En Route to Paris Olympics, Track and Field Icon Secures European Masters Racewalking Win

There is no age barrier to making history in the sporting realm, especially with the Paris Olympics is drawing closer. Athletes, irrespective of their physical condition, race, or health, are embarking on adventurous journeys. Ian Richards, the racewalker from Great Britain, had the opportunity to represent his nation at the 1980 Summer Games. Since then, he has woven several track and field success stories, but this time is different.

Richards made his comeback at age 60, which stood as a testament to his invincibility. In 2019, the Sussex Sports Awards rewarded him with the title ‘Sports Personality of the Year’. To justify the status he cemented in history, the 75-year-old stepped foot on the European Masters’ track again.

Track and field legend with the win at 75

Athletics Weekly has posted the celebratory news of Richards’ win. The caption reads, “44 years after he finished 11th in the Moscow Olympics 50km walk Ian Richards strikes gold in the European Masters M75 3000m walk in Toruń in Poland”. In 1980, in the men’s 50km race, the Stockport native missed the podium by a remarkable gap. Finishing 11th in the feat ignited Olympic hopes in his heart. But he was not seen in any Summer Games after that.

Forty-four years later, he may make a track and field appearance, but nothing can be confirmed yet. “I retired from competing at age 34 but restarted at age 60 to do a few things I wished I had done when I was younger”. This statement asserted that legends can resume pursuing their passions at any age. The British, European, and World Masters Race Walker of the Year 2019 has nine world age records under his belt. Having said so, let’s take a look at his illustrious career.

Ian Richard’s storied career

If most people recognize Richards to be a track master, they should also know that he had flourished in Pension Investment, too. The 75-year-old made a world record at the 2013 World Masters Athletics Championships. Clocking in at  24:13.10, the British athlete nabbed the M65 5,000-meter racewalk win. This came along with the silver in the 10km racewalk.

Another success was added to his purse in 2015, at the World Masters Athletics Championships, which came from the 5000m. For two consecutive years (2017 and 2018), the Olympian participated in the European and World Masters Championships. But he tasted peak success at the 2019 World Masters Indoor Championships, which witnessed him break the 3000m racewalking M70 world record. The same year, his Sussex triumph etched his name in the annals of history.

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