Rhydian Cowley

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Rhydian Cowley

| image = Rhydian Cowley Warsaw 2024.jpg

| caption = Cowley at Korzeniowski Warsaw Race Walking Cup 2024

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1991|01|04|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

| country = Australia

| sport = Race Walking

| event = 50 kilometres race walk
20 kilometres race walk

| pb = 10 kilometres race walk: 38:13
20{{nbsp}}kilometres race walk: 1:18:33
50{{nbsp}}kilometres race walk: 3:52:01

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry|{{AUS}}}}

File:Olympic rings.svg

}}

Rhydian Cowley (born 4 January 1991) is an Australian race walker born in Glen Waverley, Victoria who specialises in the 50 kilometres race walk and 20 kilometres race walk.{{cite web |url=https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/australia/rhydian-cowley-14940604 |title=Rhydian COWLEY |website=World Athletics |access-date=26 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160511153334/http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/australia/rhydian-cowley-238518 |archive-date=11 May 2016 |url-status=live}} Cowley competed in the 2013 World Championships in Moscow and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.{{cite news |url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/sport/rhydian-cowley-heads-for-20km-road-walk-in-rio-with-a-spring-in-his-step-as-team-mate-jared-tallent-receives-his-long-overdue-london-gold-medal/news-story/0f98b14b97e6099146b934aebcd315c2 |title=Rhydian Cowley heads for 20km road walk in Rio with a spring in his step as team mate Jared Tallent receives his long overdue London gold medal |work=The Herald Sun |date=20 June 2016 |access-date=26 July 2016 |author=Turner, David |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002170018/https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/sport/rhydian-cowley-heads-for-20km-road-walk-in-rio-with-a-spring-in-his-step-as-team-mate-jared-tallent-receives-his-long-overdue-london-gold-medal/news-story/0f98b14b97e6099146b934aebcd315c2 |archive-date=2 October 2018 |url-status=live}} For both of his major championship competitions, Cowley qualified in the 20 kilometres race walk.{{cite web |url=http://athhistory.imgstg.com/athletes/athlete5515.htm |title=Rhydian Cowley |website=athhistory.imgstg.com |publisher=Australian Athletics Historical Results |access-date=26 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819053655/http://athhistory.imgstg.com/athletes/athlete5515.htm |archive-date=19 August 2016 |url-status=usurped}} He has also competed at a Summer Universiade, five World Race Walking Cups, and a World Junior Championships. In 2021, he competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo where he finished in 8th in the men's 50 kilometres walk with a new personal best time of 3:52.01 just 113 seconds behind the eventual winner Dawid Tomala of Poland.{{Cite web |title=COWLEY Rhydian |work=Tokyo 2020 Olympics |url=https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/athletics/athlete-profile-n1481549-cowley-rhydian.htm |access-date=29 September 2021}}{{dead link|date=March 2025}}

Personal life

Cowley was born on 4 January 1991. He attended Melbourne High School and Deakin University in his schooling years,{{cite web |url=http://www.vrwc.org.au/tim-archive/articles/wv-rhydian-cowley.pdf |title=Rhydian Cowley |publisher=Victorian Race Walking Club |access-date=5 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918164804/http://www.vrwc.org.au/tim-archive/articles/wv-rhydian-cowley.pdf |archive-date=18 September 2016 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://blogs.deakin.edu.au/deakinspirit/athlete-profiles/rhydian-cowley/ |title=Rhydian Cowley / Deakin Spirit |publisher=Deakin University |access-date=5 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808022127/https://blogs.deakin.edu.au/deakinspirit/athlete-profiles/rhydian-cowley/ |archive-date=8 August 2016 |url-status=live}} completing a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Commerce at the latter institution.{{cite web |title=The 2022 Commonwealth Games begin this week: good luck to our elite-athlete students and alumni in Birmingham |url=https://blogs.deakin.edu.au/deakinlife/2022/07/25/the-2022-commonwealth-games-begin-this-week-good-luck-to-our-elite-athlete-students-and-alumni-in-birmingham/ |website=Deakin Life |date=25 July 2022 |publisher=Deakin University |access-date=27 July 2022}} He currently lives in Glen Waverley, Victoria, Australia. Cowley started race walking at Little Athletics when he was 8 years old.{{Cite web |title=Rhydian Cowley |url=https://www.olympics.com.au/olympians/rhydian-cowley/ |access-date=29 September 2021 |website=Australian Olympic Committee}}

Competition

Cowley's debut at an international athletics competition was at the 2008 World Race Walking Cup where he competed in the junior 10{{nbsp}}kilometre race; finishing 39th in at time 45{{nbsp}}minutes and 24{{nbsp}}seconds.{{cite web |url=http://www.iaaf.org/results/iaaf-world-race-walking-cup/2008/23rd-iaaf-world-race-walking-cup-3657/men/10-kilometres-race-walk/final/result |title=10 Kilometres Race Walk Men |publisher=IAAF |access-date=26 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016133434/http://www.iaaf.org/results/iaaf-world-race-walking-cup/2008/23rd-iaaf-world-race-walking-cup-3657/men/10-kilometres-race-walk/final/result |archive-date=16 October 2015 |url-status=live}} He then competed at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics where he finished 17th in the 10{{nbsp}}kilometres event. Cowley competed in two more World Race Walking Cups in 2010 and 2012. At the 2010 competition he once again competed in the junior 10{{nbsp}}kilometre race. This time he finished 15th. At the 2012 edition of the IAAF World Race Walking Cup he competed in the senior 20{{nbsp}}kilometre walk and finished 90th. He competed in his first World Championships in the 2013 competition where he finished 50th out of 64 athletes in the 20{{nbsp}}kilometre walk. The 2014 World Race Walking Cup was Cowley's fourth World Race Walking Cup. He finished 57th in the senior 20{{nbsp}}kilometre walk. Cowley competed in the 2015 Summer Universiade, his first Summer Universiade. His finish of 13th in the 20 kilometres walk was his best ever finish at an international competition. Cowley's best finish at a World Race Walking Cup came in the 2016 edition when he finished 39th in the senior 20{{nbsp}}kilometre walk. Cowley qualified for his first Summer Olympics in 2016. At the 2016 Summer Olympics he will compete in the 20{{nbsp}}kilometre walk.

Cowley has said he was inspired when rival Australian race-walker Jared Tallent was awarded his gold medal for the 50 kilometres walk at the 2012 Summer Olympics in 2016 after Sergey Kirdyapkin was disqualified for doping. He said; "I’m looking forward to going to the Treasury steps and watching Jarred get his medal. For so long, we’ve known there was something wrong with the Russian system. There’s been so many failed tests."

In 2019, he competed in the men's 20 kilometres walk at the 2019 World Athletics Championships held in Doha, Qatar.{{Cite web |title=Men's 20 kilometres walk – Final |url=https://media.aws.iaaf.org/competitiondocuments/pdf/6033/AT-20KR-M-f----.RS6.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724101622/https://media.aws.iaaf.org/competitiondocuments/pdf/6033/AT-20KR-M-f----.RS6.pdf |archive-date=24 July 2020 |access-date=24 July 2020 |website=2019 World Athletics Championships}} He did not finish his race.

At the 2020 Summer Olympics in 2021, Cowley placed 8th in the men's 50 kilometres walk with a new personal best.{{Cite web |title=Athletics - Final Results - Men's 50 km Race Walk |url=https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/athletics/result-men-s-50km-race-walk-fnl-000100-.htm |work=Tokyo 2020 Olympics |access-date=7 August 2021 |archive-date=22 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722145536/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/athletics/result-men-s-50km-race-walk-fnl-000100-.htm |url-status=dead}}

References

External links

{{World Athletics|australia/rhydian-cowley-14940604}}
[https://www.athletics.com.au/athlete/rhydian-cowley/ Rhydian Cowley] at Australian Athletics
[https://athletics.possumbility.com/athletes/athlete5515.htm Rhydian Cowley] at Australian Athletics Historical Results
{{Australian Olympic Committee|rhydian-cowley}}
{{Commonwealth Games Australia|rhydian-cowley}}
{{Olympics.com|rhydian-cowley}}
{{Olympedia}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20240828025203/https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/rhydian-cowley_1939848 Rhydian Cowley] at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics (archived, [https://paris2024.rtve.es/es/paris-2024/atleta/rhydian-cowley_1939848 alternate link])
{{2022 Commonwealth Games profile|53375}}

{{Australian athletes at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics}}

Category:1991 births

Category:Living people

Category:Australian male race walkers

Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Australia

Category:Olympic athletes for Australia

Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Australia

Category:Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field)

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics

Category:Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics