Graham Croker
Sydney University middle-distance runner Lachlan Renshaw reclaimed the national 800m title when he outpaced a classy field at the 2010 Australian Athletics Championships in Perth on Saturday.
The Bachelor of Engineering/Commerce student and Sydney University Sports Scholarship holder ran 1:46.66 to take the title ahead of arch rivals James Kaan (1:47.04) and James Gurr (1:47.16).
The time was outside Renshaw’s personal best of 1:45.79, but guarantees him a berth in the Australian Commonwealth Games team for New Delhi later this year.
Renshaw won the national title in 2008, the year he ran his personal best to book a berth on the Australian team for the Beijing Olympic Games. He ran second to four-time champion Nick Bromley in the national title last year but hit his straps again this season when he broke a 33-year-old Australian record for the 600m with a time of 1:15.14 before taking out the 2010 NSW 800m title at Homebush, where he ran 1:51.47 to edge out Kaan and Gurr.
Renshaw just missed out on selection for the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games but made amends when he made the Olympic team. He ran sixth in his heat at Beijing and topped off the 2008 season with a fifth place at the World University Games.
In other results at the Australian Championships, Sydney University’s Justin Merlino ran fifth in the final of the 110m hurdle in 14.02sec.
Gary Ayers won the event on 13.82sec, ahead of Daniel Small (13.90), Daniel Martin (13.91) and Yutaro Furukawa of Japan (13.99).
