Jeff Riseley completed his rags to riches story last week when he represented Australia for the first time at the World Athletics Championships in Osaka, Japan.THE future of former Narre Warren little athlete Jeff Riseley appears bright after he made his debut for Australia at last week’s World Athletics Championships in Osaka, Japan.
The 20-year-old local star competed in the 800 metres on Thursday night and ran bravely in placing sixth in his heat.
Riseley’s time of 1:47.44 was just over a second slower than his personal best of 1:46.35, which he set at the Stockholm Super Grand Prix last month.
The Stockholm performance moved him into 17th spot in the all-time Australian 800m rankings and easily makes him the country’s fastest over the distance in 2007.
Despite the impressive display, Riseley said he struggled with the race tactics, as he did at the World University Games in Bangkok, Thailand, last month.
“I expected the race to be slow, as I came from Bangkok at world unis and it was tactical,” the Harkaway athlete said after the race. “I would have liked it a bit faster. I’ve been running well and working hard.
“It’s different here – it’s the big-time stuff.”
Riseley’s unbelievable ascent has even taken him by surprise, and has seen him transform from a competitor who did not even qualify for last year’s Commonwealth Games trials into a bona fide member of the national squad.
“I’ve been in Chiba (in Japan) with (Craig) Mottram for a few days and then I saw the start lists for the first time and I was like ‘geez, I’m running here’,” he said.
“Just the way (Mottram) goes about things is really good. He gives it to me a little bit, but I give it back and we get on pretty well, so that’s been really good.
“Just watching him train he works so hard, just the way he goes about things.”
The 800m Australian record of 1:44.4, which was achieved by Ralph Doubell in Mexico City in 1968, is clearly in Riseley’s sights and he is looking to make another step towards it this month.
“I’ve got a couple more races in Europe and I’ll be chasing that 1:45.0,” he said. “I’m still really young and really raw, so it’s just good to be out here and experiencing it.
“I’m going to go home and do a lot of work, do a base.”
