VRWC Life Member - Simon Baker

VRWC Logo

Simon Baker, born 6th February 1958, started his walking career early as a promising Little Athlete, his best performance at that level being a win in 800m walk in the inaugural Australian Little Athletics championship in Melbourne in 1970.

From there he moved into the Junior ranks of the Victorian Amateur Athletics Assn, representing the Oakleigh Club and further developing his developing his racewalking skills. It was at this time that he also joined the Victorian Amateur Walkers' Club.

His first international representation came in the 1983 Racewalking World Cup in Norway, aged 25, where he competed in the 20km walk. From then on, he was in just about every Australian team right up till his retirement at the end of 1996. His impressive resume includes representations in 4 Olympics, 4 World Championships, 3 Commonwealth Games, and 6 World Walking Cups. He was Commonwealth Champion over 30km in 1986, Racewalking World Cup winner over 50 km in 1989 and still holds the Commonwealth 50 km track record.

Eventually retiring from active competition in 1996, he has continued to contribute to Australian racewalking in multiple ways:

He was co-founder of the Athletics Australia Athletes Commission and was Chair from 1992 - 1997
He was on the Athletics Australia Board from 1993 to 1996.
He was assistant racewalking coach at the AIS in Canberra from 1994-1996.
He has been an Athletics Australia selector.
He was 1 of 2 Oceania representatives on one of the IAAF Commissions from 1991 to 2001.
He has coached a large number of our top walkers, including the likes of Duane Cousins, Jess Rothwell, Regan Lamble and more recently Rhydian Cowley, Kyle Swan, Adam Garganis, Jemima Montag and Rebecca Henderson.
For many years, he ran a regular 2 week summer training camp at Falls Creek and it regularly attracted walkers from around Australia and overseas.
He regularly coordinated and ran Australian Track & Field Coaches Association and Athletics Australia racewalk coaching courses and wrote articles for the "Modern Athlete and Coach", the Australian Track & Field Coaches Association Journal.

Indeed, few people in the Australian racewalking community have contributed for such a long time and at such a high level as Simon. It was no surprise when he was awarded an Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2018 Australia Day Honours List.

He was awarded his VRWC Life Membership in 2023, a recognition that was perhaps overdue.

Simon is belately awarded his 2023 VRWC Life Membership by President Stuart Cooper on 18th May 2025.

The Victorian Race Walking Club

VRWC Specific Pages

The Rules of Racewalking

Records Records Records

Supporting the 50km

Other Pages

VRWC Results

Other Walking Sites

VRWC Life Member - Simon Baker