Athletes cash in on Cairns launch
THE warm climate and access to world-class facilities has solidified Cairns as a premier destination for national sports teams ahead of international events.
The Australian Athletics team has made Barlow Park its home for the next week as they prepare for the World Championships in Doha, cashing in on the Far North’s warm winter and cutting valuable hours off their transit to Qatar next week.
The immediate focus is Doha. The World Championships start on September 27 and earning personal bests, top eight finishes and the chance to achieve the entry standard for the next goal: the Tokyo Olympics.
While not confirmed, it is likely the team will use Cairns as its base for their last training camp ahead of the Tokyo Olympics next year, and 4x100m relay teammates Nana OwusuAfriyie and Celeste Mucci, who will also compete in the 100m hurdles, said geography and climate would help athletes.
“Usually we have to fly and get adjusted to the time difference,” Owusu-Afriyie said. “Tokyo, only being 10 hours away (from her Melbourne home) and with a onehour time difference, really helps us prepare and get into a routine quickly to perform at our best.
“It’s good having Cairns first, then Doha, leading into Tokyo. We’re practising for the next year, getting into that climate and the time zone.
“It’s so good to have a place like Cairns that’s so close for all of us to get to, to really get into the zone of what the World Championships and Olympics will be like.”
“It can help a lot, especially if you get stiff on flights,” Mucci added. “Three hours less is a long time. It would help a few of the athletes.”
The Australian team will remain in Cairns for the next week before they fly out for the World Championships in Doha.