Burgess enjoys high life as European season warms up

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/st ... 22,00.html

Burgess enjoys high life as European season warms up
Australian athletes are making their mark on the world stage, reports Jenny McAsey
July 22, 2006
FOUR months ago at the MCG, pole vaulter Paul 'Budgie' Burgess was a portrait of dejection.
Feted as favourite to fly to a Commonwealth Games gold medal, a calf injury left Burgess grounded as he failed to clear a height. A good-humoured pessimist from Perth, Burgess has a personal philosophy that says if things can go wrong, they will.

For a few days he was down-in-the-mouth, then decided he had to move on and put the misery to good use.

"It was really bad for a couple of days and then it sort of drifts to the back of your mind and then it starts to turn into motivation," Burgess said yesterday.

In the past two weeks it has spurred him to world-class results in Europe, including a leap of 5.92m that put him on top of the rankings and the Commonwealth Games failure into perspective.

"I am completely over that now," he said from Germany yesterday after finishing second to American Brad Walker (who cleared a world-leading 6m) at the international pole vault competition.

"At the time it feels like the end of the world. You just want to prove you are not finished and can still jump high. For some reason, so far this trip, touch wood, it feels like my luck might be changing.

"I think people were sceptical and thought I couldn't jump outside Australia. I have got that out of the way. The better I jump, the better my confidence gets and the less pressure there is on me.

"I feel I have proved myself overseas."

Proving themselves overseas has long been the challenge for Australia's top track and field athletes. For all the glory of a home-town Commonwealth Games, performing on the global stage is the real test and during the past few weeks there have been encouraging signs.

Burgess, who won at the prestigious Golden Gala meet in Rome with 5.82m a week ago, has done it. So has Steve Hooker, who has performed at a high level in Europe after winning the pole vault gold medal in Melbourne.

And their training partners, Kym Howe, who won a meet in Madrid this week, clearing 4.51m, and teenager Vicky Parnov, who broke her Australian under-18 and under-20 record when she vaulted 4.32m, have also got in on the act.

Even 2000 Olympic silver medallist Tatiana Grigorieva is again making her mark internationally. She cleared 4.51m in Madrid and finished second to Howe on countback.