Aussie sprinter uses Masters Games for elite comeback
Here’s a switch: Former world-class sprinter Tania Murphy of Australia competed in her country’s version of the National Senior Olympics as a tuneup for a run at a spot on her nation’s Commonwealth Games team. According to an article in today’s Herald Sun, Tania (better known by her maiden name Van Heer) hopes to make the Aussie team as a 400-meter dasher. At the 10th Australian Masters Games (open to 30 and over, it appears), Tania won her race in 57.76.
The Herald-Sun story went on to say:
Murphy, who turns 35 in December, hasn’t been sighted since injury ruined her chances of competing at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
She has since had two children but has slowly returned to the track over the past 18 months and competed in the Masters Games in Adelaide last weekend.
Regarded as one of the smoothest movers in the sport when she was at her peak, Murphy won a bronze medal in the 100m at the 1998 Games in Kuala Lumpur and gold medals in the 4 x 100m and 4 x 400m relays.
In 1999 she was a semi-finalist in the 200m at the Seville world championships and throughout that domestic season pushed world 400m champion Cathy Freeman to the wire on several occasions.
Her personal-best times in the three sprint events still rank inside the top seven on the Australian all-time list — 100m (7th — 11.29sec), 200m (4th — 22.42sec) and 400m (7th — 51.28sec)
Murphy’s coach Steve Butler, who also looks after Olympic 4 x 400m silver medallist Mark Ormrod, said the former star was back in fantastic shape.
“She is very focussed and has been training very hard,” Butler said. “She will come back and come back strong.”
Me again:
Any why not use a masters meet for elite preparation?
Maurice? Marion? C’mon down!
(Marion Jones turned 30 Wednesday, BTW.)
One Response
Maurice or Marion run in a masters meet? I think the answer to that is obvious…No. Why? There’s no money in it for them. Even if Marion ran in a tune up meet, a promoter will pay her just for the publicity alone.
I have had several elite athletes ask me how much I’m getting. They look at me in shock when I say “nothing”. They look even MORE amazed when I say that I am PAYING out of my own pocket to go to these meets.
I can’t say I blame them though; it was just a couple of years ago (before I started running masters track) that I had the same attitude. Coincidentally, I am working with the USATF ALumni Association. So, if anyone has any ideas on easing the transition from open competion for these types of athletes, let me know.
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