Lee Troop
Encyclopedia
Lee Joseph Troop is an Olympic
marathon runner
from Geelong, Victoria, Australia. He started out as a long distance track runner and he represented Australia in the 5000 m at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
and attended his first World Championships in Athletics the following year. He broke the Australian record
in the 5000 m in 1999 and changed to the marathon distance in 2000.
He made his Olympic debut in the 2000 Olympic marathon race in Australia but finished in 66th place after an injury. Further injuries interrupted his next two seasons, but he returned and finished in 17th in the marathon at the 2003 World Championships
and 27th at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics but despite his aim of making the top-ten, he finished in 60th place.
. He joined Athletics Chilwell (formerly Chilwell Athletic Club) in 1986 and has competed for the club ever since. During a brief stint in the 1990s Lee competed on a second-claim basis for the cross country
team from Ballarat Harriers in the Athletics Victoria winter competition series. He was mentored by Steve Moneghetti
, the 1994 Commonwealth champion
in the marathon
.
championship and first represented Australia at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
in Kuala Lumpur
: he finished sixth in the 5000 m and seventh in the 10,000 metres. He competed in the 5000 m at the 1999 World Championships in Athletics but did not progress beyond the heats.
He broke Ron Clarke
's 33-year-old national record in the 5000 m in 1999 but he decided to focus on marathon running in the lead-up to the 2000 Sydney Olympics. however, after qualifying he tore a stomach muscle and struggled to finish in 66th place.
, and finished 17th at the World Championships in Paris
. He placed 27th at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games
in the marathon with a time of 2:18.46. He broke down shortly after with a stress fracture of the pelvis.
In October 2007, Troop ran 2:10:31 at the Berlin Marathon
– an Olympic A-grade qualifying time. In May 2008, Troop was the only nomination for the Australian Men's team in the marathon for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Troop said he wanted to emulate the feats of Australian marathon legends Robert de Castella
and his coach Steve Moneghetti
in achieving a top 10 placing at the Olympic Games. In the 2008 Olympic marathon race he finished 60th in a time of 2:27:17.
In October 2008, Lee announced that it was likely that he and his family would make a move to the United States no earlier than March 2009 with a desire to run in the Boston
and New York Marathons. In 2008, he finished fourth in the Melbourne Half Marathon and took part in the Shanghai Marathon
.
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
marathon runner
Running
Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...
from Geelong, Victoria, Australia. He started out as a long distance track runner and he represented Australia in the 5000 m at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
1998 Commonwealth Games
The 1998 XVI Commonwealth Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 11 September to 21 September 1998 making it the first Asian country to act as host and the last Commonwealth Games for the 20th century. A record 70 nations supplied 3638 athletes...
and attended his first World Championships in Athletics the following year. He broke the Australian record
Australian records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in Australia maintained by Australia's Athletics Federation: Athletics Australia .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:+ = en route to a longer distanceA = affected by altitudeht = hand timing...
in the 5000 m in 1999 and changed to the marathon distance in 2000.
He made his Olympic debut in the 2000 Olympic marathon race in Australia but finished in 66th place after an injury. Further injuries interrupted his next two seasons, but he returned and finished in 17th in the marathon at the 2003 World Championships
2003 World Championships in Athletics
The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from 23 August to 31 August 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France.-Track:...
and 27th at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics but despite his aim of making the top-ten, he finished in 60th place.
Early life
He became involved in athletics at the age of 11 when he joined his father's weight loss campaign by taking training runs around the Geelong suburb of WhittingtonWhittington, Victoria
Whittington is a residential suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, located 4km south-east of the city centre. It is bordered by Boundary, Townsend and Coppards roads and by the former Geelong to Queenscliff railway line now known as the Bellarine Rail Trail....
. He joined Athletics Chilwell (formerly Chilwell Athletic Club) in 1986 and has competed for the club ever since. During a brief stint in the 1990s Lee competed on a second-claim basis for the cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
team from Ballarat Harriers in the Athletics Victoria winter competition series. He was mentored by Steve Moneghetti
Steve Moneghetti
Stephen James "Steve" Moneghetti is an Australian long-distance runner. Moneghetti has a degree in civil engineering, a graduate diploma in education and an honorary doctorate from the University of Ballarat...
, the 1994 Commonwealth champion
Athletics at the 1994 Commonwealth Games
At the 1994 Commonwealth Games, the athletics event were held in Victoria, BC, Canada, at the Centennial Stadium on the grounds of the University of Victoria. A total of 44 events were contested, of which 22 by male 19 by female athletes...
in the marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
.
World debut
In 1996 Troop won Victoria's regional 5000 metres5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
championship and first represented Australia at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
1998 Commonwealth Games
The 1998 XVI Commonwealth Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 11 September to 21 September 1998 making it the first Asian country to act as host and the last Commonwealth Games for the 20th century. A record 70 nations supplied 3638 athletes...
in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
: he finished sixth in the 5000 m and seventh in the 10,000 metres. He competed in the 5000 m at the 1999 World Championships in Athletics but did not progress beyond the heats.
He broke Ron Clarke
Ron Clarke
Ronald William "Ron" Clarke, MBE is a former Australian athlete, writer, and current Mayor of the Gold Coast. He is one of the best known middle and long distance runners in the 1960s, notable for setting seventeen world records.- Early life and family :He attended Melbourne High School...
's 33-year-old national record in the 5000 m in 1999 but he decided to focus on marathon running in the lead-up to the 2000 Sydney Olympics. however, after qualifying he tore a stomach muscle and struggled to finish in 66th place.
2004–2008 Olympics
For the next two years, Troop was troubled by a series of injuries but bounced back in 2003, enjoying his best ever form. He ran a personal best of 2:09:49 at Lake Biwa MarathonLake Biwa Marathon
The held in Otsu, Shiga, is one of the prominent Japanese marathon races of the year. It is a male only competition and has IAAF Gold Label status. First held in 1946 and having taken place every year since then, it is Japan's oldest annual marathon race...
, and finished 17th at the World Championships in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He placed 27th at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in the marathon with a time of 2:18.46. He broke down shortly after with a stress fracture of the pelvis.
In October 2007, Troop ran 2:10:31 at the Berlin Marathon
Berlin Marathon
The Berlin Marathon is a major running and sporting event held annually in Berlin, Germany. The official marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers is set up as a city-wide road race where professional athletes and amateur runners jointly participate...
– an Olympic A-grade qualifying time. In May 2008, Troop was the only nomination for the Australian Men's team in the marathon for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Troop said he wanted to emulate the feats of Australian marathon legends Robert de Castella
Robert de Castella
Robert Francois de Castella, MBE is an Australian former world champion marathon runner. He is widely known as "Deek" or "Deeks" to the Australian public, and "Tree" to his competitors due to his thick legs and inner calm...
and his coach Steve Moneghetti
Steve Moneghetti
Stephen James "Steve" Moneghetti is an Australian long-distance runner. Moneghetti has a degree in civil engineering, a graduate diploma in education and an honorary doctorate from the University of Ballarat...
in achieving a top 10 placing at the Olympic Games. In the 2008 Olympic marathon race he finished 60th in a time of 2:27:17.
In October 2008, Lee announced that it was likely that he and his family would make a move to the United States no earlier than March 2009 with a desire to run in the Boston
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
and New York Marathons. In 2008, he finished fourth in the Melbourne Half Marathon and took part in the Shanghai Marathon
Shanghai Marathon
The Shanghai International Marathon is an annual marathon held in Shanghai, China during late Fall.-Past winners:Key:-External links:**...
.