Australian Beacroft smashes U20 world record to continue golden form

Isaac Beacroft, the 19-year-old Australian athlete from Blacktown, has achieved back-to-back gold medals at prestigious international events, smashing the U20 world record in the 5km race walk. Beacroft's victory at the world athletics under-20 championships in Eugene, Oregon, has added to his remarkable streak of success, following his Commonwealth Games gold medal in Glasgow. The world athletics under-20 championships still have one more day of events scheduled.

Beacroft's record-breaking victory in Oregon came with a time of 18:40.37, surpassing the previous record by more than seven seconds. He edged out silver medallist Huajia Pu from China by more than three seconds, with Pu finishing at 18:43.70. Nicolo Vidal of Italy secured third place, more than 12 seconds behind Beacroft.

Although Beacroft acknowledged the pressure of competing at the highest level, he expressed his satisfaction with his performance. "I knew coming in it was going to be so hard. It definitely was pretty hard, so I'm just so happy to get it done," he said. The Australian athlete also noted that racing to his full potential was challenging, as people expect an easy victory after winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal. Despite the pressure, Beacroft managed to maintain his focus and deliver an impressive performance.

In an interview, Beacroft discussed the difficulty of transitioning from Glasgow to Oregon after his race. "I had a day or two after my race to try and freshen up, but I didn't really freshen up there. I went out with the Commonwealth Games boys and girls. I didn't go too hard on the partying, but there was definitely some done, then it was pretty rough to travel here."

Despite the travel hiccups, Beacroft's Australian team of Thewbelle Philp, Zara Hagan, Grace Crowe, and Emilia Reed secured a victory in the women's 4x100m sprint heat.