B.C. Olympic racewalker back as coach and competitor

B.C. racewalker Evan Dunfee is back at the Olympics, not only to compete individually but also to pair up with a young athlete he’s been coaching at UBC for a new event.

The pair are about to team up on the world’s biggest stage for the Olympic debut of the marathon racewalk mixed relay.

4:27 Richmond’s Evan Dunfee on his Commonwealth Games gold medal

“It’s certainly a unique position to be in. I’ll be one of the very few athletes at the games in that position,” Dunfee told Global’s This is BC.

“He has been in my shoes and walked this path before me,” added Olivia Lundman.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News’ Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Now in his third Olympics and coming off a bronze medal in Tokyo, 33-year-old Dunfee remembers the strange looks and occasional car horns he used to get when preparing for a race.

“You can differentiate between a negative honk and a positive honk and I think 15 years ago I got a lot of negative honks out there training in my short shorts and singlets,” he said.

1:19 Bronze-medal race walker Evan Dunfee welcomed home by family and friends in Vancouver

His success, including a gold at the Commonwealth Games two years ago, has helped earn respect for a unique sport.

“It’s been really special to feel like I’ve played a role in that and I think more people now just have a respect for how hard it is,” Dunfee added.

At age 21, more than a decade after first trying out race walking, Lundman has qualified for her first Olympics under the guidance of a childhood hero.

“To go from that little girl, looking up to this amazing superstar Olympian racewalker to now competing alongside him,” said Lundman.

2:15 Evan Dunfee: Canadian Olympian with the true meaning of sportsmanship

The pair are heading to Paris as underdogs having finished twenty-first in qualifications, taking away a lot of that pressure that comes on race day.

“I’m excited to see what Olivia and I can do and how much we can improve upon our qualifying race,” said Dunfee.

“If it wasn’t for him I’d be very lost,” said Lundman.

“It’s been a dream that came to fruition faster than I thought it would. Ten-year-old me would definitely not believe me, if I were to tell her this story.”

&copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.