Title Time for Australia's Race Walkers

With the festive season in full swing, Australia’s race walkers have national titles at the top of their wish lists. Set to race over 35km on Sunday morning in Melbourne, Olympian Olivia Sandery is one of many athletes eyeing an early ticket to the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.

A quintessential summer morning at Melbourne’s Albert Park will set the scene for the 2024 Australian 35km Race Walking Championships, spearheaded by Olympic bronze medallist Rhydian Cowley (VIC, Brent Vallance) and his Paris teammates Olivia Sandery (SA, Jared Tallent) and Rebecca Henderson (VIC, Simon Baker) in the 35km events.

While Australian record holders Cowley (2:26:25) and Henderson (2:47:34) already have qualifying times locked away for the 2025 World Athletics Championships next September, the likes of Sandery and the rising Elizabeth McMillen (NSW, Jared Tallent) will be eager to join that club in the only 35km race walking event on Australian soil.

Arriving in Melbourne having clocked a personal best of 43:11.09 over 10,000m to finish behind McMillen in 43:00.01 last month, Sandery is ready for her 35km debut:

“The competition in the 20km is getting a bit stiffer in Australia, so we thought we would give the 35km a crack in case I need it as a backup for the World Championships,” Sandery said.

“It’s my first time over the distance this weekend, so I’m a bit nervous. The training is pretty similar, but it’s almost double the race distance. I know it’s going to hurt but I’m not sure when.

“It does seem very early in the season to lock away a qualifier, but this is our only 35km. It will definitely be nice if we can get it done.”

At 21-years-old, the South Australian guided by Olympic champion Jared Tallent is building an impressive resume with five international teams to her name including Olympic Games and World Championships appearances, but hopes 2025 will be the year she breaks through on the world stage.

“I haven’t been able to put together a very good performance at a major, so Tokyo is definitely the place I want to do that at. It’s a big motivation for me to get there,” Sandery said.

“There have been two now that I’m not really proud of and I really want to get to a race and show my fitness and the work that I have put in.”

With the qualifying time standing at 2:48:00 for women, Sandery will join forces with McMillen and Henderson in a showcase of Australian race walking, also featuring World Championships representative Allanah Pitcher (NSW, Frank Overton).

The ever-consistent Cowley looms as the favourite in the Men’s event where he will race to all but punch his ticket to yet another Australian team, buoyed by his Olympic bronze medal success in the Mixed Marathon Race Walk Relay with Jemima Montag.

Challenging him will be Will Thompson (VIC, Brent Vallance) and Mitchell Baker (ACT, Jared Tallent) who will undoubtedly feature throughout the affair, with the real test to come when their senior counterpart Cowley starts to stretch the legs late in the piece – with the World Championships qualifying time set at 2:28:00.

On what will be a world-class morning of race walking, the 20km Invitational events have also attracted big names in the form of Olympian Declan Tingay (WA, Brent Vallance) and 2024 World Under 20 representatives Alexandra Griffin (WA, Jared Tallent) and Marcus Wakim (VIC, Adam Garganis) who step up in distance from 10,000m.

All four races will begin at 7:00am AEDT on Sunday (December 15), with entry lists available HERE.

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted 13/12/2024