Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 123, October 2019 | Page 38

RACE WALKING
A Walk to
Remember
As one of the leading age-groupers in the Western Cape race walking community,
Adam Papier is often seen at races in the province, and he has high hopes not only
for his own walking goals, but also to get more people walking as well. – BY PJ MOSES
Stepping Things Up
Adam and
Jennifer Papier
R
ace walking may have been part of the
Olympics since 1908, but it was never part of
Adam Papier’s plans. Born and raised on the
troubled streets of Bellville South, he spent his youth
playing rugby at school, and with his friends near his
home. “I have always loved sport and have always
been passionate about rugby. Even today I am still
a big fan of rugby and athletics. Every time I have a
chance to watch it on TV then I make sure that I do.”
Adam soon found himself more interested in
competitive race walking than the casual races he had
been involved in, so he made the step up to enter the
Western Province Athletics Grand Prix series of four
race walk events over the year. It was here that the
bug well and truly bit the former rugby player. “After
my first Grand Prix race, I realised that I enjoyed the
competitiveness of race walking, and that I wanted to
see how much I could improve my times. I just started
entering more and more races. I wanted to focus on
But for Adam it would not be rugby that would change
his life, or give him dreams of achieving more than
a ‘boykie’ from Bellville South would ever think he
could. It would be a sport where you didn’t need a ball
in hand, or an eye for a good tackle. “I started casual
walking and entering races about 12 years ago, just to
keep active and fit. I grew to love it, and the sense of
accomplishment it gave me,” he says.
“Then one day I was training near my home, just
walking around my block and trying to perfect my
technique, when an old man called me over and
said to me, ‘Boeta, I have been watching you, and I
think you have a future in this.’ It was funny to hear a
complete stranger say this, but it was also motivating,
and after this exchange I thought about it and realised
38
ISSUE 124 OCTOBER 2019 / www.modernathlete.co.za
speed walking rather than the longer distances, so at
the beginning there were a lot of the shorter distances
to do.”
However, even though Adam was enjoying his
walking and posting new personal bests, it was not all
sunshine and roses, because he hit some low points
early on when he struggled with the technical aspects
that are an integral part of race walking. “My lowest
point was early on in my race walking days, when I
was disqualified for a bent knee. But I learnt from that,
and have become better because of it.”
“You need to keep your focus and concentration at all
times during the race, because your heel to toe has
Bay2Bay
that he may be right, so I trained harder and was more
determined. This kindly stranger motivated me take it
more seriously.”