Ben Buckingham

BIOGRAPHY

Not much more could be asked of Ben Buckingham at the Tokyo Olympics as the lawyer turned runner punched in a career-best performance in his heat of the 3000m steeplechase – only to be disqualified shortly after the event for a lane infringement. Fortunately, he was reinstated as the seventh-place finisher in his heat, being rightfully accredited his shiny new 8:20.95 personal best – the fourth fastest time in Australian history.

Hampered over the summer of 2021/22 with a femur stress reaction, resulting in him missing Nationals, a knee injury followed post-Nationals, but in June he bounced back to his very best form setting a PB time of 8:19.79 in Europe and booking a place in the team for the World Championships and Commonwealth Games.
At his second world championships, Ben placed 9th in his heat in a good championship time of 8:29.15, then two weeks later was 5th in the Commonwealth Games.

In 2023 he won his first National title but injury hampered him in Europe and he didn’t qualify for the world championships. Ben was troubled from September 2023 with osteitis pubis symptoms and when he tried to return to running ended up with bone stress issues. He opened his 2024 season in late March with his first steeplechase in April at Nationals, placing second in a 8:43. In June 2024 he placed second at Oceania (8:44), but two weeks later he clocked a brilliant 8:21.34, his fastest time for two years.

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Ben Buckingham started running aged 10 joining his mother for runs. She has run nearly a dozen marathons into her 60s. It was an active childhood for Buckingham living in the country.
“I grew up on a 600-acre cattle farm on the Rose River, near Myrtleford (280km NE of Melbourne). I left at 18 to go to University in Melbourne. I didn’t really appreciate the farm until I left.  It was a unique upbringing with a close family that I am very thankful for.”

A lot happened in the life of Buckingham in 2010. He moved to Melbourne to start university, placed third in the national U20 steeplechase and made his international debut at the 2010 World Mountain Running Championships in Slovenia, competing in the junior race. 

After limited athletics activity for four years during his university studies, he started to compete more regularly in 2015. Then aged 25 in 2016, there was a turning point in his career. He had finished his second degree (Juris Doctor/law and Arts - history/international relations) and trained full time for six months before starting work as a Lawyer at Minter Ellison. 
“This gradual transition to full time work allowed me to establish the processes to continue to run 120-130km a week while working full time,” he said.
Immediately the times started to tumble and by the end of the 2016/17 summer he had run 8:03 (3000m) and 8:54 (steeple) and placed third in the national championships. He plateaued in 2018 (8:04 & 8:56), but 2019 would be a major breakthrough year for Buckingham as he dropped to 7:54.00 (3000m) and 8:27.51 (steeple) and importantly won the Oceania Championships. He ran his steeple PB in September when he travelled to Europe where he smashed his PB by four seconds to move to number nine Australian all-time with a time of 8:27.51 – the fastest time by an Australian for seven years. Buckingham also joined a new wave in the event with three under 8:34 in the year.

Selected for his senior international debut at the 2019 Doha World Championships he placed a below par 14th in his heat with 8:42.86. “Most of our group got a bad bug in Spain pre-Doha which wiped us out,” he explained.
After limited racing in 2020 due to COVID, he had a barnstorming 2021, setting PBs over 1500m, 3000m, 5000m and three in the steeplechase as he made his Olympic debut in Tokyo.

Education: Bachelor of Arts (double major in history/international relations) Melbourne Uni in 2012 and Juris Doctor at Melbourne Law School in 2016…Advice to your young self: Enjoy the journey, you only get to do it once…Hobbies: Farming with dad and having the occasional surf…Occupation: ANZ Bank, Manager - Regulatory Relationships 2024 to present…Biggest challenge you faced: Balancing a career with professional running. I've managed to progress my career whilst making four Australian teams…Hometown: Myrtleford, Victoria

@ 30 June 2024 david.tarbotton@athletics.org.au