Young Kiwi athlete Thomas Cowan makes his debut on the world stage

New Zealand’s Thomas Cowan has made his debut at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Poland.

Before the race, Cowan said he was looking forward to competing against the best in the world.

“I’m excited to experience being in a highly competitive environment and take as much as I can into future experiences.”

Cowan raced in heat 5 of the men's 800m but wasn’t able to make it through to the next round.

His time of 1:51.26 saw him finish last in a slow and tactical heat where the winning time was 1:47.48, almost a full second slower than Cowan’s personal best time.

He said that there was a lot of growth to be had from the experience.

“Great experience and lots of learning, good to be young and have room to grow.”

The 20-year-old has had a quick rise to the top of New Zealand Athletics, winning the 800m at the Daikin Night of 5’s in 2023, which was his first major impression.

This win shortly after his 18^th birthday with a time of 1:49.14 qualified him for the U-20 World Athletics Championship in Peru in 2024.

Cowan has only improved since then, setting many records along the way.

He attributes part of his success to competing at the college level with Boston University in the United States.

“The racing in the US has been valuable, there's lots of opportunities to race and with that comes invaluable experience.”

“Competing in Boston at the Tennis and Track Centre each week is also great, it goes fast every weekend, so to be in an environment where it is competitive is great.”

Boston Universities Tennis and Track Center is widely regarded as the fastest track in the world having been host to 6 World Record times.

Cowan equalled the New Zealand 800m indoor record at this venue in February with a time of 1:46.53.

He shared this time with 22-Year-old James Harding, who set a fresh record of 1:46.44 in North Carolina later that month.

The World Championships in Poland may not have been Cowan’s first-time representing New Zealand, but he doesn’t take that opportunity for granted.

“It’s another awesome opportunity to race with the fern on my chest, and those moments are always special.”

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