Aussie puts heat on Willis

DON SCOTT/The Press

ON THE UP: Jeff Riseley, of Australia, leads Kiwi Nick Willis during the 800m at Christchurch's QEII international track meet last night. Australian Nick Bromley was third.

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Olympic medallist Nick Willis now knows he has a race on his hands to retain his Commonwealth Games 1500m gold medal after his second middle-distance defeat this month to rising Australian star Jeff Riseley.

Willis tried vainly to ride home on the famous QEII roar last night but Riseley was too strong over the final 50m of an epic 800m tussle at the International Track Meet in Christchurch.

The Australian, who ran his first sub-four minute mile to win last year's Christchurch meet, pronounced Christchurch his happy hunting ground and predicted "a good rivalry with [Willis] over the next four to five years".

"Riseley's the man on the up. He'll definitely be one of my main competition at the Commonwealth Games [in New Delhi in October]," said Willis.

He admitted it "hurt emotionally" to lose to the 23-year-old Australian again for the second time in a fortnight after Riseley's 1500m Melbourne Track Classic triumph.

"This hurt more, because I wanted to do something for the New Zealand fans."

Riseley, who prefers the 1500m, said it was a great confidence booster to beat Willis twice in Commonwealth Games year.

"I've really let him know I'm after him. He's established himself as one of the best milers in the world, he showed that with his silver medal in Beijing. He's the one that I'm after."

Willis had hoped to run around his personal best of 1min 45.54sec but Riseley, who slowed a little near the end, won in 1min 47.75sec, with Willis at 1min 48.12sec – more than 3sec slower than Peter Snell's 1964 New Zealand record – set on grass – which Willis is still a little "in awe of".

Riseley made a savvy move down the back straight last night, which Willis covered but the local hero "just didn't quite have that last 50m".

"I was out wide in lane three with 150 to go, which wasn't ideal but he ran very well and he's obviously got an extra couple of yards on me at this time of year. He beat me by about the same margin in Melbourne. There's work to be done, it's humbling but that only makes you more hungry."

Willis, competing before his extended family, said it was "great to hear the crowd get in behind us in the last 80".

"I was just frustrated I couldn't respond and give them something extra [to cheer]." He had tried to get the "crowd pumped up" while hoping they wouldn't think "who's that show-off". "But there was no showing off. I was just frustrated, I couldn't respond.

"Obviously I want to be the best. But that's sport, you've got to take the losses, it makes the victories even more memorable," the Kiwi Olympian said.

But Riseley should be warned. Willis said Commonwealth Games success would "come down to who can time their training best" with October falling a good month or two after the regular season.

Meanwhile, Australian world champion Dani Samuels beat two-time former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Beatrice Faumuina in an absorbing discus duel.

Samuels, 21, hurled 63.38m on her sixth and final throw after three earlier 60m-plus distances.

Faumuina, 35, had four throws over 59m before biffing her last attempt out to 61.10m. "That's just 1cm off [my season's best]," an animated Faumuina said.

Samuels said she had enjoyed throwing against Faumuina on her home turf. "It's great to have that international competition. She threw 61.10 on her last throw and that definitely pushed me to 63," said the Sydneysider.

- © Fairfax NZ News