Rob Walker: “I was born to comment” (from the RBR archive, Glasgow 2024)

This is the update for March 21, 2026. If you’ve been following the World Indoors global feed, you’re enjoying Hannah England and Rob Walker’s chats. Here is our article on Rob so you can learn more about this amazing commentator. Hannah’s next segment.

I received a note from our readers regarding the quality of global commentary. Hannah England and Rob Walker do almost every session. I thought our readers might enjoy this piece about Rob Walker from Glasgow 2024 by Deji Ogeyingbo. Please enjoy! (Yes, we will do a piece on Hannah England.)

Rob Walker is one of the main commentators for world athletics events. At the Olympics, Rob Walker anchors most evenings of the eleven days of global coverage. Rob Walker is an excellent presenter, respected for his candor and his knowledge. We thought you might want to know more about him in this well done piece by Deji Ogeyingbo from March 2024 World Indoor Champs.

This is Deji Ogeyingbo’s interview with Rob Walker. Rob Walker has been a commentator for the ages and has spent the last 3 days commentating every moment of the World Cup. According to your editor, Rob Walker has been a commentator for ages. In Doha 2019, I was sick one night and I was listening to Rob do World Athletics Radio. He captured the men’s high jump, where 40,000 Qataris roared for Mutaz Essa Barshim. It was a moment for me (I always recommend WA Radio to those who can’t watch the WA Champs).

Rob Walker is an amazingly talented commentator and yes, he was born to do commentary.

Rob Walker: “I was born to comment”

A skilled athletics commentator can brighten up the dullest track meets and enhance the viewing experience when the action on the field is entertaining. Rob Walker is adept at capturing the spirit of the World Cup and delivering it to the audience at home.

The British commentator has made a name for himself as the voice many look forward to at the World Athletics and Snooker Championships.

Walker started out as a broadcaster in his early years until his breakthrough came in 2007 when he took the opportunity to travel to the World Championships in Osaka to take the lead on commentary. At that moment, he knew he didn’t want to be in the mixed zone. he was born to run Commentary.

“Always be ready.” That’s his main mantra when it comes to getting it right. We caught up with him at the World Cup in Glasgow and he had this to say about some of his best moments.

Dezhi: What was your best World Cup?

Rob: It’s so hard. They all have a unique appeal. I will never forget my first World Athletics Championships in Helsinki in 2005 because I first fell in love with athletics watching Helsinki in ’83 when I was 8 years old and it was pouring rain in Helsinki. There were some brilliant performances from great athletes, so that’s special, but I also think Budapest last summer was off the scale. It was incredible how we were greeted by the Hungarian people, the profile and the importance they gave to the organization of the event. Consequently, the quality of the athletes and the stories that unfolded during those sweaty and dull nights were phenomenal. It was the best edition of the World Athlete Competition I’ve worked on and I’ve done 10. It was the best of the lot.

Deji: What’s your favorite comment ever at an event?

Rob: It’s so hard to answer, but I think it was Karsten Warholm who broke the world record in Tokyo 2021. I saw Kyron McMaster break the Commonwealth Games record, Santos break the South American record and show us why he will be world champion next year in Eugene. Those men’s hurdles, though barely there, were very special, as was the final event of the Budapest 23, when Femke Ball, falling to what should have been gold for the Dutch in the 4x400m medley on the first night, won the Dutch quartet’s gold literally over the line, cinching the tape. You couldn’t have written a better ending to the best edition of the World Athletics Championships we’ve ever had. It was wonderful.

Dezhi: The men’s 100m final at the Olympics or the men’s 10,000 at the Olympics?

Rob: It would be 10,000 because I know the men’s 100 meters in the Olympics is a really iconic moment because it celebrates the fastest man on earth at that moment, and there are a lot of people on earth. I just think that the momentum built irresistibly over the 10,000m is the most intense sports drama for men and women. You just can’t beat 10,000. It’s absolutely incredible.

Deji: Any comments you feel or regret not having made in your commenting years?

Rob:Before starting commentary, Haile Gebrselassi was up against Tergat in the men’s 10,000 final in Sydney. that race was so close that even if you watch it on YouTube now 24 years later, you’d still think Haile Gebrselassie was going to win. It was such a great competition. They had a phenomenal respect between two iconic characters and I think it’s the most fantastic race over 10,000 meters I’ve ever seen. However, it was still before my time as a commenter, so I watched it instead of working on it.

Dezhi: At what point in your commentary do you think you would do it justice?

Rob: I think Kipchoge’s back-to-back marathon golds after medaling on the track in 2004 and 2008 was incredible. Also, Bolt doubled up in Berlin in 2009. I remember that I was not the main commentator for the 9.58 in the 100m, as I was co-commentator. As the race went on, the main commentator, Peter Mathew (who has sadly passed away), I remember taking off my headphones and taking a moment to enjoy the sight of someone running like that. I remember even thinking that I wasn’t sure I would ever live long enough to see a person faster than that with the naked eye. And then, in an instant, the race was over and I put my headphones back on. There are so many moments. It has yet to happen at some point and I sincerely hope he does it in Paris because I think it’s coming. I would love to see Sherikka Jackson become the Olympic champion in the 200m, and I think in order for her to do that, she will have to break Flo-Jo’s records. It was coming and he was getting closer. If he accumulates injury-free in Paris, it could end up being his last.

Dezhi: What moment do you want to comment on in Paris?

Rob: Women’s 800 m. If we have Athing Mu, Mary Moora and Keely Hodgkinson, I think it will be an iconic race. I am also waiting for the men’s marathon with a heavy heart. I thought Kelvin Kiptum would break 2 hours on April 14 in Rotterdam and I thought he would be the favorite to beat Kipchoge in Paris. However, I still think Kipchoge’s moment could be huge as he will be emotional knowing that Kiptum is not in his team. However, depending on how he runs in Tokyo this weekend, I think he will do something that no other man or woman will ever do. Three marathon golds at the Olympics would be incredible. Abebe Bikila and Waldemar Cierpinski did two. Kipchoge has done it twice, but to be the first and only person to do it in three consecutive marathons, the distance was so great that it could go wrong as long as he won medals on the track. 2004 and 2008 will be a moment that will go down in history, so the men’s marathon will be very special, but it will turn into sadness because Kelvin Kiptum will not be there.