Sinclairs shoes made for walking

Zac Sinclair is undeterred by the "unglamorous image" the sport of walking portrays, or by being just one of a handful of young walkers in New Zealand. The 16-year-old Wairarapa College student has already caught the eye of national selectors and is focused on achieving all he can in the Olympic sport.
"Some people hassle me about it, but probably because they aren't used to what walking is," he said.
Sinclair hopes to qualify for the 2009 world junior athletics championships and long-term, the Commonwealth Games. After two silver medal performances at the National Championships in the under-19 grade, Sinclair gained a place in the Athletics New Zealand high performance programme. The squad is made up of 200 under-19 athletes nationwide.
Sinclair has only been walking for a year. Last year he was just another talented sprinter but the switch to walking is already paying dividends, his coach Mark Harris said.
"Zac's the only walker in the Wairarapa and around the country there are only a handful. It's not the glamorous side of athletics but Zac's quite capable and should try for the world junior champs," Harris said.
Sinclair competes in the demanding 3km and 10km events. Competent walkers require a smooth technique, with a quick turnover and the ability to maintain a constant pace for long periods. Refining Sinclair's technique is something both coach and student are working on and they attended a coaching seminar in Palmerston North last week to learn more about the walking technique.
Sinclair is also working on strengthening his shins because the sport is demanding on leg muscles.
As well as receiving tuition from coach Harris, Sinclair is in email contact with top walker, Auckland's Tony Sargisson, a silver medal winner in the 50km race at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games.
Upcoming races include the Wellington Championships and the National secondary school event later in the year. Sinclair's goal for the winter is to improve his race times to 54 minutes for the 10km event and under the 14 minute barrier in the 3km event. Sinclair already travels regularly to attend races and international trips may not be too far away.