Parkes shire may well have another Olympian in its midst with former Alectown resident Scott Westcott all but confirmed to be a starter at the Rio games in August.
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It is believed the 40 year old marathon runner has received Athletics Australia’s endorsement to run the 42km event in Brazil and only needs the Australian Olympic Committee to name him in the team to fulfill a life-long dream.
Third fastest on the list of qualifiers, and with only three spots up for grabs, Westcott has done all he can to be selected and looks nearly certain to be named when the team is announced later today.
Scott’s time of 2:15:30 (well inside the 2:19:00 qualifying time) in last September’s Berlin Marathon was bumped from second fastest to third by an Australian in the qualifying period, which ended Sunday.
Liam Adams ran 2.14.59 in the Warsaw Marathon on the final day to take second place while Commonwealth Games gold medalist Michael Shelley was fastest qualifier with a time of 2:11:19.
Other contenders for the three Australian Olympic places, including four-time Olympian and track legend Craig Mottram, fell short of Westcott’s time.
Selectors met on Tuesday to pick the team before a 48 hour appeal window for non-selected athletes to consider their options.
After any appeals are heard, Athletics Australia will nominate their team to the AOC who have final say on whether or not Westcott’s dream will come true.
The Alectown native remains upbeat about his chances of being fifth time lucky in reaching the Olympics.
“I am very confident my standing will hold up and I will get selection this time around,” Scott said.
“I’m still a bit nervous because you don’t know until you receive the call, but I am also quietly confident.
“I was devastated eight years ago when I thought I was going to make the team and was not selected.
“I am looking forward now, not behind, and to make the team eight years on would be a dream come true,” he said.
The AOC are likely to formally announce the marathon team at 11am today.
Scott will be back in Parkes on May 22 to run in the Northparkes Rotary Fun Run.
“Hopefully, it could give residents the chance to race an Olympic athlete,” Scott said.