What I See with Peter Fiorenza: Australia’s improving fortunes in athletics could inspire next generation

The Commonwealth Games have come and gone. Two full weeks of swimming, diving, hockey, netball, boxing and athletics. Yes, in recent times, athletics hasn’t really been Australia’s strong suit. In the 1950s and into the 1960s the likes of John Landy, Herb Elliott and Betty Cuthbert were household names. It was certainly a time when our nation excelled in track-and-field events at both the Commonwealth and Olympic Games. The late John Landy MBE was only the second man to break the four-minute mile barrier and also held world records in the 1500m race, while Herb Elliott MBE, according to Wikipedia, was, arguably, the world’s greatest middle-distance runner. Betty Cuthbert MBE also set the track alight. Nicknamed Australia’s “golden girl”, Cuthbert set records in the 100m, 200m and 400m events, While Marjorie Jackson MBE was the first Australian female runner to break a world record and was referred to as the “Lithgow Flash”. You could say we had quite a pedigree, but in the decades since, the legacy of especially great runners has waned. However, after the Birmingham Games, our fortunes in track and field could be improving. The 1500m win by Ollie Hoare was outstanding, and Jess Stenson, at 34, won the women’s marathon. Good levels of success in the high jump, javelin and other field events have also got people excited to the point I reckon school sports days are set to go through a renaissance. In coming weeks, hundreds of youngsters will compete at high school and primary school athletics carnivals throughout the Mid West, with Nagle Catholic College staging its carnival on Friday. Every year, about this time, the sky clears, the weather starts to change, and there’s that smell of freshly cut lawn. When I was a kid, I couldn’t wait for sports day. There’s just that competitive excitement in the air, the sound of the starter’s gun, the echo of the microphone, and the bunting with coloured triangles spread across the arena. I wasn’t a great runner, but I did hold my own in the 200m and 400m races. I remember my St Lawrence’s day, a purple patch, you could say in my athletics career. It was 1980, and after winning the 100m and 200m events, I was looking pretty good in respect to the champion boy trophy going into the 400m race. From memory, I wasn’t originally meant to line up for the 400m, but because of my form on the day, I was slotted in for the green faction. Even though I was a little exhausted from earlier events, the adrenaline was running high. Quick off the mark, I led all the way down the back straight. As I turned the corner for the home straight, I could feel the excitement building with the finish line getting closer and closer. I was breathing so hard my chest was hurting. Steadily, my legs started to feel heavier and heavier as my strides began to shorten. “Not far now,” I kept telling myself. With the finish line well in sight, I tried to push harder and harder, but I could not stop slowing down. Was my body giving up? Suddenly, I could hear heavy breathing, a wheezing sound right behind me. As I tried to surge forward again, I felt a shoe hit my ankle from behind. And I tumbled down, on to the track. As my face hit the deck, I watched in anguish as the runner ran past and over the line to win the race. I was able to pull myself up and finish in second place. But, alas, it was the one that got away — no champion boy trophy for me. Peter Fiorenza hosts Fiorenza on Sunday between 10am and noon on Radio MAMA