Collapsing on the track made me want to speak up on climate, says Olympian Rhydian Cowley

‘I use solar power at home. I am reducing the amount of meat I eat. I’m not perfect, I hope to provide others with an example of action,’ Cowley says.

Every step a race-walker takes is calculated, down to the finer twists of the joints. Which is why Rhydian Cowley was taken aback when it all fell apart.

He was midway through a 35-km race at the 2023 World Athletic Championships, in Budapest. He had been worried about the temperature and humidity. (The race started at 22 degrees Celsius and 81% humidity and finished at 28 degrees Celsius C and 60% humidity, in harsh, direct sun, he says).

Suddenly, he