Brett Robinson didn’t inform anybody that he was going for Rob de Castella’s 36-year-old Australian marathon file on the Fukuoka Worldwide Marathon in Japan on Sunday.
The 31-year-old from Melbourne lastly achieved his aim too, taking 20 seconds off sporting legend de Castella’s file, working 2:07.31, a private greatest by greater than two minutes, and he’ll go down in historical past because the quickest Australian man over 42.2km.
Then, on a banner day for Australian athletics, in Valencia, Spain, Tokyo Olympian and Commonwealth Video games consultant Sinead Diver shattered the Australian ladies’s marathon file by a couple of minute.
Irish-born Diver beat her private greatest by greater than three minutes to eclipse Benita Willis’ longstanding 16-year-old file, clocking 2:21.34 to make it a historic day for Australian marathon runners.
“I’ve needed this for thus lengthy and I wasn’t positive if I used to be ok to get it. I’ve had a couple of goes at it now, this was my third crack at it, and each time I line up, it takes rather a lot,” Diver mentioned.
“Issues have to actually fall into place, so I’m past delighted that it’s occurred.
“Benita (Willis) is Australia’s greatest runner of all time, so it’s an honour to now have this file. I couldn’t be prouder immediately.”
Robinson mentioned Australian athletes had been “smashing data in the mean time”and he needed a bit of the motion, setting his file as he ran fourth in a discipline of 36 runners.
“It’s such a terrific feeling. I’ve gone for this file a couple of occasions now, and it’s humorous – I at all times speak about going for it earlier than a race, however I didn’t point out it to anybody this time round. I went about my very own enterprise and I lastly acquired it. I knew I used to be able to it,” Robinson mentioned.
“The present crop of Australian athletes are smashing data in the mean time, and this was one of many final lengthy standing ones for us to tick off, so it means rather a lot to me to lastly get this immediately.”
Olympic legend and marathon nice Steve Moneghetti mentioned Robinson’s run highlights the present power of Australian distance working.
“It’s simply so thrilling to have Australian distance working taken to this subsequent stage. Brett’s had lots of bodily points in working marathons, so it is a testomony to his expertise and his resilience in overcoming all of it,” Moneghetti mentioned.
“It’s not a shock that he’s damaged the file as a result of his development has proven he has been able to doing this, however that is simply terrific. To be so aggressive with a fourth-place end exhibits what he can do on the world stage too.”
Diver mentioned she was impressed by Robinson, though earlier than her race she didn’t know whether or not he’d carried out what he got down to do.
“It’s actually particular to get this file on the identical day as Brett,” Diver mentioned.
“He has been focusing on it for some time. I truly didn’t know if I needed to know if he acquired it once I awoke this morning, so I didn’t have a look at my social media or something, however as we had been strolling over to the beginning line, somebody requested if I had heard about his file, and I acquired a rush of pleasure. I used to be so joyful to understand it earlier than I began working.”
Australia’s all-time high 10 – males’s marathon:
1. Brett Robinson, 2:07.31 – Fukuoka, Japan (4.12.2022)
2. Rob de Castella, 2:07.51 – Boston, USA (21.4.1986)
3. Steve Moneghetti, 2:08.16 – Berlin, Germany (30.9.1990)
4. Derek Clayton, 2:08.33.6 – Antwerp, Belgium (30.5.1969)
5. Pat Carroll, 2:09.39 – Beppu-Oita, Japan (5.2.1995)
Australia’s all-time high 10 – ladies’s marathon
1. Sinead Diver, 2:21.34 – Valencia, Spain (4.12.22)
2. Benita Willis, 2:22.36 – Chicago, USA (22.10.06)
3. Lisa Ondieki, 2:23.51 – Osaka, Japan (31.1.88)
4. Lisa Weightman, 2:24.00 – Berlin, Germany (25.9.22)
5. Eloise Wellings, 2:25.10 – Nagoya, Japan (13.3.22)
