Viking duo is eyeing Games

IF everything goes to plan for Vikings athletics coach Brett Robinson, the Tokyo Olympics 4x400m relay will see two of his pupils pass the baton between each other.

Robinson’s 400m squad has been slowly growing in reputation, especially due to the international exploits of teenager Ellie Beer, and has now attracted an Olympian to the Gold Coast.

Jessica Thornton, who has been based in Sydney since representing Australia at the 2016 Olympics, has joined the Vikings squad, with high hopes of enhancing her Tokyo 2020 chances.

Robinson has been remotely coaching the 2014 400m Youth Olympic Champion for three months but welcomed Thornton to the Coast last Friday following the easing of border restrictions.

“I am good friends with her former coach and we have a proven formula with 400m and are comfortable we can get it right, and I think Jessica was chasing someone to be really direct with her about what she’s doing wrong and right,” Robinson said.

“We were both had some reservations initially about how remote coaching would work but we’ve been communicating most days and doing Zoom calls and she’s been sending me videos an emails so she can operate at the level she needs to be.”

Thornton has spent the past few weeks in a moon boot due to a broken foot but like many, the 22-year-old has benefited from the cancellation of national titles and the postponement of the Olympics until next year.

Robinson said that, as a two-time open women’s beach sprint champion, Thornton had fit right into his multi-talented squad.

“She fits our model really well, as she’s not just a track sprinter,” he said.

“It’s like she’s popped out of the same mould and she’s bonded and connected with the group straight away.

“The group has gone to another level this week and their desire to be competitive with her has seen all the girls lift to try and compete with her at training.”

And rather than Thornton competing directly with Beer for an Olympic spot, Robinson believes the two have the potential to head to Tokyo together.

“The dream is they hand the baton to each other in the relay,” he said.