The stars were out last week at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix – the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold track and field meet.
King Island son Stewart McSweyn shone with a new personal best of 12:56.07 in the 5000m, well under the entry standard for the Paris Olympics.
The race was a clash of global gold medallists. Eleven men registered sub-13- minute times. In the ‘Olympic A’ 5,000 metre section.
Ethiopian Selemon Barega, winner of the 10,000m title at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, stood on the podium after clocking a time of 12.51.60.
Fellow Ethiopian Berihu Aregawi, the world record-holder in the 5km road race finished second behind Barega in 12:52.09.
Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, the reigning Olympic gold medallist in the 5000m, a three-time World Athletics Championships winner in the 10,000 and the world recordholder in both events, took third in 12:52.38.
Jacob Kiplimo, two-time gold medallist for Uganda at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships, finished fourth in 12:52.91.
Stewart’s time improved his Tasmanian record (previously 12:56.50) placing him number 2 on the all-time Australian 5000m list and closer to Craig Mottram’s Australian/Oceania record of 12:55.76.
Stewy’s splits 2:35.93 – 5:11.45 – 7:47.85 – 10:25.82 – 12:56.07. The 2024 Olympic Games will take place in Paris from July 26 to August 11.
The track & field portion of the competition will start on August 1 and finish on August 11.
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