World Teams Race Walking Championships: Isaac Beacroft World Junior Champion

22 April 2024

World Teams Race Walking Championships: Issac Beacroft World Junior Champion

The incredible rise of 16-year-old Hills Club athlete Isaac Beacroft continued overnight at the 2024 World Race Walking Team Championships in Turkey when he was crowned World Junior Champion. Competing in the under-20 10km road walk event against athletes three years older, Isaac won by just one second, after a late surge in the race. He became the youngest ever winner in the event surpassing 17-year-old Colombian Eider Arevalo who won the title in 2010.

Isaac was a little overwhelmed with the result.

"I'm just amazed, I can't believe it, I'm so happy with what I just did,” he said.

“I always knew I had it in me that I could always be up there, ready to go. But wining is just another level, it's unreal, I'm just so stoked. I haven't done many road races, I only raced one in my entire life so coming on to this track it's fast all I know. I'm just hoping that I setup the platform for rest of the Australian team to tear it up."

Indeed, Issac did set the standard for the Australian team who in the final event, the Marathon Race Walk Mixed Relay, successfully qualified two teams for the Paris Olympics.

Isaac’s time of 39:56 was nearly a minute under the Australian under-20 record of 40:54 held by Adam Rutter. He also led home the Australian junior team to a bronze medal in the teams event.

Issac now tops the Australian roll of honour in this event:

-47. Isaac Beacroft (NSW) 39:56 2024
-46. Nathan Brill (Vic) 41:07 2014
-45. Adam Rutter (NSW) 42:07 2004
-44. Kyle Swan (Vic) 41:44 2018
-43. Jesse Osborne (Qld) 42:13 2014
-42. Declan Tingay (WA) 42:01 2018

In the senior events, just Jared Tallent and Simon Baker have won titles.

Another five NSW athletes were competing at the championships, an indication of the resurgence of race walking in NSW. In the under-20 women’s 10km race, 16-year-old Zoe Woods was 22nd in 48:36 – a 21 seconds PB.

In the open women’s 20km Walk, Allanah Pitcher, on her third Australian team, placed 27th in a time of 1:35.04. It was an all NSW line-up in the event with Hannah Mison, on debut, 38th in 1:38.42 and Lizzy McMillan, on her second senior Australian team, 39th 1:39.04.

Central Coast’s, a regular now on the Australian team, was 64th in the men’s open 20km walk clocking 1:30.39.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW
Image Issac Beacroft (courtesy of World Athletics)