Weightman, Trengove chase marathon gold
Lisa Weightman and Jess Trengove will aim to emulate the team tactics so beloved of the Kenyans as they bid to wrest marathon supremacy back from the east African powerhouse at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Weightman and Trengove were among an initial group of 14 Australian athletes named on Wednesday on a Games track and field squad which is expected to eventually number 111, including 23 para-athletes.
Weightman, 39, won bronze behind a pair of Kenyans at the 2010 Games in Delhi and is running faster than ever, three years after the birth of son Pete.
Trengove emulated that third-placed effort four years ago in Glasgow and boasts two top-12 finishes at world championships.
Their best chance of snaring top spot on the podium on the Gold Coast in April could well come from helping each other, along with less-celebrated countrywoman Virginia Moloney.
"I imagine it would be wise to speak beforehand, just to feel as if we are working as a team taking on the rest of the Commonwealth," Trengove said.
"That is certainly how I get the most out of myself.
" ... with the Kenyans, you see them before races and they are huddling and chatting about something.
"We had better do something the same, even if we're just asking asking each other what we had for breakfast."
Weightman said she and Trengove benefited from the team approach at the 2017 London marathon, when they combined in the early stages with a group of American runners and were rewarded with personal bests and top 10 finishes.
"If we all get to take care of each other out there it's going to make it a much more pleasant experience," Weightman, whose 2016 Rio Olympics marathon was cruelled by a sinus infection, said.
Kenyan runners have finished one-two in the past two Commonwealth women's marathons, with Australia's last triumph coming courtesy of the late Kerryn McCann in Melbourne in 2006.
"The Kenyans are always going to be good and they're always going to have their tactics and their race plans," Weightman said.
"Generally they will always work together so you've got to be prepared for everything."
In other team news, Patrick Tiernan will join national champion Stuart McSweyn in the 10,000m.
MEN
10,000m: Stuart McSweyn, Patrick Tiernan
Marathon: Michael Shelley, Liam Adams, Chris Hamer
T38 100m: Evan O'Hanlon
T38 long jump: Erin Cleaver
F38 shot put: Cameron Crombie
WOMEN
10,000m: Celia Sullohern
Marathon: Lisa Weightman, Jess Trengove, Virginia Moloney
T35 100m: Isis Holt
T54 1500m: Madison DeRozario
