Milly Clark is Australia’s new rising star of the marathon
MILLY Clark was competing in her first Olympics, and just the second marathon of her life. She didn’t win gold, but the Aussie put together a performance to remember.
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MILLY Clark had a gold medal performance in her mind as she stood on the start line for her Olympic debut.
While there was a lot of unknown about what was going to happen in the next two-and-a-half hours given it was just the second marathon of her life, the 27-year-old decided a top 20 result would be her Rio gold.
It won’t go down in the official records but as far as Clark is concerned she is a gold medallist after finishing 18th, clocking 2hr30min53sec.
“Before I came over I did set a goal,” she said. “I usually make like gold, silver and bronze goals and gold was to come top 20 and that would be the most amazing thing, silver would be top 25 and then bronze.
“So at my first Olympics, top 20 it hasn’t sunk in yet. I think it will when I see my family and coach and go back through the results and go, ‘Hey, that’s me’.
“It’s a bit weird but it was good to be out there I finally feel like I found an event I belong in.”
Adelaide’s Jess Trengove was the next Australian home in 22nd (2:31.44 sec) while Lisa Weightman was knocked around in the final stages with dehydration issues, fading to finish 31st (2:34.41 sec).
Kenya’s Jemima Sumgong took the gold medal (2:24.04 sec) from Bahrain’s Kenyan-born Eunice Kirwa while Ethiopia’s Mare Dibaba claimed the bronze.
Clark, who lives in Sydney, has been around athletics for a while but had been searching for the right event — she was a national steeplechase champion in 2012 — before eventually turning to the marathon last year and qualifying for the Olympics at her first attempt in Amsterdam.
The reason for her reluctance to embrace the 42.195km event?
“To be honest I think I am just scared,” Clark said. “I was still scared before this one, it is really scary at the end of the day as 42ks is a long way.
“I took my time as I was always a bit afraid of it. My coach suggested it a couple of years ago and I was like, ‘Alright lets give it a go’, as I have tried everything else.
“Six years ago I thought I was a 400m hurdler and now here we are.
“It’s a bit weird. I found every race I was finishing I would cross the line and feel like I could keep going so I slowly moved up and we are here now.”
There is Olympic bloodlines in the family with her aunty, Liz Jack, competing at the 1976 Montreal Olympics as a diver while her mother, Margaret, represented Australia in gymnastics at world championships and the 1978 Edmonton Commonwealth Games.
“I am so proud to wear the name Clark and carry that around and hear people yelling Clark in the crowd and to know that my aunt and my mum have been here before me,” she said.
“My mum was here today, my aunt was watching on TV and I definitely thought about them in the race. I’m really proud and hope they are proud.”
Clark said she benefited from the Australian trio running as a team for a majority of the race before she took off on her own over the final seven kilometres.
“It was awesome and I can’t express how much I value them, not only in the race but the lead-up,” she said.
“To talk to Lisa as this is her third Olympics and her 10th marathon, and talk to Jess who was doing her sixth ... they just helped keep me calm.”
Trengove was pleased to improve on her 38th from the London Olympics particularly after a tough year where she’d battled a foot injury.
“I’m really pleased with it actually,” she said. “There were times when I could have stuck to my pace and instead I pushed on and tried to break away.
“I felt like I gave myself every chance to put myself up in the mix.
“I would have loved to have run a PB and I was a bit surprised at the halfway mark that it was a bit slower than I thought it would be.
“Mentally I really toughed it out and it was a big improvement on my 39th in London.”
Weightman, 37, was taken away for medical attention after succumbing to the hot conditions.
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