Melbourne, Australia – The W’s dominated the lead-up to the Great Australian Run. Sammy Wanjiru, Olympic marathon champion, World Marathon Majors champion, World record holder in the Half Marathon and Benita Willis, Australia’s only World Cross Country champion, hogged the publicity.
Surprisingly, a third ‘W’ came through on the day, Austria’s Gunther Weidlinger upstaging Wanjiru, Australia’s Collis Birmingham and the likes of Athens Olympic 2004 marathon champion Stefano Baldini and Spain’s former European 10,000 metres champion Jose Manuel Martinez to take the men’s race win.
Even more of a surprise, on reputation, if not form, was Nikki Chapple’s victory over Willis in the women’s race. Along with Birmingham, who finished second to Weidlinger, she became the Australian road champion…..Read More
