Gold medal-winning walker Dane Bird-Smith’s unlikely training partners

WHEN Dane Bird-Smith was struggling to find a reliable training partner, man’s best friend delivered. But of all the dogs to choose to match the gold medal-winning walker’s pace, you’d think “Rocky” would have been the last one he’d choose.

THE Commonwealth Games have their first great Rocky story – as in Rocky the Chihuahua.

Like many men of his quirky trade, gold medal-winning walker Dane Bird-Smith is happy to be a bit different.

Over the years he has struggled for training partners so has had to call up family dogs to fill the vacuum.

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Tireless Italian greyhound Pina has done her job but if ever there was a medal for “Best supporting canine’’ it must surely go to Rocky the Chihuahua who got Bird-Smith in shape for his greatest achievement, an Olympic bronze medal in Rio 2016.

Dane Bird-Smith’s training partners, Pina and Rocky, have differing degrees of success keeping up with him. Picture: Peter Wallis

With legs as long as a carrot stick Rocky’s little legs blurred like an egg-beater as he did a little job for his country.

Bird estimated Rocky took “40 strides to my one but that’s courage for you.’’

Pina, the greyhound, who was taken to watch Bird walk today before going home ill, is more suited to the task.

Dane Bird-Smith of Australia celebrates after wining the Men's 20km Race Walk final. But his four-legged friends, Pina and Rocky perhaps deserve some of the credit. Picture: Scott Barbour/Getty Images

“She just gets along into a pace and sticks by my side,’’ Bird said.

The walker’s life is a different one. Because they compete on roads they like to train on roads which means Bird-Smith and his entourage need to have their wits about them.

“If I see cars coming I duck out of the way,” he says.

“Every training session I try to simulate the conditions similar to where I am racing.”

Bird-Smith’s father David was also a decorated walker, competing at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and finishing 10th at the 1984 LA Games.

Dane made his Australian walking debut in Moscow on the same course his father competed on at the Olympics.

Originally published as Gold medal-winning walker Dane Bird-Smith’s unlikely training partners