Beijing bound
Wednesday 14 May, 2008 12:00pm
BEFORE Jana Rawlinson goes for gold at the Beijing Olympics, Strathfield athlete Laura Cornford will give the track at the Beijing Olympic Stadium a test run.
Other rising stars Richard Haggie, Brett Jovanovich and Tristan Garrett, along with 20 other NSW Institute of Sport future stars, will compete at a four-day test event from May 22-24.
The NSW Institute of Sport, based at Sydney Olympic Park, has organised a tour for developing athletes from the Emerging Athlete Program (EAP), NSWIS Scholarship holders and NSW under-23 athletes.
Cornford will contest the javelin and a repeat of her season's best throw of 57.37m will see her among the medal winners.
Former world junior representative Tristan Garrett will run the 400m, and will be returning to a city he competed in two years ago.
Ryde sprinters Brett Jovanovich and Richard Haggie will race in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.
Both have completed impressive summer seasons.
Jovanovich clocked a very fast 10.63sec with a slight wind assistance in the 100m sprint at the Australian under-23 championships where he placed fifth. Haggie claimed the NSW under-23 title is a very swift 21.68sec in the 200m dash.
Accompanying the team as relay coach will be hard-working UTS Northern Suburbs club official Ron Bendall.
The Olympic Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest, is the showcase venue of the Beijing Olympics and is the last venue to open. It will seat 91,000 and host the opening and closing ceremonies, track and field events and the football finals.
