ATHLETICS: A dominant display from Jared Tallent (SA) has guaranteed his victory for a seventh time at the Australian 20km Race Walking Championships, which doubles as the Oceania Championship and Round 1 of the IAAF World Race Walking Challenge.
Extending to a commanding lead from the outset in the first of ten two-kilometre loops, the three-time Olympic medallist clocked a strong 1:24:05 to cross victorious ahead of Quentin Rew (NZL, second, 1:25:22) and Chris Erickson (Vic, third, second Australian, 1:25:42).
Tallent moved through four kilometres in 16:45 to sit thirty seconds ahead of his chasers Erickson, Rew and Rhydian Cowley (Vic, fourth, third Australian, 1:28:06). This gap was extended in the coming six kilometres to ensure that he moved through the half-way mark more than one minute ahead of his nearest rival. His split of 41:04 had him on personal best pace. Maintaining the gap for the remainder of the race, Tallent split 1:07:14 with four kilometres to go before collecting the bell in 1:15.34. He crossed to win in 1:24:05.
“It’s good to race at home. I only live about five kilometres from where we are today so it was great to get up at my leisure and come down to race in front of a good group of family and friends. It’s nice to perform well in front of them,” Tallent said.
“My intention was to walk alongside Dane (Bird-Smith) but unfortunately due to sickness he wasn’t able to race today and that changed my plans from the outset. I thought I would start a bit quicker and see if I was strong enough to hold off the other guys and I was able to do that, so it’s a good result.”
Tallent has intentions to compete in both the men’s 20km race walk and 50km race walk at the IAAF World Championships later this year, and having already been selected to battle it out in the longer of the two events he now sits in the box seat for selection in the 20km event too.
“I definitely want to double in Beijing. I had a lot of success there in 2008 and it would be amazing to replicate that. I believe that I always walk better in the 50km event if I’ve had the chance to race the 20km earlier in the program,” Tallent added.
“There’s a bit of work to do before then. I’ve got a couple of races on the cards in Mexico and Japan, and some time at the altitude house at the AIS as well. I’m looking forward to it all.”
The women's 20km race walk was a much more hard fought affair, with the eventual winner Tanya Holliday (SA, first, 1:34:05) sharing the front position for much of the race with a lead pack that included the silver medallist Beki Smith (NSW, second, 1:34:35) and the bronze medallist Rachel Tallent (Vic, third, 1:35:03).
Progressing through ten kilometres in 46:23, the move to an outright lead for Holliday came shortly prior to the 16-kilometre mark with her narrow lead at the bell lap extending to a more than 10 second gap at the finish line.
Holliday’s win at home in Adelaide is her first since taking out the same event two years ago in Hobart (Tas). Similarly to Tallent, she now sits in best position for selection to compete at the IAAF World Championships later this year.
“The last couple of weeks have been pretty difficult with a few niggles and sickness so to come away with the win today is a great result. It’s another qualifier for Beijing which is great, it probably wasn’t as quick as I would have liked but I’m still really happy,” Holliday said.
“I got a bit caught up in the atmosphere of it all when I went to Moscow in 2013, and this year I expect to do it very differently. I’m moving to Canberra this week to train under Craig Hilliard and I’m keen for the challenge and the opportunity to compete for Australia again hopefully.”
In the boy’s and girl’s under 20 10km race walks it was Tyler Jones (NSW, 44:08.00) and Danielle Walsh (SA, 53:31.74) who took line honours to secure the Australian title.
The Australian Athletics Tour now moves to Brisbane (Qld) for the Queensland Track Classic. To be held alongside an IPC Grand Prix for para-athletes, the event is the final qualifying round before Tour Finals in Sydney (NSW) and Melbourne (Vic) next month.
The 93rd Australian Athletics Championships, which feature the Australian 10,000m track walk title, round out the domestic season on the last weekend of March and double the Selection Trial for the IAAF World Championships.
ATHLETICS AUSTRALIA
