Oz Day 10K Wheelchair Road Race is held on Australia Day in The Rocks, Sydney and is marquee event on the international wheelchair racing calendar, attracting prominent international and Australian athletes.
The inaugural race was held in 1990 around Centennial Park in Sydney amongst traffic travelling around the Park.[1] The inaugural race was the brainchild of Peter Trotter and Jeff Wiseman, two prominent wheelchair racers that trained at the Park.[1] Trotter a former 10 km road racing champion had competed in similar events throughout the world.[2] Their philosophy in creating the event was for disabled children to see elite wheelchair athletes in competition.[1] Sixty five athletes including sixteen international and eighteen interstate athletes competed. Australian cricketer Mike Whitney started the race and New South Wales Premier Nick Greiner and record breaking aviator Gaby Kennard presented the winners prizes which included prize money.[2] Over one thousand spectators watched the event.[2]
The race was moved to the Sydney Rocks area in 1991 and consisted of two 5 km laps.[1] Over the years, the organisers have encountered difficulties as major city roads need to be closed.[1] The race in normally held early in the morning to overcome the difficulties of road closures.
The race is supported by the Australia Day Council and Sydney City Council and managed by Wheelchair Sports NSW.[1] It is now an iconic event in Sydney on Australia Day.
Prominent international and Australian athletes have competed in the event and prize money is awarded. At the completion of the 2024 event, Kurt Fearnley had won the race eleven times and Louise Sauvage and Madison de Rosario ten times.[3]
| Year | Men's Open Event | Women's Event | Men's T52 Event | Women's T52 Event | Men's T51 Event | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Not held | Heinrich Koberle [4] | ||||
| 1991 | Not held | |||||
| 1992 | Not held | Fabian Blattman [5] | ||||
| 1993 | Not held | |||||
| 1994 | Not held | Heinrich Koberle [6] | ||||
| 1995 | Not held | |||||
| 1996 | Not held | |||||
| 1997 | Not held | |||||
| 1998 | Not held | |||||
| 1999 | Not held | |||||
| 2000 | Not held | |||||
| 2001 | Not held | |||||
| 2002 | Not held | |||||
| 2003 | Not held | |||||
| 2004 | ||||||
| 2005 | No competitor | |||||
| 2006 | ||||||
| 2007 | No competitor | |||||
| 2008 | No competitor | |||||
| 2009 | No competitor | |||||
| 2010 | ||||||
| 2011 | Peter Angel | No competitor | No competitor | |||
| 2012 | ||||||
| 2013 | No competitor | |||||
| 2014 | ||||||
| 2015 | No competitor[7] | |||||
| 2016 | No competitor[8] | |||||
| 2017 | - | – | ||||
| 2018 | – | - | ||||
| 2019 | – | - | ||||
| 2020 | - | - | - | |||
| 2021 | - | - | ||||
| 2022 | Jono Tang | - | - | |||
| 2023 | Sarah Clifton-Bligh | - | ||||
| 2024 | Sarah Clifton-Bligh | - |
| Year | Junior Male U18/9 | Junior Female U18/99 | Masters | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Not held | |||
| 1991 | Not held | |||
| 1992 | Not held | Paul Bowes | ||
| 1993 | Not held | Paul Bowes | ||
| 1994 | Shannon Bates | Not held | ||
| 1995 | Shannon Bates | |||
| 1996 | Todd Burmester | Steve Ellefson | ||
| 1997 | Todd Burmester | Steve Ellefson | ||
| 1998 | Todd Burmester | Steve Ellefson | ||
| 1999 | Steve Ellefson | |||
| 2000 | Adam Sheppard | Scott Parson | ||
| 2001 | Grant Buckley | Scott Parson | ||
| 2002 | Grant Buckley | Scott Parson | ||
| 2003 | Henri Frei | |||
| 2004 | Henri Frei | |||
| 2005 | Patrick Baker | Kelly Darragh | ||
| 2006 | Patrick Baker | Kelly Darragh | ||
| 2007 | Xaxier Elsworthy | Laura South | Brett McArthur | |
| 2008 | Matthew Lack | |||
| 2009 | Matthew Lack | Brett McArthur | ||
| 2010 | Matthew Lack | Scott Parson | ||
| 2011 | No competitor | |||
| 2012 | Kristy Pond | Scott Parson | ||
| 2013 | Sara Tait | |||
| 2014 | Sara Tait | |||
| 2015 | Luke Bailey | Julie Charlton | ||
| 2016 | Brad Pemberton | Julie Charlton | ||
| 2017 | Sam Rizzo | Julie Charlton | ||
| 2018 | Sam Rizzo | No competitor | ||
| 2019 | Nathan Donaldson | Victoria Simpson | ||
| 2020 | Cory Crombie | Victoria Simpson | ||
| 2021 | Cormac Ryan | Sarah Clifton Bligh | ||
| 2022 | Cormac Ryan | No competitor | ||
| 2023 | Cormac Ryan | No competitor | ||
| 2024 | Cormac Ryan | Coco Espie |