DAVID McNeill has moved to Ballarat to pursue his Olympic dream.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 28-year-old is chasing a spot on the Australian team for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
He represented the green and gold in London in 2012 while living in America and hopes the move to homeland Victoria will aid in his quest for a return to the biggest sporting event on the planet.
“The premise for the move was definitely the goal of getting to the Rio Olympics, so that’s what I am committing myself to,” McNeill said.
“Whatever happens, whether things go really well from the outset or I have a few hurdles and it kind of takes a little time to get things right, I’m looking forward to doing it here.”
The shift has started brightly for McNeill, who won prestigious 10-kilometre race the Burnie Ten in Tasmania on Sunday.
He beat a field of more than 3000 entrants in a time of 29 minutes.
His victory also came alongside women’s winner and stablemate Susan Kuijken.
McNeill returned to Melbourne from a seven-year stay in America in June and only landed in Ballarat last month.
He lives in a house with Ballarat Olympian Collis Birmingham and his partner Selma Kajan.
McNeill said he believed working together with a group of like-minded athletes, under Melbourne-based coach Nic Bideau,
was an important step in taking his running to the next level.
“Having been in the US, you kind of see a lot of success they have had, particularly in middle distance and long distance in the past five or six years – from runners who have been part of pretty large training groups,” he said.
McNeill said Ballarat was an attractive place to train and expected to live here until the 2016 Olympic Games at least.
“Part of (the move here is because) there’s definitely a bit of culture here when it comes to long distance running, starting with Steve Moneghetti and with Collis as well – he’s run most of his life here,” he said.
“You have got a running track, the lake to run around, endless forest trails to run around and you don’t have to drive too far to get to places, so it’s time-efficient as well.”
McNeill competed in the men’s 5000m at the London Olympics, but failed to qualify for the final.
“I want to go back for more and hopefully do a little better,” he said.
tim.oconnor@fairfaxmedia.com.au