Stewart McSweyn claimed his second Australian title for the season, taking out the 5000m Championships and gaining his second auto nomination for the Tokyo Olympics.
With the pace slow early, Stewart broke away from the pack 7 laps out with Sam McEntee (WA) hot on his heels. Stewart finished in 13:38.77 after running the last 2000m in 5:03, with training buddy Matthew Ramsden (WA) outsprinting McEntee to steal second place. Having already produced an Olympic qualifying time in July last year, tonight’s win has given Stewart his second auto nomination for Tokyo, securing his first when winning the 10000m Championships in December. Nick Earl competed in the second of the Melbourne Track Classic 5000m events finishing in an impressive 14:27.35.
And for the trivia lovers – Sam McEntee raced in Hobart in the Briggs Athletics Classic 5000m in 2016, which was Stewart first run for our club. Sam took the chocolates that night in 13:42 with Stewart second in 13:45.