Master and apprentice
An unlikely pairing holds the key to Australia’s bid for world relay glory
AFTER his 4x400m relay team was disqualified in front of family and friends at last year’s Commonwealth Games, Murray Goodwin wants redemption and he’s enlisted the help of a teammate to help him.
The 32-year-old has spent the last year training and competing across Australia and will now get the chance to make up for his Commonwealth Games disappointment when he represents Australia at the world relay championships in Yokohama, Japan on May 10-11.
“It’s another huge honour to wear the green and gold again,” he said.
“I don’t take it for granted as we only get the chance every few years.
“The Commonwealth Games was full of highs and lows because after finishing, we were under the assumption we’d done a great job so we were celebrating with family and friends but then a few hours after we found out (Australia had been disqualified due to a positioning failure on the last leg).”
On the line in Japan is the chance to return a year later and represent Australia at the Olympics with the top eight teams set to qualify for the world athletics championships
in Doha later this year.
“It’s the pinnacle of athletics and it’s our sporting dream (to go to the Olympics),” said Goodwin.
“This meet is a huge opportunity for us and throughout history, Australia has shown that we can punch
above our weight with our relay squads and cause some upset results so we’re hoping that’s the case.”
Joining the Gold Coast schoolteacher in Yokohama is emerging sprinter Ellie Beer.
The 16-year-old trains with Goodwin at Currumbin under the direction of Brett Robinson and with Beer being half the age of Goodwin’s, the two make an unlikely pair.
With one still eligible to compete in the juniors and one eligible for masters, Beer and Goodwin could pass the baton to each other in the 4x400m mixed relay in Japan.
“It would mean everything if that could happen,” said Beer. “I’m imagining him running towards me and my brain is doing flips.
“Muzz (Murray) has done so much for me and running with an Australian athlete everyday has been amazing and overwhelming.”
“It would be a bit of a fairytale,” added Goodwin.
“The scary thing is that she’s not a full-time athlete yet, she’s still at high school.”
Beer, who will pull on the green and gold for the first time in Yokohama, said the thought of competing in the opens category hadn’t crossed her mind until the final squad was released.
“I mean I was looking at competing in the world juniors next year in Kenya and was working towards that because I thought I had plenty of years to make opens,” she said.
“I made opens and just thought ‘wow,’ opens is a huge bonus. My parents, coaches and supporters have all been amazing for me.”