Distance Stars Chasing Games Qualification

 

Top middle distance rivals Ben St Lawrence of Australia, and Jason Woolhouse of New Zealand, who is currently based in Melbourne, have announced that they will both be chasing Commonwealth Games qualification in the 5000m event at the International Track Meet on March 18th at QEII Stadium in Christchurch.

St Lawrence has the Australian A qualifying standard of 13min29 in his sights, while Woolhouse will have to break 13min30 to achieve the NZ standard.  With personal bests of 13.25.88 and 13.35.71 respectively, both are in with an excellent chance and expect to push each other the whole way.  “Championship races are all about winning, and tend to be slower & more tactical, so this type of meet is really the place where athletes chase qualifying times”, meet director Craig Motley said today.

Woolhouse was one of the stars of the International Track Meet in 2009, when he became the first Cantabrian to break the magical 4 minute mile barrier on his home track at QEII.  In stepping up to his specialist 5000m distance this year he hopes to continue on and create a legacy of success at the meet for many years to come.  Woolhouse said to the meet organisers this week “It was great that my first sub-4 was in my home town last year, now I’m looking forward to putting up a good 5000m performance”.  The two have clashed already this season, in the prestigious Zatopek 10,000m in Melbourne in December, when St Lawrence finished second behind Australian champion Collis Birmingham, with Woolhouse finishing 7th.

Also in the field will be some of New Zealand’s top distance athletes preparing for other international competitions.  Nelson’s Kim Hogarth, with a personal best of 13min44, and Christchurch’s Andrew Davidson, the current New Zealand cross country champion, will use the longest track event at the meet as a final tune-up before flying to Poland for the World Cross Country Championships at the end of the month.  Another with international aspirations will be the outstanding junior athlete, Aaron Pulford of Hamilton, who will again dip his toe in the senior ranks after his stunning success in the NZ 10,000m championships last month, where he missed his first senior title by just inches behind multiple NZ champion and representative Rees Buck. Pulford needs to break 14min15 to qualify for the World Junior Track and Field Championships in Canada in July.

For further meet information go to www.internationaltrackmeet.co.nz