Madison De Rozario recorded her 8th consecutive and 10th win overall at last weekend’s GIO Oz Day 10K while Japan’s Sho Watanabe topped the men’s race amid huge hometown crowds in Sydney on Australia Day.
Despite the temperature soaring to 39 degrees celsius and the race being moved forward a half hour for health and safety reasons, spectators gathered at The Rocks to catch 22 world-class athletes from four nations in action in the 35th running of the event, with three nations represented on the podium.
De Rozario sped away at the start to repeat last year’s feat, beating fellow Australian Christie Dawes across the line to equal her coach Louise Sauvage’s 10 wins – the most of any woman and second only to Kurt Fearnley’s 11 wins overall. Emily Tapp closed out bronze for an all-Australian women’s podium.
It was much closer in the mens, with 2017 Tokyo marathon winner Watanabe breaking away from a pack of five men on the second of three laps for a hard-fought win, relegating Oz Day veteran Pierre Fairbank of New Caledonia to his second consecutive runner-up finish ahead of Australian and two-time Oz Day 10K winner Jake Lappin.
Mana Global’s 360 Sport and Entertainment arm produced the live broadcast of the event in collaboration with Gravity Media for FOX Sports Australia with simultaneous transmission on FOX507, Kayo and Foxtel GO/Now and livestreaming on Wheelchair Sports NSW/ACT’s Youtube channel and Facebook page. Mana Head of Content Will McCloy hosted the live broadcast from Gravity Studios in Artarmon (Sydney) alongside Commonwealth Games para-athlete Julie Charlton and wheelchair tennis star Hayley Slocombe.