The Oceania 20km Racewalking Championships will take place in Adelaide, Australia this weekend.
With 3 Oceania Federations represented plus several other stellar walkers from all around the world. This kicks off the IAAF Racewalking season.
The Women’s race features the top 2 from last year’s Commonwealth Games, in Jemima Montag (AUS) and Alana Barber (AUS). Sandra Lorenas is the favourite on paper, with a The South American Champion, and 5th placer from London 2017, taking out the 10,000m Track walk in Canberra only two weeks ago.
Whilst Australian Katie Hayward will be looking to add to her Oceania 10,000m U20 record, which she broke in Canberra to finish third behind Lorenas and Montag. The 20km U20 Oceania Record is held by Natalie Saville, set on the 27th of February 1997, two and half years before Hayward was born.
Women 20000 Metre Race Walk OPEN
Barber, Alana New Zealand
Hayward, Katie Australia
Huse, Philippa Australia
Lorenas, Sandra Colombia
Martin, Katya Australia
Montag, Jemima Australia
Ng, Sau Man Hong Kong
Papadopoulos, Christina Australia
Pickles, Jessica Australia
Ruddick, Kelly Australia
Tallent, Claire Australia
Virbalytre, Brigita Lithuania
Tallent, Rachel Australia
The Men’s race sees a field of 34 take the start line.
The local story line is two of Australia’s recent Olympic medallist racing in Australia, with Adelaide local Jared Tallent and 2016 Bronze Medalist Dane Bird-Smith both racing. Tallent racing for the first time in 23 months, after persistent injuries have derailed his walking, it will also be the first hitout since taking to the track in November to run a 1500m at a local Queensland shield meeting.
Whilst Tallent and Bird-Smith aren’t the only big-name competitors toeing the line. Evan Dunfee, the Canadian reigning NACAC 20km Racewalking Champion and 4th place in the 2016 Olympic 50km walk, starts in good form after finishing second in the Canberra 10,000m race a fortnight ago.
The winner from Canberra, Persus Karlstrom of Sweeden, who won this race last year, will look to defend his title. Karlstrom has a good record in Australia, winning his last 7 races in the country, over 4 different distances. The last time he was beaten was the Oceania Championships in 2016.
Men 20000 Metre Race Walk OPEN
Araya, Edward Chile
Araya, Yerko Chile
Arevalo, Eider Colombia
Arteaga, Mauricio Ecuador
Bilodeau, Mat Canada
Bird, Kyle Australia
Bird-Smith, Dane Australia
Blocki, Damian Poland
Brzozowski, Artur Poland
Cowley, Rhydian Australia
Dunfee, Evan Canada
Espada, Luis Puerto Rico
Gibbons, Carl Australia
Jones, Tyler Australia
Karlstrom, Perseus Sweden
Kozica, Jason Australia
Melendez, Jose Peurto Rico
Palma, Ever Mexico
Prasad, Pramesh Fiji
Reading, Brendon Australia
Rew, Quentin New Zealand
Richardson, Dylan Australia
Ruiz, Jorge Colombia
Sikora, Rafal Poland
Suskevicius, Tadas Lithuania
Tallent, Jared Australia
Tingay, Declan Australia
Tse, Chun Hung Hong Kong
Uradnik, Miroslav Slovakia
Yamamoto, Toru Japan
Ziukas, Marius Lithuania
Cortes, Araya Chile