Beki Smith

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Beki Smith (nee Lee)
Personal information
Birth nameRebecca Lee
Nickname(s)Babsie, Beki
NationalityAustralian
Born (1986-11-25) 25 November 1986 (age 37)
Height1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) (2012)[1]
Weight49 kg (108 lb) (2012)[1]
Sport
CountryAustralia
SportAthletics
Event20 km Road Walk
ClubAsics West

Rebecca "Beki" Smith (née Lee, born 25 November 1986) is an Australian race walker. Lee finished fourth in the 20-kilometre walk at the 2012 Oceania & Australian Race Walking Championships and represented Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the same event. She came first in the 2018 Commonwealth Games at the Gold Coast.

Early life[edit]

Nicknamed "Babsie" and "Beki", Lee was born on 25 November 1986, in New South Wales.[1][2] Lee grew up in Mount Druitt[3] in Sydney's western suburbs[4] and attended Minchinbury Public School and Colyton Public School,[1] before going to high school at Rooty Hill High School and St Marys Senior High School.

Lee started race walking when she was seven years-old and became more serious about the sport when she was ten years-old.[2][4] Her personal best in an international competition was tenth place in the 20-kilometre race walk at the 2011 IAAF Race Walking Challenge, hosted in Taicang, China, finishing with a time of "1:35.35".[2]

Tertiary education[edit]

For her tertiary studies, Lee attended the Australian College of Physical Education, where she commenced a Bachelor of Sports Business in 2007.[1][2] As of 2012, she is enrolled in the degree via correspondence, while living in Canberra, Australia.[1][4]

Athletics[edit]

Lee's specialty is the 20-kilometre road walk event, with a pre-race ritual that includes listening to Bob Dylan.[1][2]

A member of the Asics West athletics club, Lee holds a scholarship with the Australian Institute of Sport.[1][2][4] Between 2003 and 2010, she was coached by Kevin Stone, then Marilyn Pearson, with Brent Vallance then taking over coaching duties, a job he holds as of 2012.[1]

Lee was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the 20 km walk event.[4][5][6][7] At the conclusion of the race she made headlines when her now husband, Daniel Smith, publicly proposed to her.

Placements[edit]

  • Tenth in the 20-kilometre walk at the 2011 IAAF Race Walking Challenge in Taicang, China[1]
  • Tenth in the 2011 World University Games in Shenzhen, China[1]
  • Second in the 20-kilometre walk at the 2011 Australian Race Walking Championships in Melbourne, Australia[1]
  • Did not finish in the 20-kilometre walk at the 2012 IAAF World Race Walking Challenge in Taicang, China[1]
  • Fourth in the 20-kilometre walk at the 2012 Oceania & Australian Race Walking Championships in Hobart, Australia[1]
  • Disqualified from the 20-kilometre walk at the 2012 IAAF World Race Walking Cup in Saransk, Russia[1]

She is recognised in the Australian Olympic Committee list of Australian Indigenous Olympians.[8]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "London 2012 - Rebecca Lee". Australian Olympic Committee. 25 November 1986. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Australian University Sport (2009). "BEKI LEE - ATHLETICS". Australian University Sport. Australian University Sport. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  3. ^ "Beki Lee". Retrieved 9 August 2012. Lee grew up in Mt Druitt in Western Sydney
  4. ^ a b c d e Liu, Susan (21 June 2012). "Stepping out on an Olympic stage Beki Lee". Hornsby & Upper North Shore Advocate. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  5. ^ "Breen into Olympic aths squad". The West Australian. 13 June 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2012.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ "Steve Hooker, cabeza de cartel de la selección australiana de atletismo". Campeonato mundial. 13 June 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  7. ^ Noticias EFE. "Steve Hooker, cabeza de cartel de la selección australiana de atletismo". La Rioja. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  8. ^ "Australian Indigenous Olympians" (PDF). Australian Olympic Committee website. Retrieved 10 May 2015.

External links[edit]

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