Dane Bird-Smith is as crazy as he is fast

WE KNEW he was fast, now we know he’s crazy. Dane Bird-Smith’s actions after his bronze medal walk in the 20km race prove just that.

A model team man.

YOU’VE got to be a little bit different to become a walker, don’t you?

Not that there’s anything wrong with the sport, but if it was your dream to head to the Olympics, you’d have to think there’d be a few sports higher up on the priority list before you settled on walking.

Dane Bird-Smith didn’t always want to be a walker, but he’s no doubt glad he chose that path after winning bronze in the men’s 20km on the weekend.

While plenty of Olympians transition from competition mode to party mode as soon as their events are over (cough, cough Australian Rugby Sevens team), Bird-Smith did things a little differently.

Speaking on Triple M Brisbane’s Marto and Ed Kavalee for Breakfast on Monday morning, he explained his unique celebration.

“I’ve kept it nice and tidy for the last couple of days because I’ve got a couple of roommates who are still competing ... I’ve just been trying to get around to everyone,” he said.

“I ran the marathon with the girls today at midday, I was absolutely wrecked.”

“What?!” said Kavalee.

“I went out there, put the running shoes on and tried to run beside them for a couple of kilometres and it just shot me. My legs are absolutely cooked.”

Yep, you read that right. Rather than hitting the clubs on Copacabana beach to have a crack at emulating a State of Origin bonding session in celebration of his medal-winning walk, he actually thought he’d do more exercise.

Not just any exercise, but a marathon.

Feel the burn.

It’s no surprise he couldn’t keep up with Milly Clark (18th) and Jessica Trengove (22nd) given the pain he’d already put his body through. But it just goes to show “The Birdman” is one of two things — the ultimate teammate or completely bonkers. Maybe both.

Hardly a household name to those who aren’t diehard walking enthusiasts (hard to believe, but there are some out there), Bird-Smith made sure we’d all remember his name not just because of his race, but because of his emotional post-race interview.

The 24-year-old Queenslander had to pause to compose himself several times when humbly sharing the glory of his performance with his supporters and family, but it was discussing his father’s support when he really struggled to control his emotions.

“He’s going to be going nuts somewhere,” Bird-Smith told Channel 7.

“He was on the drinks table. He was going absolutely bananas down there. I’ve got to go find them and catch up.

“Having the whole crew here. My mum, my dad, my brother, my fiancee, by my two best friends, my training partners, everyone came out and they really got me through. I dug deep just for them.”

He briefly broke down during the interview when describing how the image of his family cheering him on kept him fighting when his body was in extreme pain with fatigue.

A new Aussie champion.

But amid all the tears, he had no idea his dad had actually been arrested shortly after the race when he tried to rush over and congratulate his son, but failed to make it past security. Apparently the Rio police didn’t take too kindly to his protests and marched him away.

“It’s been such an entertaining night after that,” Bird-Smith said on Triple M. “He was just a passionate old dad trying to jump across a fence to get to his son.

“The old bugger got himself locked up for a bit and got himself a fine, but it’s great isn’t it.

“Actually that’s hilarious, the first time they’ve actually caught someone and it’s the wrong bloke.”

David Bird-Smith was himself a two-time Olympic walker and his son’s coach, but Dane said that’s not how he got into the sport.

“All through school I was doing cross country and track and field ... I just did every event I could, I just loved competing.

“It wasn’t until I was about 17 when one of my school teachers said, ‘Hey, we need you to do a race walk to get the school some points in this competition.’

“They obviously knew my father was a dual Olympian in the sport ... that never really had any influence on me, I was never pushed into the sport.

“It was such a good experience to come home and say, ‘Hey dad, I did a walk today,’ and he was chuffed as.”

It’s time to swap the marathons for margaritas, mate.

Originally published as Dane Bird-Smith is as crazy as he is fast