POWER-PACKED FIELD WILL WALK THE WALK ON GAMES COURSE
AN Olympic-stacked, powerpacked field hailed as one of the strongest assembled in Queensland this decade will on Sunday roadtest the Commonwealth Games’ walking course.
Rio Games 20km bronze medallist Dane Bird-Smith headlines an all-star cast for the 5km Racewalking Queensland Invitational that has attracted some of the nation’s best young talent.
Sam McCure was recently selected for the Queen’s Baton Relay for April’s Gold Coast Games and the legally blind 11-year-old will get an early thrill when he lines up in the men’s field alongside Bird-Smith.
Olympic champion Jared Tallent will be there to inspect the course, while wife Claire – hopeful of qualifying for Gold Coast – is in the women’s field.
There she will vie with fellow Games aspirant Jessica Pickles and Australian World Junior team hopeful Katie Haywood, setting the scene for a race that will be anything but a stroll in the park.
“It's a strong field and it’s been a while since Queensland held an event that’s on this level,” Racewalking Queensland president Shane Pearson said.
“This is a really good opportunity for us to show what we can do.
“Some of the athletes in there are some of the best young athletes around; this is the future of the sport plus we have Olympians competing.”
Gold Coast coach Robyn Wales said lining up alongside an Olympic star will be the biggest thrill for many, including Queensland under-12 champion McCure.
“It’s the most high-profile field we’ve had for a long time,” she said.