Emerging middle-distance runner Angus Hincksman has shattered a world record as the Australian athletics championships commenced on Thursday.
On Friday, at Sydney Olympic Park, the young Paralympian is set to face off in the senior men’s para 1500-metre final against the athlete whose record he has just eclipsed.
At just 20 years of age, Hincksman competed in the heats of the able-bodied 1500 metres, where he surpassed the T38 world record previously held by teammate Reece Langdon, a fellow Paralympian.
Angus Hincksman en route to breaking the T38 1500m world record. Casey Sims
The runner from Adelaide clocked a time of 3:46.71, finishing ninth in his heat while improving Langdon’s record by 0.12 seconds, which was set at last year’s national championships in Perth.
“It’s quite surreal,” acknowledged Hincksman.
“This is the premier event for our classification in the world of distance running, and it’s been a record I’ve been striving to achieve for years.
“There’s a list of milestone goals I want to tick off in my career. At the top is winning a gold medal at the world championships and Paralympics, and smashing a world record feels like a significant step forward, which I can now check off.”
Langdon, 30, clinched a bronze medal in the T38 1500m at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
Hincksman was just shy of the podium, finishing fourth in that race, trailing the medallists by a mere 1.01 seconds as he sprinted down the finishing straight of the spectacular Stade de France track.
Hincksman has cerebral palsy, while Langdon lives with cerebellitis.
“Reece and I definitely share a competitive spirit on the track,” Hincksman noted.
“There’s not much chatting before the race. Off the track, he’s a fantastic person, and I’ve known him since I was 16. We’ve shared plenty of time together during training camps and competitions, and I genuinely enjoy racing against him.”
Hincksman and Langdon will go head-to-head for the para 1500m title under the lights at Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre at 8:07 PM on Friday.
Compiled by SportArena.au.
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