02.02.2010

Comeback king to headline star field at Hobart's first IAAF World Challenge event

Former world champion and world record-holder Nathan Deakes will launch his much-anticipated return to competitive athletics in Hobart this month when he lines up in Round 1 of the 2010 IAAF Race Walking Challenge, marking the first time the series has ventured to the southern hemisphere in its eight-year history.
 
Thirty-two-year-old Deakes will make a high-stakes return to action at the Hobart waterfront on February 13, the opening round of the IAAF Race Walking Challenge doubling as the Australian 20km race walking championships and Commonwealth Games selection trials.
 
In one of the strongest race walking fields ever assembled on local shores, Deakes will be joined on the start line by 2007 IAAF Race Walking Challenge title-holder Luke Adams (AUS), 2008 victor Jared Tallent, defending champion Eder Sanchez (MEX) and a host of leading local and overseas challengers from as far and wide as Mexico, Japan and New Zealand all out for a share of the $10,000 prize purse.

Fronting up the domestic contingent alongside Deakes, Adams and Tallent will be reigning Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Chris Erickson, Australian Flame representative Adam Rutter and 1998 Commonwealth Games silver medallist Duane Cousins.

Deakes takes to the start line with an impressive list of credentials to his name, highlighted by his 2006 world record in the 50km walk, 2007 world championships win in the same event, four Commonwealth Games gold medals (2002 – 20km walk, 50km walk, 2006 – 20km walk, 50km walk) and bronze medal in the 20km walk at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

The Victorian, who was forced out of the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 and the world championships in Berlin in 2009 through injury, has already stated his desire to defend his Commonwealth Games titles in New Delhi (IND) in October and will be out to impress selectors at the Hobart meet.

With just three places up for grabs in the Commonwealth Games team, competition will be fast and furious on the Hobart waterfront.

Fresh from his win in the 5000m walk at the Australia Cup meet in Canberra on Saturday night, Tallent said the February 13 event was building as the best domestic race walking event ever seen in Australia.

“It’s going to be good, it's a great field lined up and if you think about it we're going to have the last three winners of the Challenge racing with me, Luke Adams and Eder Sanchez all out there and with Nathan Deakes coming back as well it will make for a pretty tough Commonwealth Games trial,” Tallent said.

“Nathan will definitely come back firing and want to do well so I’ve been training very hard and I want to make sure I get out there and show him what I’m capable of, so it's going to be interesting.

“When you’ve got Adam (Rutter), Luke (Adams), Nathan (Deakes), Chris (Erickson) and myself and there are only three spots up for grabs it’s going to make for some great racing and probably the best domestic race we’ve ever had.”

Australian Flame representatives Cheryl Webb and Claire Tallent will headline the women’s field alongside Beijing Olympian Kellie Wapshott in the race for Commonwealth Games selection.
 
The Hobart leg of the IAAF Race Walking Challenge is part of a bumper weekend of athletics action on the Apple Isle, which also features the Briggs Athletics Classic and Australian combined events championships.

Briggs Athletics Classic: Friday February 12, 5:30pm at the Domain Athletics Centre
For ticket details, click here

Australian combined events championships: Saturday 13 and Sunday, February 14 at the Domain Athletics Centre

Australian 20km race walking championships: Saturday February 13, 6pm at the Hobart waterfront