- Nov 24, 2007
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Testing times for Dons
03 December 2007 Herald Sun
Gareth Trickey
ESSENDON ventured into enemy territory yesterday for the Ron Clarke Classic athletics meeting at Geelong. Speedsters Heath Hocking, Bachar Houli and Brent Stanton led the charge in the 3km teams' event, but it was the boys from the Ocean Grove Football Club who took home the Jack Clarke Trophy for the fastest team. Essendon finished a close second with Houli first across the line for the Dons, followed by Stanton and Hocking. Henry Slattery and Angus Monfries also competed.
Hocking, who won the club's pre-season time-trial, said he was disappointed Essendon was unable to defend the trophy it won last year. "I reckon Brent Stanton got a bit of a lift from getting (James) Hird's No. 5 jumper the other day," Hocking said. "We all ran pretty solidly and we all finished within 20 seconds of one another which is good." The star of the meeting was American sprinter John Woods, who could soon be competing for Australia.
Woods, who moved to Canberra in July and has a 100m personal best of 10.16sec, won the 100m in 10.52 ahead of Nigerian Commonwealth Games representative Anthony Alozie and then claimed the 200m in 21.72sec. Athletics Australia chief executive Danny Corcoran said Woods, 25, had told him he wanted to become an Australian citizen. "If he then gets a passport and he's not blocked (by US Track and Field), he could be eligible next year," Corcoran said. Woods, a stockbroker, said: "I'm not currently a permanent resident but my intentions are to make a new home here. It would be easier (to run for Australia rather than the US) but it's not necessarily about finding a shortcut to the Olympics or anything like that."
03 December 2007 Herald Sun
Gareth Trickey
ESSENDON ventured into enemy territory yesterday for the Ron Clarke Classic athletics meeting at Geelong. Speedsters Heath Hocking, Bachar Houli and Brent Stanton led the charge in the 3km teams' event, but it was the boys from the Ocean Grove Football Club who took home the Jack Clarke Trophy for the fastest team. Essendon finished a close second with Houli first across the line for the Dons, followed by Stanton and Hocking. Henry Slattery and Angus Monfries also competed.
Hocking, who won the club's pre-season time-trial, said he was disappointed Essendon was unable to defend the trophy it won last year. "I reckon Brent Stanton got a bit of a lift from getting (James) Hird's No. 5 jumper the other day," Hocking said. "We all ran pretty solidly and we all finished within 20 seconds of one another which is good." The star of the meeting was American sprinter John Woods, who could soon be competing for Australia.
Woods, who moved to Canberra in July and has a 100m personal best of 10.16sec, won the 100m in 10.52 ahead of Nigerian Commonwealth Games representative Anthony Alozie and then claimed the 200m in 21.72sec. Athletics Australia chief executive Danny Corcoran said Woods, 25, had told him he wanted to become an Australian citizen. "If he then gets a passport and he's not blocked (by US Track and Field), he could be eligible next year," Corcoran said. Woods, a stockbroker, said: "I'm not currently a permanent resident but my intentions are to make a new home here. It would be easier (to run for Australia rather than the US) but it's not necessarily about finding a shortcut to the Olympics or anything like that."