Declan Tingay (athletics) topped off an impressive 2022 season with a silver medal in the men’s 10,000m track race walk at his first Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. The season also included personal best times in the 5000m track and 20km road walks, 17th in the 20km race walk at the Eugene world championships, as well as helping the Australian team claim fourth place in the 20km walk at the World Race Walking Teams Championships in Oman.

That remarkable form continued in 2023. In February, he became Australia’s fastest ever race walker over 10,000m at World Athletics Race Walking Tour in Canberra (38:03.78), shattering Dave Smith’s record set in 1985. He then served up personal bests in the 20km at the Oceania Championships (1:20:20), the All-Japan Championships (1:18:46) in March – which elevated him to number two Australian of all time – then went on to clock 1:18:30 for eighth place at the world championships in Budapest.

Starting athletics aged 5, Declan began to take race walks seriously around the age of 14. He rapidly ascended the Australian rankings in 2018, taking the national under-20 10,000m record when placing an outstanding fourth at the World Junior (under-20) Championships in Finland as well as bronze as a member of the national under-20 team at the World Race Walking Championships in China.

With a goal to finish top 30 in his 20km Olympic debut, Tingay finished 17th amongst the Tokyo 2020 field in Sapporo, securing a 1:24.00 PB in the process. Despite missing the 2024 Olympic selection trials with injury, Declan was able to help Australia qualify a second mixed relay team in Paris where he teamed up with Bec Henderson to finish 22nd. He finished 11th in the individual 20km event in another PB of 1:19:56.

A graduate in sports science, exercise and health from the University of Western Australia, Declan was coached in his early years by his father renowned astrophysicist Professor Steven Tingay and now trains under coach Brent Vallance in Melbourne.