Colin really

By Casey Neill
BELGRAVE’S Colin Pocklington is taking international athletics in his stride.
Pocklington recently competed in the World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships in Kamloops, Canada.
More than 1500 athletes represented 62 countries at the 1 to 6 March competition.
“The unique thing about it for me was that it was indoor,” Pocklington said.
“Australia’s got no indoor tracks so it was very different.
“It was a 200-metre circular track. The bends are incredibly tight so it took a lot to get used to that.”
The 51-year-old competed in the 60m, 200m and 4 X 200m events in the men’s 50-54 age group.
He made the 200m semi-final, the 60m final and claimed bronze in the relay.
“It was a real buzz to walk away with a medal, because we had to pull down two sprinters from the age group above us,” he said.
“We managed to beat France, Mexico and England for bronze, so that was great.”
The US and Canada took out first and second. The Aussies set an Australian record.
“To cap it off I broke the Australian record for my age group in both distances – the 60m and the 200m,” Pocklington said.
He said he was pleased with his preparation going into the meet.
“I really feel like I couldn’t have done any better,” he said.
“It’s the first time I’ve travelled overseas and the first time I’ve competed internationally.”
Pocklington said the competition highlighted his weaknesses and what he could work on.
“So I’ve straight away incorporated that into my training,” he said.
“That’s an exciting aspect of competing on that international stage – seeing where the other guys have got the edge and what you can do about it.”
Flexibility and strength are the areas Pocklington will try to improve.
“I feel that my fitness and my leg speed is equal to anyone else, but I just don’t feel like I have the power to put behind what I produce on the track,” he said.
“As athletes get older their leg speed doesn’t get any slower, it’s just each stride is not as long.
“What they get out of each stride is not as significant and therefore it compromises how much distance they can travel with each stride.”
He’s now doing weights at the gym two nights a week with guidance from a coach, “whereas I was just doing token stuff over the years”.
To win an individual international medal is now his goal.
“I think it’s a possibility because I’ve identified these areas where I can really work on. I feel like there’s scope for me to move up in the rankings,” he said.
“I’m ranked about seventh and I’d like to move up into the top three or four.”
The Pan Pacific Games on the Gold Coast in November will be the first competition he’ll “be eyeing off”.
He performed well in Sydney’s World Masters Games last October, and hopes to make it to Italy for the 2013 event.
“Obviously I can’t afford to do every year because there’s no funding or sponsorship or any form of assistance with masters athletics, which is a bit of a shame,” he said.
Pocklington started his track career in little athletics, but gave it away at age 15.
He got back into four years later and “really hit it hard”, managing national qualification by age 27.
“But I started having a family so I stopped for 12 years while the children were young and I dedicated myself to that,” he said.
He introduced his eldest child Joel, a successful pole vaulter, to track and field when he started secondary school and got back into it himself.
“That was when I was about 40, so I’ve been back about 11 years doing it seriously and competing,” he said.
“It’s got to a point where I need to look to international competition to step up to the next level.
“As long as I enjoy it and as long as I’m not breaking down with injuries I’ll keep at it for as long as I can.”