Alana Barber


Alana Barber is a New Zealand race walker who won a silver medal in the 20 km race walk at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Early life and family

Barber was born in Auckland on 8 July 1987, the daughter of Shirley Somervell, who represented New Zealand in the 800 m at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games. Barber was educated at Diocesan School for Girls, Auckland.

Athletics

Barber competed in the 20 kilometres race walk at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics, finishing 18th and setting a New Zealand record of 1:33:20. The following year, at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, she recorded a time of 1:35:55 in finishing 35th in the same event.
Her inaugural New Zealand national title came in the 20 km race walk in Hamilton in 2018.
In the 20 km walk at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Barber won the silver medal, finishing in a time of 1:34:18, 1:28 behind the winner, Jemima Montag of Australia.