Three Central Coast athletes have been named by Athletics Australia in the national team for the World Athletics Race Walking Teams Championships to be held in Muscat, Oman, on March 4 and 5.
Making their international debuts in the team are Allanah Pitcher and Carl Gibbons, while Tyler Jones will be returning to the national team.
It is a personal achievement for Frank Overton who coaches all three athletes.
Pitcher, 18, regarded as one of Australia’s best juniors for the last five years, placed third in the trial, held recently in Adelaide, clocking a 10km road walk PB of 49:40.
Selected in the under-20 10km walk, she has been in tremendous form recently clocking a quick track 10,000m best of 49:17.7, a time which qualifies her for the World U20 Championships in July.
The trials for the track World Juniors will be held in Sydney in late March.
Through COVID, Carl Gibbons has been NSW’s leading men’s race walker.
The Australian U20 Road Walking champion in 2015, Gibbons, now 25, will be Australia’s first ever representative in the new distance of 35km, which will also be the distance for the longer walk at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon in July.
In the Adelaide trial over 20km, Gibbons clocked a nearly one-minute PB time of 1:26.30.
Tyler Jones, 23, returns to the national team after a six-year break and his senior international debut.
He will compete in the 20km Walk in Oman at his third Race Walking Teams Championships, following appearances in 2014 and 2016 in the junior races.
Also as a junior he competed at the World Youth (2015) and World Juniors (2016) Championships.
At the trial in Adelaide, Tyler was the fourth across the line in a PB of 1:24.10, shaving 92 seconds from his previous best.
Source:
Athletics NSW Facebook page, Feb 16
David Tarbotton, NSW Athletics
Well done guy’s.
Consistent good training pays dividends. Don’t Panic, relax and compete well.