record holder Jack Rayner. A cross country specialist, Buchanan won the 2017 and 2018 titles and has since evolved with more great performances, including 7th in the marathon at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and 33rd at the Bathurst World Cross Country. While Jack Rayner, was 29th at the Bathurst World Cross Country Championships.

But Goddard, 25, has been progressing too in 2023. The NSW Cross Country champion, he has also claimed wins in the Sydney 10, Launceston Half Marathon and last week’s City to Surf. At the Gold Coast marathon he ran a 53 seconds PB of 2:12.52.

Key NSW athletes joining Goddard for a strong State team will Arron Spiessberger-Parker, Hamish Longworth, Harry McGill, Josh Johnson, Drew Fryer and Luke Hince.

Victoria has incredible depth in their team including defending champion Seth O'Donnell, world cross country representative Andre Waring, the inform Edward Marks and former NSW athlete and 3-time NCAA 5000m finalists Zach Facioni, just returned from the US.

WOMEN – open 10km XC

Although a strong favourite here, Leanne Pompeani, who trains weekly on the Stromlo course, will face quality competition from the resurging Queenslander Gen Gregson and NSW teammate Holly Campbell. Since they all raced in the World Cross Country trial last January, a lot has happened for each athlete. In that terrific race, on this same Stromlo course, Pompeani was second, Campbell fifth and Gregson 10th. But since Pompeani placed an extraordinary 22nd at the World Cross Country Championships, Campbell withdrew injured from the World XC but has since won the NSW Short Course XC and competed at the World University Games. While Gregson, now 15 months post becoming mum to Archer, has been busy winning the Australian Half Marathon title and clocking 2:28.33 in her marathon debut. In a head-to-head last month Gregson defeated Pompeani by three seconds in the Sydney Real Insurance 10km road race.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Image: Ed Goddard (courtesy of David Tarbotton)