‘Two’ easy for Bulli’s Gregson
‘Two’ easy for Bulli’s Gregson
November 28, 2007
Section: Sport
JOEL RITCHIE
BULLI Runner Ryan Gregson is feeling confident heading into the third leg of his tilt for a trio of national under 18s records on Saturday.
Gregson will be aiming for the Australian under 18s 1500m record to complement his 3000m and 5km records.
His first shot at the 1500m record will come at an inter-club meet in Sydney on Saturday.
His 1500m personal best is 3:47.1, and was set in June.
It is just under a second off the current national mark of 3:46.34.
Gregson is confident that Saturday’s meet could be the venue for his third Australian record in a month.
“It (breaking the 1500m record) is definitely a chance; I’m less than a second off and I have been improving in my other events,” Gregson said.
On Saturday in round four of the Kings Track and Field Premiership Gregson finished second in the 5km behind Australian Cross Country Champion Jeff Hunt in 14:14.35 seconds.
He took over five seconds off the previous record, set by Victoria’s Mark Thompson in 1996.
Gregson’s 5km record came with a bonus – he ran a qualifying time for the 2008 World Junior Athletics Championships in Poland.
“I’m really happy that I booked my spot and have the chance to get some more international experience.”
Gregson’s preparation for the 5000m record run was disrupted by an illness midweek, which forced him to miss a training session.
If Gregson’s tilt at the 1500m record falls flat on Saturday he has another shot at the Zatopek Classic – Australia’s premier distance running meet.
“Zatopek will be quick, all the best runners will be there and hopefully I will get pulled along,” Gregson said.
“At the start of the season it (breaking three Australian records) was my goal and so far it’s going to plan.”
In the meantime Gregson will also be gunning for gold medals at the Australian All-Schools Athletics Championships from December 6 to 9. There Gregson will contest the 1500m and 3000m.
“I’m going to use some tactics and race smart; I’ll probably look to sprint at the end,” Gregson said.
“Instead of running flat out I’ll have to conserve my energy for Zatopek.”
This year has been a golden one for Gregson, who won the distance treble at the recent NSW All-Schools Athletics Championships.
He also has already eclipsed two of the Australian under 18s records in his sights.