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Benjamin Buckingham

Benjamin Buckingham

Age

32

Place of Birth

Myrtleford

Hometown

Melbourne

Junior Club

Wodonga Athletics Club

Senior Club

St Stephens Harriers

Olympic History

Tokyo 2020

High School

Marian College Myrtleford

Career Events

Athletics Mens 3000m Steeplechase

 

Benjamin's Story

Fast Facts

Sport: Athletics
Event: 3,000m Steeplechase
Olympic History: Tokyo 2020
Club: St Stephen's Harriers
Coach: Craig Mottram

Year Born: 1991
State Born: VIC

About Benjamin

As an active child, Ben Buckingham started running at the age of 10 often joining his mother on her runs. Growing up on a 600-acre cattle farm, Ben left his hometown of Myrtleford when he was 18 to go to the University of Melbourne. 

A breakout year in 2010 saw Ben place third in the national U20 steeplechase and make his international debut at the 2010 World Mountain Running Championships in Slovenia, competing in the junior race. 

After limited athletics activity for four years during his university studies, he started to compete more regularly in 2015. Then aged 25 in 2016, there was a turning point in his career. He had finished his second degree (Juris Doctor/law and Arts - history/international relations) and trained full time for six months before starting work as a Lawyer at Minter Ellison. 

“This gradual transition to full time work allowed me to establish the processes to continue to run 120-130km a week while working full time,” he said.

Immediately the times started to tumble and by the end of the 2016/17 summer he had run 8:03 (3000m) and 8:54 (steeple) and placed third in the national championships. He plateaued in 2018 (8:04 & 8:56), but 2019 would be another major breakthrough year for Buckingham as he dropped to 7:54.00 (3000m) and 8:27.51 (steeple) and importantly won the Oceania Championships.

He ran his steeple PB in September 2019 when he travelled to Europe and smashed his PB by four seconds to move to number nine Australian all-time with a time of 8:27.51, the fastest time by an Australian for seven years. Buckingham also joined a new wave in the event with three under 8:34 in the year.

Selected for his senior international debut at the 2019 Doha World Championships he placed a below par 14th in his heat with 8:42.86, after suffering from a bug during his pre-camp in Spain. 

There was limited racing from Buckingham in 2020, but making a late start to the 2020/21 season he set PBs at 1500m and 5000m and in his second steeplechase of the year in Brisbane he recorded a PB of 8:27.38. He placed a very close second at nationals, then headed to Europe where he clocked two 8:24s with a best of 8:24.39 to move to sixth Australian all-time.

Although still just outside the 8:22 Olympic standard, Buckingham qualified through the World Athletics Rankings.

Not much more could be asked of Ben Buckingham in Tokyo as the lawyer turned runner punched in a career-best performance in his heat of the 3000m steeplechase – only to be disqualified shortly after the event for a lane infringement. Fortunately he was reinstated as the seventh-place finisher in his heat, being rightfully accredited his shiny new 8:20.95 personal best – the fourth fastest time in Australian history.

Hampered over the summer of 2021/22 with a femur stress reaction, resulting in him missing Nationals, a knee injury followed post-Nationals, but in June he bounced back to his very best form setting a PB time of 8:19.79 in Europe and booking a place in the team for the World Championships and Commonwealth Games. At his second world championships, Ben placed 9th in his heat in a good championship time of 8:29.15, then two weeks later was 5th in the Commonwealth Games.
In 2023 he won his first National title but injury hampered him in Europe and he didn’t qualify for the world championships.

 

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