11.03.2010

Tallent, Deakes front team bound for World Race Walking Cup

Dual Olympic medallist Jared Tallent and former world champion and world record-holder Nathan Deakes will lead an 18-strong Australian team into action at the IAAF World Race Walking Cup in Chihuahua, Mexico, in May.

Twenty-five-year-old Tallent will line up for his fourth consecutive World Race Walking Cup in scintillating shape, his win in Round 1 of the IAAF Race Walking Challenge in Hobart last month in the personal best time of 1:19.15 showing he has entered 2010 in ominous form.

In three previous appearances at the World Race Walking Cup Tallent has placed 75th (2004), 14th (2006) and 10th (2008) over 20km, the 2010 edition of the meet to mark the first time the Victorian has attempted the 50km distance at a Cup.

Tallent will be joined over the senior men’s 50km course by a resurgent Nathan Deakes, who made his return to competition in Hobart last month following a serious hamstring injury that forced him out of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and 2009 world championships. In Chihuahua Deakes will contest his first major race on international soil since taking out the 50km world title in Osaka (JPN) in 2007.

Tallent and Deakes will share the start line at the May 15-16 meet with two-time Olympic, four-time world championships and five-time World Race Walking Cup representative Luke Adams, fellow Olympic, world championships and World Race Walking Cup representative Chris Erickson and 2009 World University Games contender Tom Barnes.

Flying the flag for Australia in the senior men’s 20km event will be Australian Flame athlete Adam Rutter and 2009 World University Games representative Ian Rayson.

The senior women’s 20km team will be fronted by Australian Flame athletes Jessica Rothwell, Claire Tallent and Cheryl Webb, the world championships trio to be joined on the start line by Beijing Olympian Kellie Wapshott and 2009 World University Games representative Jillian Hosking.

In the junior division 2009 world youth championships representatives Dane Bird-Smith and Paige Hooper will lead fellow emerging stars Rhydian Cowley and Sean Fitzsimons (junior men – 10km) and Beth Alexander and Regan Lamble (junior women – 10km) into battle against the world’s top race walking talent. Lamble will line up for her second World Race Walking Cup following her 26th placing at the 2008 meet in Cheboksary, Russia.

Australia has enjoyed a strong history of success at the biennial World Race Walking Cup since its inception in 1979, highlighted by Simon Baker’s win over 50km in 1989, silver medals to Kerry Saxby-Junna over 10km in 1989 and Baker over 50km in 1991, and bronze medals to Susan Cook over 10km in 1983 and Nathan Deakes over 20km in 2004.

In 2006 Australia claimed its first ever senior men’s team medal, taking silver in the 20km event (Adams, Erickson, Rutter, Tallent) and going on to claim bronze in the same category in 2008 (Adams, Duane Cousins, Deakes, Rutter, Tallent). Australia’s senior female team has placed third on three occasions since 1979, taking out third place in 1981 (5km), 1983 (10km) and 1987 (10km).

Senior men – 20km (2)
Ian Rayson (22, NSW)
Adam Rutter (23, NSW)

Senior men – 50km (5)
Luke Adams (33, NSW)
Tom Barnes (27, Vic)
Nathan Deakes (32, Vic)
Chris Erickson (28, Vic)
Jared Tallent (25, Vic)

Senior women – 20km (5)
Jillian Hosking (22, ACT)
Jessica Rothwell (20, Vic)
Claire Tallent (28, SA)
Kellie Wapshott (28, ACT)
Cheryl Webb (33, NSW)

Junior men – 10km (3)
Dane Bird-Smith (17, Qld)
Rhydian Cowley (19, Vic)
Sean Fitzsimons (18, WA)

Junior women – 10km (3)
Beth Alexander (17, Vic)
Paige Hooper (17, SA)
Regan Lamble (18, Vic)

Note: Junior athletes are permitted to compete in one of the World Race Walking Cup or world junior championships in 2010, except in the case of exemption from Athletics Australia. As such, selections to the junior teams for the World Race Walking Cup may change following the announcement of the world junior championships team next week.