Craig Mottram has ticked another box in his Olympic buildup with an impressive victory in the 3,000m at the World Athletics Tour meet in Stockholm.
Mottram, who will be the face of the Australian track team in Beijing following the enforced withdrawal of Jana Rawlinson and Nathan Deakes, cruised to victory in seven minutes 37.73 seconds.
The big Victorian made his move with 500m to go, clocking a 54.6-second last lap to consign Kenyan Isaac Songok (7:38.97) and Kenyan-turned-Qatari Daham Bashir (7:39.45) to the minor placings.
"It was a good race," said Mottram who has just returned from a stint of altitude training in St Moritz.
"I didn't care much about the time. I was a bit unsure of my shape.
"It's a great stadium. It's the first time I've ever run here and after tonight I'd like to come back."
Mottram's last pre-Beijing race will be a mile at the London grand prix meet on Friday night.
He will contest his favoured 5,000m in Beijing.
In other Australian action in Stockholm, Sally McLellan was a solid third in the women's 100m hurdles in 12.73s behind American Olympic favourite Lolo Jones (12.61) and Jamaica's Delloreen Ennis-London (12.70).
Sean Wroe clocked a personal best of 45.20 in the 400m B race.
Joel Milburn was seventh in the A race in 45.49s and John Steffensen seventh in Wroe's heat in 47.15s.
Jarrod Bannister was fourth in the javelin with 80.94m, Alana Boyd tied for sixth in the pole vault with 4.20m and Jeff Riseley was eight in the rarely-run 1,000m in 2:18.75.
Riseley was a late addition to the Australian Olympic team last week after bettering the A qualifying standard in the 1,500m.
