No less than four Olympic medallists led by Rhydian Cowley and Jemima Montag will be in action at this weekend’s Supernova, a World Athletics Race Walking Tour – Silver showdown over 10,000m fresh off a training camp in the nation’s capital.
Kick-starting 2025 on the roads of Canberra, Australia’s premier race walkers have been joined by a handful of international rivals and friends ahead of the Supernova 10,000m races to be held from January 26-27 – sharing hundreds of kilometres before the 25-lap battles.
For the men, Paris medallist Cowley (Brent Vallance) takes on fellow Olympic medallist Evan Dunfee (CAN) and Australian record holder Declan Tingay (Brent Vallance), while 17-year-old Isaac Beacroft (David Beacroft) will be fearless in his bid to match it with his senior counterparts.
“People are pretty enthusiastic about the Supernova. It’s the first one of the season and you want to get one up on everyone else. It has built up over the years to become one of the world’s best 10,000m walking events,” Cowley said.
“There’s been a big group during our key interval sessions, so I think it’s going to be a bit of a ding-dong battle for podium places. Knowing that a bunch of those younger guys coming through are really hungry; it has definitely kept me honest to try and stay in front of them.”
Dunfee reigned supreme in 2024 with a swift time of 38:25.42, but Tingay’s 38:03.78 career-best sets a tough standard for the field as the 10th fastest time in world history.
Beacroft confirmed his status us a rising star with fourth place at the 2024 World Under 20 Championships in an Australian Under 20 record of 39:36.39, now set to challenge his more experienced rivals including Kyle Swan (Jared Tallent), Will Thompson (Brent Vallance) and Timothy Fraser (Jared Tallent).
“The good thing about the training camp environment is that you can pick a pace that suits everyone. People like Jemima, Declan and Kyle – we have been able to pass on our experiences to the next crew coming through,” Cowley said.
Dual Olympic medallist Montag (Brent Vallance) will look to add to her Supernova dominance in recent years in the Women’s race, where she will meet Tokyo Olympic medallist Lorena Arenas (COL) and World Championships medallist Antigoni Ntrismpioti (GRE).
Victory will be at the top of the Australian’s wish-list for the 10,000m event, with Montag leading a resurgent charge of stocks including Paris Olympians Olivia Sandery (Jared Tallent) and Rebecca Henderson (Simon Baker), while Elizabeth McMillen (Jared Tallent) looms as one of the bolters of 2025 and Alexandra Griffin (Jared Tallent) builds on her World Under 20 debut in 2024.
Kerry Saxby-Junna holds the national record at 41:57.22, while her 42:46.45 effort remains the fastest time walked on Australian soil. Montag’s 42:34.30 performance en route to Commonwealth gold in 2022 places her second on the Australian all-time list.
Clemence Beretta (FRA) and Mansi Negi (IND) add further international credentials to the star-studded affair.
Full entry lists and more information can be found HERE.
By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted 21/1/2025
