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By Bob Ramsak
LONDON – Two years ago at London’s Crystal Palace, Craig Mottram came tantalizingly close to stunning the track world when he nearly defeated Haile Gebrselassie in the 5000 meters. As Mottram kicked past the Ethiopian just beyond the bell, a collective gasp enveloped the famed and sold-out south London venue, until Gebrselassie came back to reel in the Australian upstart over the final 80 meters. Mottram nonetheless crossed the line with his arms raised high after his 12:55.76 performance, a national record and his first sub-13-minute race.
Last year he returned and nearly took down another Ethiopian, Gebrselassie’s successor Kenenisa Bekele, only to again finish second, this time in 12:56.13, his second fastest-ever performance.
“[London] is special because I had two great races there, and both were lead-ins to major championships,” Mottram said, before adding that tomorrow’s race at the Norwich Union London Grand Prix will be a much different affair. “In those races, it was a race against Gebrselassie and against Bekele. This time, it’s a race against everybody.”
Besides world record holder Bekele, this year’s world leader at 12:51.32, the loaded field includes world champion Ben Limo, former world champion Eliud Kipchoge, and Commonwealth champion Augustine Choge, all sub-13 performers this season. A number of Americans, including national champion Bernard Lagat, recently-minted national steeplechase record holder Dan Lincoln, Adam Goucher and Galen Rupp, are also in the field, hoping to take advantage of the swift pace.
Sizing up the competition, Mottram’s only promise is that he’ll be extremely competitive.
“I’m expecting to go in there and run hard. I can’t say I’m going to win. Every race at this level is difficult to win.”
“I know I can run strong in the last four to five laps,” he continued. “Will we go for a fast time and push on? Or sit back and race? It depends. I’m just not sure how I’ll feel.”
Race day conditions aside, Mottram has illustrated his fitness after a 7:32.84 Oceania record over 3000 meters in Belgium on July 19 in his first track race since the Commonwealth Games in March.
“It was a good result,” Mottram said. “To run a PB was a good start. The priority was of course to win. The time didn’t really surprise me. We thought I’d run at least a 7:35.”
With the Commonwealth Games as his 2006 priority --he finished second in the 5000 and fell in the 1500 final-- Mottram took a wait-and-see approach as to when he’d kick off his summer campaign.
“It wasn’t until June that we decided not to race in June.” In the meantime, he said, “I was just enjoying running.”
Despite the later start this year, Mottram said he’s planning six or seven races after London, a pair of which will be 1500s, before capping his season at the IAAF World Cup in Athens where he’ll defend his 3000 title. “It’s certainly something to aim towards,” he said. “It can be exciting and am looking forward to it. It should be good.”
Tomorrow’s London program also includes a strong women’s 3000, led by world 5000 meter champion Tirunesh Dibaba and Briton Jo Pavey. Kenyan national record holder and world leader Janeth Jepkosgei leads the field in the 800, where she’ll face Jamaican Kenia Sinclair and this year’s British revelation, Rebecca Lyne.
A sell-out crowd of 18,500 is expected.
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