Olympic champion Jared Tallent believes he’s competing in the ‘cleanest’ race of his career
OLYMPIC champion Jared Tallent believes he will be competing in the “cleanest” race of his career when he defends his 50km title in Rio.
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OLYMPIC champion Jared Tallent believes he will be competing in the “cleanest” race of his career when he defends his 50km title in Rio.
The Australian team captain has led the way in the fight against doping after being robbed in London four years ago.
With Russia banished and Italian Alex Schwazer, also suspended, Tallent is a lot more confident he will finally be competing on an even playing field.
“It’s going to be the cleanest Olympics in a long time,” he said. “Probably going back decades because unfortunately the Russians were always suspected of doping and have been doping.
“And they’ve been there for a long time, they’ve been the main culprits in our sport so it will be a good day for the event, for the athletes.
“A lot of the top guys will think they have got a chance for a medal whereas in the past when you had the three Russians there you always thought it was going to be pretty tough to get a medal.
“With them out it opens up the race a lot more.”
Tallent is looking forward to getting on the start line as the defending champion after retrospectively being awarded the gold medal when Russia’s Sergey Kirdyapkin had it stripped for doping.
“It’s given me a lot of confidence and it will be amazing to stand on the start line when they announce the athletes as defending champion,” he said.
“I want to walk that last 100 metres of the race and cross that line first and know that I am the Olympic champion. It was something that was taken away in London so this is the perfect opportunity to try to rectify that and get back what I missed out on four years ago.”
Tallent has been forced to pull out of the 20km event because of a hamstring niggle he picked up while training in St Mortiz.
He says it’s more of a precaution as his main goal all along has been to defend his crown in the longer event on August 19.
“I just have a little niggle in the hamstring, its nothing serious or anything, I just don’t want to risk it,” Tallent said.
“It’s just a precaution. I don’t want to risk with the main aim being the 50km.
“Having a hard race for the 20km might distress the injury a little bit so I’ve decided just to keep it all safe and focus on the main game.”
The 31-year-old, who is also coaching his sister Rachel at the Games, wants to create history by getting on the podium at a third Olympics.
“I really think I will be a chance and for me this is my third Games and if I can win a third medal again I can create a bit of history,” Tallent said.
“I’ll be the first (Australian) track and field athlete to medal at three Games so that is a big aim of mine, to defend that title.”
Tallent won bronze in the 20km at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and then claimed silver in the 50km before being awarded gold in the 50km from London 2012.
He also claimed the silver medal at last year’s world championships in Beijing while he was defeated by Schwazer at this year’s World Cup before the Italian was again suspended for doping.
The Ballarat-born walker is still motivated by the hurt suffered at the 2009 world championships in Berlin where he failed to medal.
“I have won a medal at every major championships since 2010 so I want to keep that ball rolling, I just want to keep winning those medals every year,” he said.
“I definitely don’t want this year to be the first year I don’t win a medal so that’s my inspiration, just to keep that up.
“In 2009, that is the only year I haven’t won a medal in a major and that was the worlds in Berlin. I was absolutely devastated that year, it hurt a lot and I don’t want to have that feeling again.
“If I can keep this up until I retire I will be a very happy athlete.”
Originally published as Olympic champion Jared Tallent believes he’s competing in the ‘cleanest’ race of his career
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