Australian line-up announced for 2022 World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships
Published Wed 16 Feb 2022
Athletics Australia has announced a 12-strong team of race walkers to compete at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships taking place in Muscat, Oman next month.
Australia has a rich history at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships, having won medals at every edition of the Championships since 2004, and this year, the athletes selected are ready to extend upon the country’s success.
The 20km men’s team will be led by 2022 Australian Champion Declan Tingay, with Tokyo Olympians Rhydian Cowley and Kyle Swan joining him. 2016 World Under 20 representative Tyler Jones and 19-year-old Will Thompson will round out the team to make their senior team debut in Muscat.
Australia will also have a sole female athlete competing, with 2016 World Under 20 representative Clara Smith making her international 20km debut, and one competitor in the 35km individual event as Carl Gibbons dons the green and gold for the second time.
Five junior athletes including Australian 10km race walking champions Olivia Sandery and Marcus Wakim, as well as Alanna Peart, Allanah Pitcher and Fraser Saunder have also been selected, highlighting that the strong tradition of Australian race walking is in good hands.
General Manager, High Performance Andrew Faichney noted the significance of the Championships as part of a major year for Australia’s race walkers.
“This is one of the bigger championships for our race walkers as it boasts a larger and more competitive field with five athletes per country in each event. The World Athletics Championships in Oregon and the Commonwealth Games are the main priorities for our race walkers this year, however these Championships will give them an indication of where each of them are sitting against their competitors, and give them an opportunity to lay their foundations down for the year,” Faichney said.
“We’re extremely proud to announce these 12 athletes onto our first Australian team for 2022, and we look forward to seeing them thrive amongst the world’s best once again.”
Athletics Australia also announced the two team coaches for Championships; Athletics Australia Event Group Lead Brent Vallance, and Olympic gold medallist Jared Tallent, who was last year selected to participate in AA’s Athlete to Coach Pathway Program.
Vallance said he was most looking forward to seeing the men’s team in action, as well as Smith and Jones competing internationally for the first time since 2016 after finding their way back to the sport.
“While we won’t have a complete women’s team this year due to clashes with our domestic season, our men’s 20km team is certainly the strongest we’ve fielded since before the London Olympic Games. I’m really excited by what our men can do in this team, not only at this Championships but as we look ahead to the Paris Olympics in two years’ time,” Vallance said.
“We’re thrilled to have Clara and Tyler back in the fold; both of them are walking PBs and adding to the depth of our talent pool as we look to Paris, but we also have a very capable junior female athletes, with one of our standouts being Olivia Sandery.
“We’ve won medals in that junior female event before, and this year’s team are comparable to those. Olivia too is capable of bringing home a medal, and we view this as a great stepping-stone before athletes make their transition to senior teams.”
Tingay, Swan and Olympic 50km walker Cowley all finished their Tokyo campaigns with career-best performances, and for Tingay, a 17th place finish upon his Olympic debut has given him the confidence of his ability to succeed in Muscat.
“It’s a real privilege to be selected and a really exciting opportunity to be going to Oman with the team. I made my international debut at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships, and last time I was there with Kyle, we came away with a bronze medal in the junior team competition,” Tingay said.
“Our team this year is good. We have lots of depth, including four of us returning to this competition. I’m personally aiming to finish within the top 20 for the individual event or extend myself to finish in the top 16 to do better than Tokyo, and as a team we are aiming to finish on the podium.”
The World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships will take place from 4-5 March.
By Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia
Posted: 16/2/2022
