Birdman charts his flight path
GOLD Coaster Dane Bird-Smith will have the depth of first-hand knowledge of a course which normally falls to golf greats like Greg Norman and Tiger Woods when he strives to win Australia’s first athletics gold medal in the 20km walk tomorrow.
Bird-Smith approached the Gold Coast Games organising committee when he saw the degree of potential injury risk in the camber of the 20km course near Currumbin.
“It was something I worked out personally with GOLDOC. We got all the organisers on board and made adjustments to it based on my recommendations,’’ said BirdSmith, who will stand on the start line tomorrow morning with countrymen Michael Hosking and Rhydian Cowley.
“The camber goes for pretty much the entire course, but the severe part of it was the 200m around Currumbin and we have pulled that part way off the course.
“If you are battling the pack, you (were) going to be in a little trouble.
‘‘It’s as good as we could get it for that location.
“As it had been, it could have been physically damaging. There’s was a possibility of rolling an ankle and the tendons on the outside (of the ankle) can only take so much strain.
‘‘As far as I can tell I will be happy with the course and it’s comes down to how we can handle it.’’
The 2016 Rio Olympic Games bronze medallist is hoping for some humidity tomorrow morning to take some sting out of the legs of his northern hemisphere rivals, having done the bulk of his training since the February national title at Rainbow Beach, 240km from Brisbane.
“I’ve had an amazing preparation,’’ Bird-Smith said. ‘‘I went to Rainbow Beach and got the heat in, the humidity in … got the cyclones in.
“I’ve actually done some beach walks in training, 10km into headwinds, into the sorts of conditions I’m going to have, the working on the sand to get strong legs going.
“We were always up against it with the (windy) conditions Currumbin can throw at us.
“It’s the Gold Coast – it could be sun, wind, rain, hail.’’
Bird-Smith’s coach is his father David, a 1980 Olympian in the walk, and father and son have both won four national titles after Dane’s win in Adelaide this summer.
Bird-Smith is one of eight Australian athletics team members coached by a parent.
In addition, Australian 20km walker Claire Tallent (left) is coached by her husband Jared, as is 20km walk national champion Beki Smith, by husband Daniel, while 800m runner Brittany McGowan is cocoached by her fiance James Kaan.
Tallent, who qualified for the Games despite being struck by a car two weeks before the trials in Adelaide, will be joined in the women’s 20km walk by national champion Beki Smith and Jemima Montag.
Also coached by a parent are Trae Williams (100m, father Daniel), Luke Mathews (800m, mother Elizabeth), Liz Parnov (pole vault, father Alex), brothers Hamish and Huw Peacock (javelin and hammer throw, respectively; father Evan) and discus throwers Benn Harradine (father Ken) and Mitch Cooper (father Garth).
The walkers believe they are well placed to get the athletics team off to a successful start before the first session of track and field at Carrara Stadium tomorrow afternoon.