John Steffensen returned to the winners’ list on Saturday night but the 400m specialist knows he still has plenty of work ahead to qualify for the London Olympics.
In his first competitive hit-out since last July, Steffensen upset race favourite Ben Offereins at the Perth Track Classic on Saturday night.
Although the time of 46.11sec was well short of the 45.25 Olympic qualifying mark, Steffensen was thrilled with the win.
The 29-year-old has finally patched up his differences with Athletics Australia and praised chief executive Dallas O’Brien and high performance manager Eric Hollingsworth for their support.
“Dallas and Eric are the first two people in the federation ever (who were) there when I asked for something, and listened,” Steffensen said.
“We conversed and we’ve come up with a great plan. The proof is in the pudding.
“So I was very happy to share (the win) with Dallas and Eric, as well as my immediate team – coach, physio, weight trainer, nutritionist and dad.”
Steffensen, who won a silver medal in the 400m relay at the Athens Olympics, said his decision to set up a training base in Los Angeles was paying dividends.
“It’s a very costly experience, but it’s what’s needed to be the best,” Steffensen said.
“You can’t take short cuts in an Olympic year, so we’re definitely not doing that. You have to run fast.”
Offereins (46.49) was shattered by his third-place finish behind runner-up Steve Solomon (46.26).
Steffensen wasn’t the only one to make a statement at the Perth Track Classic, with Alana Boyd setting a new Australian outdoor record of 4.66m in the women’s pole vault.
Boyd bettered Kym Howe’s previous outdoor record of 4.65m.
But the 27-year-old, who failed on all three attempts to clear 4.75m, is desperate to break Howe’s overall Australian record of 4.72m – set indoors.
“The Australian record is there, I know it,” Boyd said.
“I think that’s why I was so frustrated because I know it’s there.
“I just have to go back and have some more jumps this week, and work on my jumps technically. Hopefully it will happen.”
The biggest name of the meet – Sally Pearson – soared to predictable wins in the 100m flat (11.28sec) and 100m hurdles.
But the 25-year-old wasn’t totally fluent in the hurdles, almost tripping up on the sixth barrier before posting a time of 12.86sec, a tad short of the 12.70sec she was hoping for.
The 2011 IAAF world athlete of the year admitted after the race her expectations might have been a tad high given it was her first appearance in her pet event since last September’s Diamond League final in Brussels.
“I think I was running too fast, I couldn’t get my strides,” Pearson said.
“I wanted to come down here tonight and give everyone a show, but I did my best.
“I have Sydney next week so it’s good to get one race down.”
The Track Classic Sydney is on Saturday.
