Beacroft obliterates world under 20 record

New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder Isaac Beacroft exceeded his plan to put everyone on notice at the New South Wales 10,000m Race Walk Championships by obliterating the world under 20 record. 

Held in cool conditions with light winds at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Warm Up Arena, 18-year-old Beacroft hotfooted his way to victory in a time of 38:02.68. 

By doing so he took a sledgehammer to the record books by: 

• Smashing 42 seconds off the world under 20 record (still to be ratified) 

• Seizing the Australian Open record from dual Olympian Declan Tingay 

• Posting a qualifying time for next year’s Glasgow Commonwealth Games 

• Cutting 1min 34 seconds off his Personal Best 

After breaking clear of the field which contained heavyweights such as the 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist Tingay, Kyle Swan and Will Thompson in the final five laps Beacroft, from Blacktown in Sydney’s western suburbs, also walked his way to the 12^th fastest global time in history. 

“I was meant to go a lot slower, more cautionary, so I didn’t blow up in the back end,” the triumphant Beacroft said after the race.  

“I’ll be honest, for a minute there in the middle 5k I was feeling like ‘I’ve completely blown it out here’ but I just tried to really say ‘oh well I did it myself so I’m ‘gonna’ have to grit my teeth here and go for it’.” 

Beacroft, who is coached by his father David, was a member of the GWS AFL team’s Academy before focussing on athletics. He will aim to secure his berth for Glasgow at the Commonwealth Games trials in Canberra on January 26. 

“It was a hugely impressive performance,” said Michael Perry, NSWIS’s State performance Advisor of Beacroft’s effort.  “Isaac beat a classy – and top calibre – field of Australian walking and has put everyone on notice.” 

Daniel Lane, NSWIS