It was a busy but memorable weekend for UBC’s race walkers.

First-year race walker Ben Thorne set a new Canadian junior record in the 10,000-metres race walk today, posting an unofficial time of 39:00 at Racewalk Victoria, in Victoria, BC. He bettered his own Canadian junior record of 41:34 from last year. Thorne’s time also beat the Canadian senior record of 39:26.02, set by Guillaume Leblanc, in 1990, and should rank him sixth all-time in the world junior 10-kilometres road race walk performance lists.

Three-time NAIA champion Nicola Evangelista clocked 1:13:54 in the 15-kilometres race walk in Victoria as well. This performance qualifies her for the Canadian team for the 2012 IAAF World Race Walking Cup, in Saransk, Russia, this May.

Meanwhile, yesterday in Hobart, Australia, Inaki Gomez and Evan Dunfee posted world-class times in the 20-kilometres race walk at the Oceania & Australia Race Walk Championships, despite sweltering temperatures of 38 degrees Celsius.

Gomez placed third, with a time of 1:24:46, while Dunfee was right behind, placing fourth in 1:25:17. The two have been training in Australia to prepare for the London Olympics. Results from the Oceania & Australia Race Walk Championships are available here.