Williamsz tipped to make run at Coast medals
DISTANCE running legend Craig Mottram is predicting a Gold Coast breakthrough for 1500m talent Jordan Williamsz after the Melbourne product showed his form with a win in the Noosa Bolt.
Williamsz made the 1500m semi-finals in his world cham- pionship debut in London, falling short of a spot in the final.
“I was pretty disappointed,” Wiliamsz said of his London experience.
“It was a huge jump up for me but I was still disappointed to miss the final, so it left me pretty hungry.”
And he is keen to make amends on the Gold Coast in April, with Mottram rating him a smoky for a Commonwealth Games medal.
“It’s the Commonwealth Games, it’s not going to be easy,” Williamsz said when told of Mottram’s prediction.
“That sort of stuff came easy to him because he was the best ever. But I’m certainly going to be training hard, I’ve got a really good coach (Nic Bideau) and a good group of guys around me, so I know they’ll get me in the shape I need to be. As long as you’re on the line in the final, you can’t rule it out.”
Williamz finished just ahead of 5000m specialist Stewart McSweyn in a result that surprised him.
“I knew Stewy was going to be hard to beat, he’s going to be the next big thing in the 5000 and 10,000,” Williamsz said.
Women’s Bolt winner Melissa Duncan is determined not to let disappointment define her career, with a switch to the 5000m on the cards after she beat Olympic finalist Eloise Wellings on Saturday.