King Island’s finest export
DESPITE appearances to the contrary, the whippet-thin Stewart McSweyn insists he is a culinary fan of King Island’s most famous product.
But the distance runner insists he indulges in the celebrated brie cheese only as a treat. Presumably, being guaranteed a place in the Australian team for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games with victory in the Australian 10,000m championship (also known as the Zatopek 10) counts as just such an occasion.
McSweyn finished over the top of defending national champion and race favourite Pat Tiernan on Thursday night at Lakeside Stadium in Melbourne to claim the automatic qualifying berth.
The slow, tactical race played in the versatile young Tasmanian’s favour as he won in 28 minutes 37.28 seconds.
“I was confident,” said McSweyn, 22, who is almost certain he will now be the first athlete from the small island in Bass Strait (population about 2000) to compete at a Commonwealth Games.
“I’ve got good mile speed so I knew if it went to a last lap I had a good chance,” he said. “But obviously Pat Tiernan is so strong that I knew he wasn’t going to make it easy.”
Tiernan, 12th in the 5000m at the world championships in August, remains well placed to be included in the Games squad early next year as he has A qualifiers in both track distance events.
McSweyn could add a second event to his schedule at the Games, depending on how he goes in the 5000m and the steeplechase at the national trials in February.
He holds Tasmanian records over four distances ranging from a mile to 5000m, although has yet to wrest the 10,000m mark from Dave Chettle, who set it in 1977.
The versatile McSweyn also contested the 3000m steeplechase this year at the world championships.
“I am only 22 so I’m thinking long-term the 10k is going to be my best but I’m still doing the 5k. I have got the A-standard so I will be doing the trial and then I have got about six Bs in the steeplechase,” he said. “So we’re going to have to see how the other trials go but I’ll definitely be doing the 10k.”