Athletics: World champions limber up for titles

Melissa Moon has already tasted victory on the Mt Victoria course, winning the national title in May.

World mountain running champions Jonathan Wyatt and Melissa Moon will be seeking the world titles again on their home course in Wellington tomorrow.

Wyatt has arrived from his base in Austria to tackle the up-and-down hill circuit of Mt Victoria in an attempt to retain his title and become the first athlete in the 20-year history of the world championship to win it in consecutive years.

The 32-year-old sees it as a real challenge, as each of Wyatt's four world crowns have been won on his specialty uphill-only courses.

"I have never won on an up-and-down course. The best I have done on this type of course was seventh in Borneo in 1999," said Wyatt.

He sees the Italians as the toughest opponents over the 13.5km, which takes in three circuits of Mt Victoria.

"The Italians are always strong. Marco Gaiardo and Emanuele Manzi are very good on this type of course, and I have had some great battles with Antonio Molinari."

Virtually straight off a plane from Austria last Sunday, Wyatt showed he is in top form with a convincing uphill victory in a local race in Wellington.

"That was good, and blew away the cobwebs," he said.

The New Zealand mountain running champion, Phil Costley, is also expected to finish in a high placing.

"Training has gone well. Uphill is my strength, and the aim is to get a bit of a lead on the uphill, as I can't compete with some of the Europeans on the downhill.

"Going into the last lap it will be a case of building up a lead on the uphill to hold out the fast guys in the run to the finish."

Interest will also focus on Dale Warrander in his debut for New Zealand in a mountain race. Warrander will team well with the rest of the New Zealanders in their bid for a high placing in the team competition.

Moon says it has been a bit of a rollercoaster for her leading up to the race over Mt Victoria.

"I had a terrible bout of flu, then an ankle injury after the Australian crosscountry champs. It has healed in the nick of time."

Moon said that when she won the title for the first time, it was amazing. "When I won it a second time it was a lovely bonus."

Moon, 36, says that from past experience no one athlete stands out from the rest going into a world championship.

"The courses vary so much, there are so many variables. You get to know which course will be absolutely perfect for a particular athlete in that it plays to their strengths like no other course."

Wellington's other New Zealand representative, Kate McIlroy, has had an outstanding build-up to the world championship, winning the New Zealand short and long course crosscountry titles with ease.

"I'm pleased with the way training has gone, I'm looking forward to racing now. I'm just hanging out," said McIlroy.

"I definitely have gained confidence from the winter racing, so I hope to use it to my advantage, and that the good season continues."

The strength that Moon and McIlroy carry over the top Europeans going into the championship, over 9.1km, is local knowledge, having raced and regularly trained over the course.

Up to six athletes are likely to press Moon and McIlroy hard for the title, including Angela Mudge, the 2000 champion from Scotland who was second to Moon in 2003, Andrea Mayr of Austria, the European champion and third last year, and Anna Pichrtova of the Czech Republic, European champion last year and second in the world championship last year and in 2001.

It is only the second time in 21 years that the championships have been held in the Southern Hemisphere, and it is the second world athletic championship event to be held in New Zealand.

In 1988 the world crosscountry championships were held in Auckland.

More than 30 countries will be represented in Wellington tomorrow.