British Columbia runner Evan Dunfee is returning to the Olympics, not only to compete individually but also as a pair with young athletes he coached at UBC for a new program.
The two men will team up on the world’s biggest stage for the Olympic debut of the mixed marathon relay.
“I would be one of the few athletes at the Olympics to experience a situation like that,” Dunphy told Global This is BC.
“She’s been in my shoes and walked this path before me,” Olivia Lundman said.
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Now in her third Olympics and a bronze medalist in Tokyo, Dunphy, 33, remembers the strange looks and occasional honking of cars as she prepared for the race.
“You can tell the difference between negative honks and positive honks and I think 15 years ago I got a lot of negative honks when I was training in shorts and a jersey,” he said.
His successes, including a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games two years ago, have helped increase respect for the unique sport.
Dunphy continued: “It’s really special to have played a part in this and I think now more and more people understand how difficult it is.”
At 21, more than a decade after he first tried race walking, Lundman qualified for his first Olympics under the guidance of his childhood hero.
“From that little girl to this incredible Olympic cruising superstar to now competing with her,” Lundman said.
Both men head to Paris as underdogs after finishing twenty-first in qualifying, which will take a lot of pressure off on race day.
“I’m really excited to see what Olivia and I can do and how much we can improve in our qualifying races,” Dunphy said.
“Without him, I would be so lost,” Lundman said.
“It’s a dream that came true faster than I thought. If I told this story to a ten-year-old girl, she certainly wouldn’t believe me.
“Amateur problem solver. Hipster-friendly alcohol lover. Beer buff. Infuriatingly humble tv geek.”
