Race walking champion Nell inspires the next generation
“I was the first woman in Africa to walk sub 1:50 in a 20km event in 1996."
National race walking legend Barbara Nell remains humble even after achieving so much in a career that spans decades.
The 67-year-old recalled team South Africa’s achievements at the 2007 World Masters Athletics Championships (WMAC) in Italy and the 2009 event in Finland, which is also the venue of this year’s showpiece.
“Retrospectively, these were the best overall masters race walking results we enjoyed. We had a large group of walkers at each of these events and we won lots of individual and team medals. In Finland, our race walkers won seven individual and seven team medals.”
She holds nine national records. She was selected for the national team that represented the country at the 16th Race Walking World Cup in Beijing where she was also awarded her national colours.
“In the same season, I was awarded my masters colours and attended my first WMAC in the USA in 1995. I raced for 21 years. The initial seven years in the senior category and from 2003 in the masters’ category.”
As a senior athlete, Nell has won four national senior track and field and five senior road walk championships.
“I was the first woman in Africa to walk sub 1:50 in a 20km event in 1996. I subsequently broke the 20km all Africa record in 1998 in Naumburg, Germany, in a time of 1:43:32.
“I’ve set four senior records in my career. My personal best is 14:51.47 for the 3 000m, 23:44 for the 5 000m, 47:53 for the 10km and 1:58:11 for the 21km.”
As a master’s athlete, she attended 11 WMAC events between 1995 and 2016.
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“I’ve won 14 world championship titles over various distances including 5 000m, 10km and 20km. I’ve also won four silver and three bronze medals. As a member of the SA race walk team at various WMACs, I have won several gold, silver and bronze medals with my fellow team members.”
In 2000, she set the world masters 5 000m race walk record at the South African Master Athletics Championships in Oudtshoorn in the W-40 age group in a time of 24:14.
“I’ve set 18 masters records in my time. I’ve also won various age group race walking events at the SAs on 33 occasions. In addition, I won gold at the provincial masters championships 47 times. I still hold nine Central Gauteng masters records.
“It’s an impressive race walk career that can only make anyone feel very humble.”
Nell has suggested that race walkers who have an interest in the country’s race walking history read Leo Benning’s book For the Love of It, which contains stories of South Africa’s masters athletes and their achievements.
•Issued by Pam Immelman, secretary of Central Gauteng Masters Athletics and Jean-Michel de Senneville
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