Australian marathon legend and Athletics Victoria Life Member Stephen Moneghetti has added a world record to his World Championship and Commonwealth Games medals swag, breaking the 5000m world record in the 60+ age group.
Racing at the Collingwood Classic, hosted by Collingwood Harriers Athletic Club in conjunction with Athletics Victoria on December 1, 2022, Moneghetti finished with a blistering time of 15 minutes and 52.9 seconds, a full three seconds faster than the previous best time for that age group. It was a nervous wait for the record to be ratified, as the Collingwood track is only six lanes across, and there was no electronic timing at the event – creating the real possibility that World Masters Athletics would not accept the record. In fantastic news for Steve and the Australian athletics community in general, Steve was notified in early January 2023 that he is now the current holder of the Masters 60+ World Record in the 5000m.
With other members of the extended Moneghetti family currently competing in the Athletics Victoria Shield League, we hope to continue to see Steve on the track at future Athletics Victoria events, in particular in the lead-up to the 2026 Commonwealth Games, with the marathon and other athletics events will be hosted in his hometown of Ballarat.