Ernie Austen

Born in July 1891 Ernest Elliott Austen was one of 14 children. Austen first became interested in competing in racewalking in 1910 but was forced to stop following the outbreak of World War I. He restarted his sporting career in 1919 and won the 1-mile and 3-mile walking events at the Metropolitan Championships at the Sydney Sports Grounds. He would often compete against his great rival George Parker, with Austen recording a string of victories throughout 1920. Both men competed at the 1920 Australian Amateur Championships but this time Parker got the upper-hand, winning both the 3-mile and 1-mile races. These wins helped secure Parker a place at the 1920 Antwerpen Olympics with Austen missing out, much to his disappointment.

Parker retired following the Antwerpen Games with Austen winning multiple races over various distances at the NSW Championships during the early 1920s. In 1923 Austen won the Australasian 7-mile championship in Melbourne, followed by victory in the 1-mile and 3-mile at the 1924 Australian Track Championships in Hobart. These wins paid off with Austen finally earning himself a spot on the Olympic team, this time for the 1924 Paris Games. In the 10 kilometres race walk, however, he was given a warning by an official on the first lap over his gait before another judge disqualified him on the second lap, with him being in third place at the time. It was Austen’s first disqualification in more than 15 years of competing. After initially retiring from the sport following the Olympics, he eventually returned in 1927, winning the 1-mile walk at the Australasian championships. In 1928 he won both the 1-mile and 3-mile races at the NSW track championships, as well as several other races in the Sydney area before retiring for good in 1932. Austen lived a long and healthy life before his death at the age of 93 in May 1985.

Personal Best: 10kmW – unknown.