Walker has the inside scoop
ATHLETICS
QUEENSLANDER Dane Bird-Smith will have the kind of first-hand knowledge of a course normally enjoyed by golf greats such as Greg Norman and Tiger Woods when he strives to win Australia’s first athletics gold medal in the 20km walk tomorrow.
The Brisbane-based BirdSmith 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 Bird-Smith, 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 Rio Olympics 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, north of Brisbane.
“I’ve had an amazing preparation. I went to Rainbow Beach and got the heat in, the humidity in … got the cyclones in,’’ Bird-Smith said.
“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.” EMMA KEMP
A DEVASTATED Tegan Napper will take a break from weightlifting to start a family but still has unfinished business after an off day left the Gold Coast product short of a medal.
The pocket-sized geologist was considered a decent chance to go one better than in Glasgow four years ago, when she placed fourth in the 48kg class.
But Napper, who stepped up to the 53kg division for her second Games, managed only two successful lifts from six attempts at Carrara Sport and Leisure Centre yesterday, an effort good enough for eighth place.
Her snatch of 75kg and clean and jerk of 91kg, for a total of 166kg, was nowhere near Indian gold medallist Sanjita Chanu, who snatched a Games record 84kg and clean and jerked 108kg.
WEIGHTLIFTING
The 31-year-old now based in Adelaide struggled to hold back tears as she came to terms with her failed attempts to clean and jerk 94kg and 95kg in front of vocal fans wearing “Team Napper” shirts.
“I think I’m still in shock actually,” Napper said.
“I’ve been hitting those numbers very consistently in the last couple of weeks building up. It just wasn’t my day today.”
Asked what she’d do now, Napper simply said “babies” with partner and coach Rob Galsworthy. But that doesn’t mean retirement.
“I’m not quitting,” she said. “You never know. I’m not that old. I can have a baby and keep going if I want to.
“This isn’t really how I wanted to finish it so I think I’ll keep going after that.”