Gun Australian middle-distance runner Ollie Hoare admits to worrying about falling short of national selection – but “in a healthy way”.
The US-based athlete is competing in an era in which the depth in men’s Australian middle-distance running is the strongest it’s been in decades, making for fierce competition in the fight for spots on Olympic, Commonwealth and other national teams.
Hoare conquered the challenge when he booked his ticket for the 1500m at this year’s World Athletics indoor championships, set to be held from March 18-20 in the Serbian capital of Belgrade.
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But the intense competition posed by the likes of Stewart McSweyn, Ryan Gregson, Jye Edwards, Matthew Ramsden, Rorey Hunter and Jordan Williamsz will keep the pressure on Hoare for many years to come.
“I think they would worry about (missing out on national teams), too, but that’s part of our sport,” Hoare told Wide World of Sports.
“It’s very competitive, it’s very individual.
“When you go out there and compete in track and field you’re pretty much on your own and you take responsibility for your performances.
“With the amount of talent and the amount of success we have, with Matt, Jye, Ryan Gregson, Stewy and a lot of other guys coming through right now, you definitely have to have that weight of responsibility of, ‘OK, I’ve got to compete, do the best that I can to show that I can be the best individual to represent my country’.”
Hoare, McSweyn and Edwards won the three available spots on the Australian Tokyo Olympic 1500m team.
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The fact that Gregson – who’d held the Australian 1500m record for 10 years and reached the 1500m final of the 2016 Rio Olympics – was shut out from the team points to the extraordinary depth.
As many as two Australians will be eligible for each individual track event at this year’s World Athletics outdoor championships, while as many as three spots will be up for the taking in those events at the Commonwealth Games.
“I was able to produce great results leading up to Tokyo and make the Olympic team,” said Hoare, who along with McSweyn advanced to the 1500m final.
“But that doesn’t guarantee you a spot on the team in the future.
“So, for me it’s about proving that I can still be a part of that team in the years to come.
“I’ll be coming home for the (Australian) trials (for the 2024 Paris Olympics), and it’ll be great to compete against the other guys and push for those spots.
“We make each other better, and hopefully we can push some dominance towards Australia’s end.”
When Gregson progressed to the 1500m final at the 2016 Olympics, he became the first Australian man to qualify for an Olympic final over that distance since Graham Crouch at the Montreal Games of 1976.
When Peter Bol powered through to the 800m final at the Tokyo Olympics, he became the first Australian man to make an Olympic decider in that event since Ralph Doubell won gold at the 1968 Mexico City Games.
But the notable emergence of Hoare, McSweyn, Edwards and their 1500m rivals, as well as the promising state of 800m running led by Bol and Joseph Deng, could mean Australians are finally set to thrive in middle-distance events.
“It’s going to take a lot more experience and a lot more time to produce those results and those medals … but we have the tools there,” Hoare said.
“Hopefully in the coming years we can be more competitive and have experience and be more seasoned.
“It’s such a competitive sport where you have nearly every country in the world being able to participate in athletics.
“To be able to be up there making finals and competing for medals is something that I definitely see in the future; if not me, Stewy or some of the others.
“It’ll be pretty cool to see how we go in the coming years.”
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