 Mottram racing at the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Australian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 18 June 1980 Frankston, Victoria, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 75 kg (165 lb; 11.8 st) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 5000 metres, 3000 metres | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal bests |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Craig Mottram (born 18 June 1980) is a former Australian long and middle-distance runner who specialised in the 5000 meter event.
Mottram was born on 18 June 1980 in Frankston, Victoria. He attended Geelong Grammar School.
At 6 feet 2 inches, Mottram is unusually tall for a distance runner. He competed in his first Olympic Games at only 20 years of age, in the 5000 metre event at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney: he did not qualify from his heat, but finished in 8th place with a respectable time of 13 minutes, 31.06 seconds. He fared better in his next Olympic competition: with four additional years of experience and athletic maturity, Mottram qualified for the final of the 5000 metre event and finished 8th with a time of 13:25.70 in Athens.
In 2005, he set a course record to win the Great Ireland Run in a third consecutive win at the competition. On 14 August 2005, he reached a career highlight, coming third in the 5000 m event at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki, running the event in 13 minutes, 32.96 seconds. He was the only non-African born runner to receive a medal in that event until Jakob Ingebrigtsen received gold in 2022.
On 9 March 2006 in Melbourne, in his final warmup event before the 2006 Commonwealth Games, Mottram took ten seconds off the 12-year-old Australian record for the 2000 metres. This distance, not often run at IAAF events, was scheduled specifically to suit Mottram's Games preparation.
On 20 March 2006 at the Commonwealth Games, Mottram came second in the 5000 m event with a time of 12 minutes, 58.19 seconds, beaten narrowly by Kenyan runner Augustine Choge. [3] This race was only the second time that this event was won in under 13 minutes at a championship competition (first one being 2003 World Athletics Championships.) [4] Mottram also ran in the 1500 m event in Melbourne on 25 March 2006, entering the competition as favourite to win. Having worked his way into third position during the race, Mottram was accidentally tripped at the 800-metre mark when English athlete Andrew Baddeley fell behind him, clipping Mottram's heel. Mottram lost 20 metres on the field due to the incident and finished in ninth position. [5]
In June 2006 Mottram set the Parkrun 5 km world record time with 14 minutes and 0 seconds at Bushy Parkrun, he held the record until 2012. [6]
He is a supporter of English Premier League club Sunderland [7] and ran in the Great North Run 2006, wearing a Sunderland shirt.
On 21 December 2006, Mottram set the record for the Tan in a time of 10:08:00. The Tan is Melbourne's most iconic running track, located around the Royal Botanic Gardens. Mottram beat the previous best time of 10:12, also his own, during a Richmond Tigers Football Club trial.
In 2007 Mottram started the year on a high, dominating "the Kenyan Hope" of Boniface Songkok at the Telstra A series in Melbourne. The race was a conservative one before Craig tore the field open with a quick 7th lap before a devastating final 400 m run in 53 seconds. At the Prefontaine Classic In Eugene (Oregon), Craig ran the 5th fastest 2-mile of all time in 8:03.50 leaving in his wake the likes Alan Webb, Tariku Bekele, Matt Tegenkemp, Dathan Ritzenhein and other American hopefuls. "It comes down to the size of your balls," Mottram said of his ability to pick up the pace and shake off his rivals in Oregon. After a good start to the season Craig suffered a hamstring strain. This affected his training for the World Championships, where he finished 11th.
2008 was an up-and-down season for Mottram. He won the Melbourne Grand Prix 5000 m and the National Championship 5000 m and 3000 m. He then competed at the 2008 Indoor Championships in Valencia, where he placed 5th in the final. He then contested the Boston Indoor Grand Prix where he won the 3000 m and broke the meet record of Haile Gebrselassie. He hit form after he won the Stockholm Grand Prix 3000 m and placed 4th in the 1 Mile. He also ran a 3:57.90-mile finishing 2nd to Bernard Lagat at the prestigious Millrose games in February 2008.
At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Mottram placed 5th in the first heat of the 5000 m in 13min 44.39sec and did not advance to the final. [8] Following this disappointment, Mottram split from coach Nick Bideau, choosing to self-coach. [9]
Due to injuries, he did not compete in the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Berlin. That year, after having run for Nike for all of his professional career, Mottram signed a contract with Adidas. He also accepted a coaching offer from Australian distance running coach Chris Wardlaw, who has coached marathon runner Steve Moneghetti among others. [10]
In late November 2009 Craig Mottram made a return from his 12-month absence from racing, clocking 13 minutes and 23 seconds in the opening 5 km leg of the Chiba Ekiden Relay in Japan. This performance put his Australian team in first place, before they dropped to 7th. His time of 13:23 was just outside the event record.
In the 2010 season he won the Great Yorkshire Run in Sheffield, beating home favourite Chris Thompson to the line by just one second. [11] He beat Chris Thompson again on 18 September 2010 by one second in a close finish at the Great North City Games 2-mile event in 8.31. [12]
In August 2012 Craig Mottram competed in the London Olympics 5000m for Australia. He was the fastest Australian at those Olympics, with a 13.40, but was unable to make it into the final. [13]
Meseret Defar Tola is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes chiefly in the 3,000 metres and 5,000 metres events. She has won medals at top-tier international competitions including Olympic and World Championship gold medals over 5,000 metres. She broke the world record in the event in 2006, broke it again in 2007 and held it until 2008, when fellow Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba beat her time.
Sonia O'Sullivan is an Irish former track and field athlete. She won a gold medal in the 5000 metres at the 1995 World Championships, and a silver medal in the 5000 metres at the 2000 Olympic Games. Her 2000 m world record of 5:25.36, set in 1994 stood until 2017.
Saif Saaeed Shaheen, formerly Stephen Cherono, is a steeplechase runner. He was born in Keiyo, Kenya but now he represents Qatar. He was, for 19 years, the world record holder for 3000 metre steeplechase. He is a two time World Champion in the event. His older brother Abraham Cherono is also a steeplechase runner.
Augustine Kiprono Choge is a Kenyan middle distance and long distance runner.
Moses Ndiema Kipsiro is a Ugandan long-distance runner who specialises in the 5000 metres. He was the bronze medallist in the event at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics. He represented Uganda at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, coming fourth over 5000 m.
Andrew James Baddeley is an English middle-distance runner.
Günther Weidlinger is an Austrian long-distance runner who is a former 3000 metres steeplechase specialist but now competes in the marathon.
Tariku Bekele Beyecha is an Ethiopian professional long-distance runner, who specializes in the 5,000 metres and has moved up to 10.000 metres as well. He is the younger brother of Kenenisa Bekele, who is also an accomplished long-distance runner and a former world record holder in both the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres. Tariku is the fourth fastest Ethiopian ever over 5,000 m and 3,000 metres. His indoor 3,000 m best of 7:31.09 ranks him as the ninth fastest of all-time in the event. He was the 10,000 m bronze medallist at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Bushy Parkrun is a running event that takes place every Saturday morning at 9am in Bushy Park, Teddington, London. It was the very first Parkrun, founded by Paul Sinton-Hewitt in October 2004 under its original name Bushy Park Time Trial. The event has become a pilgrimage for Parkrunners, attracting entrants from across the globe. It is entirely managed by volunteers and is free to enter. The course is 5km in length with a terrain that is mostly footpaths and grass. The run holds the UK record number of entrants with 2,545 people on Christmas Day 2019. There have been numerous notable participants including the former men's Parkrun record holder Andrew Baddeley, and double Olympic 5 km gold medallist Mo Farah.
Trevor Anthony Vincent, is a former Australian long-distance runner, specialising in the 3000 metres steeplechase. In 1962 he competed for his native country at the Commonwealth Games in Perth, Western Australia, winning the gold medal in the 3000m steeplechase event, setting an inaugural Commonwealth Games record and breaking his own Australian record. He also competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan in the 3000 metres steeplechase event.
Christopher Thompson is a British long-distance runner, who won the silver medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2010 European Athletics Championships in Barcelona, on 27 July 2010 behind his compatriot Mo Farah. Prior to his 2010 medal win he had won the European U23 5000 m Championship in 2003. However he was initially unable to build on this victory, as he had substantial injury problems for a number of years. He is currently coached by Alan Storey.
Ryan Gregory Gregson is an Australian middle-distance runner. He formerly held the Australian record for the men's 1500 metres now held by Stewart McSweyn.
Collis Birmingham is an Australian middle- and long distance runner. He is a two-time participant at the Summer Olympics and four-times at the World Championships in Athletics. He has competed at five editions of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. He was an Australian and Oceanian 10,000 metres record holder from 2009 to 2011.
Annette Sergent is a French former long-distance runner. She represented her country three times at the Summer Olympics, but it was in cross country running that she had her greatest success. She became the first Frenchwoman to win a world title in the sport at the 1987 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and won for a second time in 1989. In addition to these victories, she made eleven appearances at the competition and placed third in both 1986 and 1988.
Eilish McColgan is a Scottish middle- and long-distance runner. She is the 2022 Commonwealth Games 10,000 metres champion with the Games record, and 5000 metres silver medallist. McColgan is a four-time European Championships medallist, winning silver medals for the 5000 m in 2018 and 10,000 m in 2022, bronze in the 5000 m in 2022, and a bronze for the indoor 3000 metres in 2017. She is the European record holder for the 10 km road race, and the British record holder for the 5000 m, 10,000 m, 5 km and half marathon. She also holds the European best in the 10 miles on the roads.
Yomif Kejelcha Atomsa is an Ethiopian distance runner. He won the silver medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2019 World Athletics Championships and gold medals for the 3000 metres at the 2016 and 2018 World Indoor Championships. Kejelcha is the world indoor record holder for the mile with a time of 3:47.01, set on 3 March 2019 in Boston.
Andrew Butchart is a British runner who competed in the 5000 metres event at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics. He is the current Scottish record holder in the 3000, 5000 and 10,000 metre events. In June 2023, he broke the parkrun “world-record”.
Stewart McSweyn is an Australian long-distance runner. He was a finalist in the men's 1500 metres in the Tokyo Olympics, and has also been a World Championships and Commonwealth Games finalist in the 3000 metres steeplechase, 5000 metres and 10,000 metres.
Melissa Courtney-Bryant is a British middle- and long-distance runner. She won the bronze medal in the 1500 metres at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and bronze for the 3000 metres at the 2019 and 2023 European Indoor Championships.
Berihu Aregawi is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He placed fourth in the 10,000 metres at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Aregawi won the silver medal for the men's race at the 2023 World Cross Country Championships. He is the world record holder for the 5 kilometres road race, set on 31 December 2021 in Barcelona.
Australian athletes at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |  | ||
