Three NSW Race Walkers to compete at World Race Walking Team Championships this weekend
Published Fri 04 Mar 2022
3 March 2022
Three NSW Race Walkers to compete at World Race Walking Team Championships this weekend
NSW race walkers will be action on Friday and Saturday at the World Athletics Race Walking Teams Championships being held in Muscat, Oman.
Making their international debuts in the team are Allanah Pitcher and Carl Gibbons, while Tyler Jones will be making his senior Australian debut.
Allanah Pitcher, the first to compete in the under-20 10km walk. Her event sees 43 athletes from 23 countries on the start line. Allanah’s seed time of 49:40 puts her around top-20 on paper.
On Saturday Carl Gibbons makes an historic debut as the first ever Australian to contest the 35km Walk at a World Championship. He has the biggest field of 85 athletes from 35 countries. Saturday afternoon Oman time, Tyler Jones starts in the men’s 20km walk where 83 athletes from 32 countries compete.
Competition Timetable:
4 March 2022
Day 1 competition (AEDT 15:00, 4 March) Women’s U20 10 Kilometres Race Walk – ALLANAH PITCHER
5 March 2022
Day 2 competition (AEDT 14:00, 5 March) Men’s 35 Kilometres Race Walk – CARL GIBBONS
(AEDT 23:00, 5 March) Men’s 20 Kilometres Race Walk – TYLER JONES
Athlete biographies:
ALLANAH PITCHER
EVENT: Women U20 10km Walk
STATE: NSW
AGE: 18
COACH: Frank Overton and Lauren Richardson
PB: 49:40, Adelaide, AUS, 13 Feb 2022 (track 10,000m Walk 49:17.7)
INTERNATIONAL RECORD: Debut
A return to top form has ensured Central Coast race walker Allanah Pitcher will make her Australian team debut at the World Race Walking Team Championships in March in Oman.
A decade ago, when she was aged nine Alannah started her journey in athletics. It was with her current coach Frank Overton, but in a different event – long distance running. She explains how she was fascinated by another event.
“During one of my first sessions, I noticed the group of older athletes doing racewalking training (now my current training partners). I was intrigued by what they were doing, and I asked my coach if I could try it. Since that moment, I joined in the walks at little athletics and the rest of my walking journey followed.”
She reached the pinnacle in Little Athletics.
“My most memorable moment in walking race was the 2016 Australian Little Athletics Championships where I won the gold and broke the Australian meet record for 1500m. This race stands out the most to me as it closely followed the death of a beloved family member, and I was determined to perform for him as well as my family. In fulfilling this goal, it was an extremely emotional and rewarding achievement that remains significant to me 6 years later.”
Within a few years she was on the podium at Australian U20 Championships and in early 2019 clocked a terrific 50:08 for the 10km Walk.
But then in 2020 and 2021, performances plateaued for Allanah.
While these two years overlapped with COVID, Allanah was struggling to manage her studies and training. She also a picked up a hip injury.
But she has fought back this year
“The (injury) caused me to have a negative mindset approaching racing and lose my enjoyment for the sport which subsequently impacted my performance. I have since been working on reframing my mindset which has helped me see improvements in my performance again and most importantly, enjoy my sport and the feeling of movement.”
The national walks camp in January 2022 has been key to her progress, as she explains.
“Consistent training at a month-long camp at the AIS amongst Australia’s best racewalkers, along with a positive mindset has helped.”
She also managed to achieve a high score in the higher school certificate and will start a double degree in Actuarial Studies/Science at Macquarie University in 2022.
And on the track the performances have flowed.
In January she took 93 seconds from her 10,000m walk PB and in February 28 seconds from her 10km Walk best. The times qualified her for selection for the World U20 Championships team (In July) and World Race Walking Team Championships.
Allanah is inspired by one of Australia’s senior race walkers.
“I look up to fellow Australian racewalker Jemima Montag, due to her wisdom and class she exhibits on and off the track. She has a rare ability to balance her life and achieve any goal she wishes to pursue due to her positive mindset. She is an inspiration and mentor to myself and many other young athletes.”
She also rates coach Frank as the most influential person in her career.
“My coach Frank Overton, who has given me advice that will remain with me through all avenues of life. He has always supported and believed in me through the highs and the lows, which has ultimately moulded me into the athlete I am today.”
EVENT: Men 35km Walk
STATE: NSW
AGE: 25
COACH: Frank Overton
PB at 35km: n/a
INTERNATIONAL RECORD: Debut
He started in the sport through Little Athletics in the under-14s. “I found that I enjoyed athletics and was relatively good so I stuck with it,” said Carl.
In 2015, his last year as a junior, he won the national under-20 10km Walk title in a time of 45:19. Later in the year he closed his junior career clocking 44:32. He was also stepping up to the senior distance 20km Walk, with a best of 1:37.39 that year.
He continued to improve his 20km Walk PB as a senior for a couple of years, but between 2018 and 2020, as he was launching into his career as an Electrician and completing his apprentice, his times plateaued. But over the last year he has made tremendous progression. Last year he clocked a PB of 1:27.24 and in February 2022, he smashed his lifetime best again clocking 1:26.30.
Carl explained his progress.
“I have really focused and stepped up my training in the last year and become more confident in my ability to challenge the top guys,” he said.
In Adelaide in February, at the Australian trials for the World Race Walking Team Championship he was the sixth Australian athlete across the line in the 20km walk, and following the event, was selected in the 35km walk event.
Hero: Jared Talent, watching him win so many medals consistently on the world stage…..Most influential person in your career: My coach Frank, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him…..Biggest challenge faced: Completing a 50km race walk, it takes a lot of physical and mental strength to push yourself for that long.
TYLER JONES
EVENT: Men 20km Walk
STATE: NSW
AGE: 23
COACH: Frank Overton
PB: 1:24.10, Adelaide, AUS, 13 Feb 2022
INTERNATIONAL RECORD: 2014 World Race Walking Team U20 10km Walk; 2015 World Youth DNF 10,000m Walk, 2016 World Junior Championships 12th; 2016 World Race Walking Team Championships 40th U20 10km Walk.
After a long junior career representing Australia on four occasions, six years on Tyler Jones makes his senior Australian team debut at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Oman. One of NSW’s finest ever juniors Tyler was in incredible form at the trials in Adelaide where he sliced 92 seconds from his 20km walk personal best to secure his place on the team.
David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW
Image: Coach Frank Overton his three athletes selected for the WRWTC (courtesy of David Tarbotton)
