Katie's Story
Fast Facts
Sport: Athletics
Event: 20km race walk
Olympic History: Tokyo 2020
Highlights: Gold medal 2019 University Games
Coach: Steve Langley
Year Born: 2000
State Born: QLD
About Katie
Katie Hayward was an active kid that did a range of sports, including nippers, surf lifesaving, dancing, soccer and touch football. Aged 10, as a cross country runner she joined Gold Coast Little Athletics and saw a walking race. She didn’t know there was such an event. She joined in and won.
Her junior career in athletics was remarkable, regularly breaking high quality national records, particularly the U18 5000m and U20 10,000m. She made her international debut in May 2018 in the under-20 race at the World Race Walking Cup in China, but was unfortunately disqualified. Katie and her coach meticulously reviewed the performance and it resulted in an outstanding performance two months later at the World Juniors/U20s where she placed fifth – Australia’s best place in the event for 10 years.
While only 18 in January 2019 she made her 20km walk debut in Adelaide clocking the stunning time of 1:29.25. It made her the third fastest in Australian history. The time was also was the fastest time ever by an Australian on home soil and fastest by an Aussie for seven years.
Five weeks later she matched the time clocking 1:29.31 in Japan. In April she won the national 10,000m title and in her senior international debut she comfortably won the 2019 World University Games title in warm conditions in Italy.
In stifling heat at the 2019 World Championships in Doha she was unfortunately disqualified.
The 20-year-old will make her Olympic debut in Tokyo, donning the green and gold in the women's 20km race walk.
In March 2021 a terrific 1:30.41 second place to Jemima Montag, the Commonwealth Games champion, put Katie on track for selection to make her Olympic debut in Tokyo. Named in the Olympic team, Katie, now 21, placed 37th in the stifling heat in Sapporo clocking 1:38.11.
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