Bring the Heat | Race Walking Preview
Published Thu 05 Aug 2021
Often regarded by the casual observer as an unglamorous and at times humorous athletic event; take a closer look at the sport of race walking and you will discover a discipline that demands precision and technical excellence – along with a newfound appreciation for these endurance machines.
Let’s be honest, we have all tried it – charging away from our friends briefly before the inevitable accusations of ‘running’ ensue. But most of us have never gone more than 50-metres, let alone the Olympic distances of 20km or 50km.
The events will be held in Sapporo rather than Tokyo, in attempt to avoid Tokyo’s heat and humidity.
Australia will field a six-strong team across the race walking events at this year’s Olympics, with two-time Olympian Rhydian Cowley (Brent Vallance) leading a youthful group that includes five Olympic debutants – all aged under 23-years-old.
Cowley will contest the men’s 50km race walk after finishing 33rd in the 20km event at the Rio Olympic Games, stepping up to the distance at which he holds a personal best of 3:52:58.
For context, that’s an average pace of 4:40/km whilst always maintaining contact with the ground.
The 30-year-old is a stalwart of Australian race walking, making his international debut in 2008 at the World Walking Cup in Russia. 13-years on and Cowley is set to take on his second Olympic Games.
Tonight’s men’s 20km race walk features two rising stars in the form of Kyle Swan (Brent Vallance) and Declan Tingay (Steven Tingay).
Tingay’s Instagram bio reads “I probably walk faster than you run,” and with a personal best of 1:24:27 - he’s probably not wrong.
Both Tingay and Swan boast international experience at the junior level, finishing in fourth and sixth placings respectively over 10,000m at the 2018 IAAF World Under 20 Championships in Finland.
Swan holds a personal best of 1:23:54 but the 22-year-old admits his transition from the junior ranks has taken significant time and effort.
“For race walkers it entails a jump from the 10km junior events up to at least the 20km distance. The 20km requires more mileage in training and is more mentally taxing too,” Kyle said.
“After the conclusion of my junior career, it took me about 18 months to put down a solid 20km performance.”
Jemima Montag (Brent Vallance) has achieved so much in her short career that it feels as if she has been around for an eternity, but at only 23-years-old Montag is shaping up as one of Australia’s brightest race walking prospects.
Montag will compete in the women’s 20km walk – the same event she clinched gold in at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in a time of 1:31:26 to win by an astounding 88-seconds just weeks after making her debut at the distance.
In 2021, the International Olympic Committee Young Leader has lowered her personal bests across all distances including a 20km performance of 1:28:50 in March – with the extra year to prepare for the Games playing into the hands of Montag who has struck a rich vein of form.
With a top 10 finish at the 2019 IAAF World Championships under her belt, Montag says she is in a “calm and excited headspace” ahead of her Olympic debut.
“Becoming an Olympian and making that first Olympic team does feel really different,” she said.
Katie Hayward (Steve Langley) and Rebecca Henderson (Simon Baker) will join Montag in the women’s 20km race walk to form a strong trio of Australia women that is reflective of the healthy status of Australian race walking.
Hayward has a top five finish at the international level to her name with a fifth placing at the 2018 IAAF World Under 20 Championships in Finland, along with being crowned World University Games Champion in 2019 in Italy.
The 22-year-old’s personal best of 1:29:25 has her siting in fourth place on the Australian all-time list, with Montag in third as the two look to continue their rise in unison with a busy schedule of major championships in the coming years – beginning in Tokyo.
Henderson was one of the bolters for this year’s Olympic Games, propelling herself up the world rankings with a 1:31:53 performance in May to all but secure a maiden Olympic berth.
The gifted athlete has a strong background in both triathlons and marathon swimming at a national level but has found her niche in race walking, with the 20-year-old a valuable addition to the Australian race walking ranks.
2016 bronze medallist in the 20km race walk Dane Bird-Smith (David Smith) withdrew from the Tokyo Olympic Games due to family reasons, but he will be with his compatriots in spirit as they follow his footsteps in pursuit of Olympic glory.
Bird-Smith encouraged his fellow Australians to embrace the Olympic occasion and to adopt a tactical approach to their encounters.
“Keep your cool and race your plan, the underdog has everything to earn so just get positions and take some scalps and leave nothing behind. That’s how we race the Olympics, no regrets and everything on the line,” he said.
“It’s not about who is the fastest, it’s about who can race the best.”
But at the end of the day, his message is simple.
“It’s your time to shine. I wish I could have led you out there but I know you guys will do us proud,” he said.
Bird-Smith says he will have a hit-out on home soil back in Australia with his family, eager not to let his Olympic preparation go to waste.
TIMETABLE:
Thursday August 5th
5:30pm - Men’s 20km Race Walk – Kyle Swan, Declan Tingay
Friday August 6th
6:30am – Men’s 50km Race Walk – Rhydian Cowley
5:30pm – Women’s 20km Race Walk – Jemima Montag, Katie Hayward, Rebecca Henderson
By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 5/08/2021
