Walkers Take Big Steps in Japan | Weekend Review

The Australian race walking juggernaut marched on at the Asian Race Walking Championships in Nomi, Japan as the contingent led by Jemima Montag and Declan Tingay delivered a stunning six qualifiers for the 2023 World Athletics Championships and 2024 Olympic Games.

The duo coached by Brent Vallance secured triumphant victories as Montag blasted her way through 20km in 1:27:51 to defeat Olympic silver medallist Lorena Arenas (Colombia) by 11-seconds with the second fastest time of her career. The Australian record holder shifted through the gears to stretch away from her competitors and sail to a dominant gold.

Tingay climbed to number two on the Australian all-time list behind only Nathan Deakes with the fastest time by an Australian in 18-years; a scorching walk of 1:18:36 to scalp the slick field in which five men shattered the 1:20:00 barrier – three of which were Australian. The team display stamped Australia’s presence on the global race walking scene as the cohort remains determined to return to the world medals circle in 2023.

Kyle Swan (Jared Tallent) posted the best result of his career with a swift 1:19:24, closely followed by seasoned veteran Rhydian Cowley (Brent Vallance) in 1:19:30, with both men nailing the standard for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest and 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Swan’s performance takes him to number six on the Australian all-time list, while Cowley elevated himself to number eight.

Joining the qualification quest was Rebecca Henderson (Simon Baker) who built on her strong domestic form to walk a new personal best of 1:28:43, while 20-year-old Olivia Sandery (Jared Tallent) has gone from strength to strength in her transition to the senior ranks with a world-class 1:28:52. The results take the duo to third and fourth placings respectively on the Australian all-time list, with Henderson eyeing a second Olympic Games and Sandery improving on the base that took her to fourth place at the 2022 World Under 20 Championships.

The six World Championship and Olympic qualifiers were not the only strong results in Nomi, as 12 of the 13 Australians racing clocked personal bests and a host of Pathway Competition qualifiers. 20-year-old Will Thompson (Brent Vallance) was rewarded with a new career-best of 1:21:56, while teenagers Allanah Pitcher (Frank Overton) and Lizzy McMillen (Bill Nappin) registered times of 1:33:17 and 1:33:56 respectively. Full results from Nomi including can be found HERE.  

Meanwhile at last Thursday’s Victorian Milers Club, Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Abbey Caldwell (Gavin Burren) backed up her win over 800m at the Sydney Track Classic with a run of 4:05.36 over 1500m, defeating 17-year-old Claudia Hollingsworth (Craig Mottram) who returned to her best with a strong performance of 4:07.69.

In the Para ranks, Paralympic champion Vanessa Low (T61, Scott Reardon) continued her strong comeback with a World Para Athletics Championships A-qualifier just months after giving birth, leaping 5.04m to build on her previous B-qualifier of 4.77m. Sarah Walsh (T64, Matt Beckenham) collected a B-qualifier of her own with a 5.03m performance, while Paralympic medallist Deon Kenzie (T38, Rob Ballard) also registered a B-qualifier with a run of 4:05.07 over 1500m in Tasmania.

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 20/3/2022