One of the biggest events on the wheelchair racing calendar takes off in Sydney on January 26. The GIO Oz Day 10K features a strong field of Australian athletes including racing legend Kurt Fearnley, young gun Rheed McCracken and Commonwealth gold medallist Angie Ballard. Among the nations competing are Canada, Japan, USA, UK, South Korea, South Africa and France. There are separate starts for men, women and junior competitors.
CEO of Wheelchair Sports NSW, Jim O’Brien, described the race as the first major event since the Paralympics finished in September. “Aside from the race, it’s an opportunity for our younger racers to meet and train with renowned athletes who can inspire and mentor them to be the best they can be,” he said.
Now in its 28th year the event, which is free for the public to watch, features a new course that runs from The Rocks to Barangaroo. Starting time is 9am outside the Museum of Contemporary Art with a free breakfast served at 8am.
On January 24, the Sydney Skins Track Meet will be held at Blacktown International Sportspark Athletics Centre. Also a free event it gives people the opportunity to watch the athletes work out at an intense training session.