Athletics Australia – The 50km road to Berlin – – Australian athletics boasts the reigning world champion Nathan Deakes

Australia’s most prosperous event in terms of medal returns in the last Olympic cycle, the men’s 50km walk, will be the first of the selection trial events for the 2009 world championships and will be staged at Melbourne’s Fawkner Park this Sunday.

Australian athletics boasts the reigning world champion Nathan Deakes, and recent Beijing silver medallist Jared Tallent in the longest event on the athletics program, and it’s depth beyond that is still surprising to many. Luke Adams stepped into replace an injured Deakes at the Olympics, and finished an admirable 10th place while having a more specific focus in the shorter 20km event.

With selection secure for the reigning world champion through the IAAF automatic entry rules, this could allow for up to four Australian athletes to be selected for the world championships in Berlin.

Tallent will be an automatic nomination for Berlin after his medal winning heroics in Beijing, and with Luke Adams also carrying a high quality ‘A’ qualifier from Beijing, there may only be the one spot available to join the very strong team.

The form would suggest that it will be two team mates from the Osaka world championships, Chris Erickson and the veteran of Atlanta and Sydney Olympic teams Duane Cousins. With an automatic nomination for the winner who finishes inside the A standard of 3:58:00, both Erickson and Cousins will fancy their chances on Sunday. The weather is predicted to be cool and the Fawkner Park circuit proved to be fast earlier this year when Tallent blazed to winning 20km time of 1:19:41.

Erickson, the Beijing 20km Olympian has lowered his 20km PB on three occasions this year and is keen to test himself again at the 50km distance. His current PB of 3:58:22 sits just outside the A standard.

Cousins was the unlucky athlete to miss out on Beijing after he finished last year’s trial inside the A standard but in fourth position behind the AIS walking squad of Tallent, Adam Rutter and Adams, who until that race were all 20km specialists.

Other Beijing Olympians on display this weekend will be Adam Rutter in the men’s 20km, Claire Tallent in the women’s 20km, and dual Olympic medallist Tallent will start the 50km event, but will only be out to test his early season training over the first 30km.

Australian 50km Road Walking Championships
Sunday, 14 December 2008
Fawkner Park, Melbourne
Men 50000 Metres Race Walk Open – 7:00am
Men 20000 Metres Race Walk Open – 8:00am
Women 20000 Metres Race Walk Open – 8:00am
Men 10000 Metres Race Walk Junior – 8:30am
Women 10000 Metres Race Walk Junior – 8:30am

With thanks to Brent Vallance