Olympian Rose Davies finished 17th (15:41.23) in the women’s 5000m at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Hailing from Newcastle, she first started running around 12 and within two years was the best in the nation, clocking startling times of 2:08 (800m) and 4:27. Rose was an athletics prodigy in her early teens, but patience from her coach in the transition years from junior to senior is reaping rewards as the now 21-year-old is on track to fulfill the potential she showed in her youth.
She didn’t competed for most of 2017 and 2018 with inflammation issues in her hip. Due to injury, her motivation was low and she was enjoying her teenage years away from running. During this on-again, off-again period she found coach-Scott Westcott’s approach critical. She was not fully committed, but he allowed her to run as she wished, sometimes missing sessions or only running part of the program. There were times where she had doubt’s she would make it back.
In late 2018 she started to emerge off track, placing third at the national U20 cross country and running a good 10km of 34:34 at Burnie in October. Back on the track she won the Lisa Ondieki U20 3000m and by late summer of the 2018/19 season, where she was now only 19, had clocked 4:19 (1500m) and 15:45 (5000m). Her progression continued in 2019 and into 2020 before COVID shut down the season. While still in her teens she was second in the national cross country and third Aussie at Zatopek with 33:25.52.
She negotiated the challenging COVID-effected year in 2020 to run an outstanding 32:02 road 10km in Launceston in December. In 2021 she was outstanding with a career highlight winning Zatopek in an outstanding 31:39.97. In late May she achieved her first Olympic qualifier of 15:08.48 over 5000m in Holland.