Rio Olympian Alex Hartmann says best is yet to come ahead of Commonwealth Games trials
COMMONWEALTH Games sprint hopeful Alex Hartmann insists his best is yet to come as he prepares for his date with destiny on the Gold Coast this month.
COMMONWEALTH Games sprint hopeful Alex Hartmann insists his best is yet to come after fighting back from a Rio Olympics hangover in 2017.
Having risen to prominence in qualifying for the 200m in Rio, the Boondall 24-year-old is now less than two weeks away from learning his Commonwealth Games fate.
He will run the 100m and 200m at the Queensland Championships this weekend, before his date with destiny at the national trials on the Gold Coast a week later.
The former Boondall State School and Aspley High student continues to chase the personal best times — 10.29 for the 100m and 20.45 for the 200m — he set in 2016, conceding last year was hampered by physical and mental hurdles following his Olympics campaign.
Hurdles, he says, are now a thing of the past.
“I’m extremely confident that I will (qualify for the Commonwealth Games),” he said.
“I think after Rio there was the amazing high of the Olympics and you have all these hopes and expectations and not meeting those sort of crushes you a bit. I think that’s what 2017 was, it was a little bit of a let-down and mentally I struggled a bit.
“I’m in a good mental space now and definitely moving in the right direction. Everything’s been going really well, racing’s been amazing. I’ve taken it to another level.
“I’m 25 this year and I think most sprinters physically peak in their late 20s. The body is holding together really well and I think with my coach (Travis Venema) and the things we’ve been working on, the best is definitely yet to come.”
Hartmann said his primary focus was the 200m, but was also confident of earning a spot on the 4x100m relay team.
He can book his 200m spot by running the A qualifying time of 20.44, or win the national title and run the B qualifying time of 20.64.
Originally published as Rio Olympian Alex Hartmann says best is yet to come ahead of Commonwealth Games trials
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