Sprint Stars coming to Briggs Athletics Classic
07 Jan 2009
Australia’s best male sprinters have confirmed for the 2009 Briggs Athletics Classic.
Current Australian 100m champion Otis Gowa and 4 time national champion Josh Ross have both signed for the meet, which is only 24 days away. Both athletes will participate in the 100m, 200m and 4 x 100m relay on January 30.
Gowa stole the national crown in Brisbane last March, ahead of more recognisable names, beating home the likes of Patrick Johnson and Matt Shirvington in the process. Gowa’s short journey is nothing short of amazing, growing up in Ravenshoe on the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland, the now 24 year old was diagnosed with cancer in August 2006.
He defeated the disease and less than two years later, defeated the rest of the country to win the title of fastest man in Australia. Gowa is the flag bearer of Athletics Australia’s ‘Jump Start to London ‘ Indigenous program. His father is Ghanaian, his mother a native Torres Strait Islander and he now resides in Melbourne, where he is training under the guidance of Athletics Australia’s newly appointed High Performance Manager, Eric Hollingsworth.
Gowa will be joined in Hobart by Athens Olympian, Josh Ross. The winner of the Australian title from 2004 – 2007 leapt to national prominence when he won the 2003 Stawell Gift off 7m. A year later, he was an Olympian, making the quarter finals of the 100m and 6th in the final of the 4 x 100m relay.
In 2005, he became only the second man ever to win the Stawell Gift off the honoured mark of scratch, then represented Australia at his first World Championships in Finland, where he was a semi finalist in the 100m.
In 2008, he made the move to Melbourne and will be coming to the Briggs Athletics Classic with the firm goal of qualifying for the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Berlin from August 15 – 23.
Joining the pair in the 100m, 200m and 4 x 100m relay will be 18 year old Ray Williams. The West Australian speedster turned heads last month at the Zatopek Classic in Melbourne where he defeated a top class field to win the 200m, in a personal best of 21.16sec. World Junior representative Jacob Groth will also join the field and with a personal best over 100m of 10.49sec, the quality of the field will certainly bring the best out of him.
Athletics Australia’s Development Manager, Sally McGrady, will be bringing the National Talent Identification Program to Hobart for the week of the Briggs Athletics Classic, that will feature many of Australia’s rising stars from the Jump Start to London Indigenous program. She says it provides athletes with a perfect opportunity to perform, at the right time of the season.
"The Jump Start to London 2012 program is delighted to bring 16 young Indigenous athletes to Hobart to participate in a camp leading into the Briggs Athletics Classic. Athletics Tasmania and the Tasmanian institute of Sport are providing assistance in conducting education and athletic specific testing for the attendees. The highlight of course will be for the group of young aspiring athletes see their peer group compete at a major athletics competition.
“For the competing athletes the Briggs Athletics Classic is a perfect meet for them in their preparation for upcoming state and national championship titles," McGrady said.
ATHLETE PROFILES
Josh Ross
Age: 27
100m PB: 10.08sec
200m PB: 20.53sec
Claim to Fame: 4 time national champion, 3rd fastest Australian ever
Otis Gowa
Age: 24
100m PB: 10.52sec
200m PB: 21.17sec
Claim to Fame: 2008 Australian 100m Champion, Cancer Survivor
Ray Williams
Age: 18
100m PB: 10.59sec
200m PB: 21.16sec
Claim to Fame: Winner of the 200m a Zatopek, bronze medallist at 2008 Commonwealth Youth Championships in India.
Jacob Groth
Age: 24
100m PB: 10.49sec
200m PB: 21.11sec
Claim to Fame: Silver medallist at 2008 Australian 100m Championships
The Briggs Athletics Classic is the flagship event of Track & Field in Tasmania. The full program of events is;
Men – 100, 200, 800, 1500, 5000, 400H, Triple, High, Shot, Discus, Javelin
Women – 100, 200, 800, 1500 or 3000, Triple, High, Shot and Hammer