Rubie learns from Cathy Freeman's coach

Anneliese Rubie has struck up a successful partnership with Peter Fortune - the man who coached Catrhy Freeman to Olympic gold.

It is stating the bleeding obvious to note that however far Anneliese Rubie goes in athletics, her career will almost certainly pale in comparison to that of Cathy Freeman.

The same could be said of just about anyone who has ever pulled on a pair of spikes.

But the rising 400m star is in the perfect position to learn some of the secrets behind one of the all-time greats of Australian sport.

Rubie's coach is Peter Fortune - the man who masterminded Freeman's unforgettable triumph at the Sydney Olympics.

Shortly after joining forces with Fortune, Rubie smashed her personal best with a time of 51.69 seconds at last year's world championships in Beijing.

It's still a far cry from Freeman's PB of 48.63 set way back in 1996 - or the 49.11 she ran to claim gold at the 2000 Sydney Games.

But as Rubie notes, they are vastly different runners.

Freeman was also a great sprinter, as evidenced by her 200m gold medal at the 1994 Commonwealth Games.

Rubie brings the stamina of an accomplished 800m runner to the one-lap event.

"Cathy will always be special, regardless of who else comes through," Rubie told reporters on Wednesday.

"Obviously training under Peter, who was her coach, is something special as well, hearing all the stories.

"Just yesterday, he told me I was doing the exact same session that she'd done before Sydney and he told me the time she had run it in.

"I was like 'Oh, I've got big shoes to fill'.

"But I'm getting there.

"Cathy is almost like an idolised figure in my head.

"I've only met her once and I'd almost like to keep it that way from a distance - seeing her awesomeness."

Rubie and compatriot Morgan Mitchell have both already bettered the individual qualifying standard for the 2016 Olympics and are the key members of the women's 4x400m squad - the only Australian relay team likely to compete in Rio.

The pair will square off in the IAAF World Challenge meet on Saturday night at Lakeside Stadium.


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Source: AAP



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