Browsing: 20K

“I lost my wedding ring in the third kilometer,†said Brazilâ€s Caio Bonfim. “I believe my wife will be OK because I won today.†Translation: The double medalistâ€s Tokyo trip mostly didnâ€t suck. (TAKASHI ITO/AGENCE SHOT)

PORTUGUESE TO ENGLISH, “Bonfim†translates to “good end†or “good outcome.†Caio Bonfimâ€s surname tells you the story.

The huge smile on the 34-year-old Brazilianâ€s face, the finishline tape and gold medal draped around his neck are all the explanation youâ€ll need.

Good end? Good outcome? For sure.

Bonfimâ€s 1:18:35 gold in the menâ€s 20K came on top of the 35K silver heâ€d earned on opening day, and along with Alison dos Santosâ€s 400H silver, lifted his nation to 13th on the medal table.

All smiles after holding off Chinaâ€s Zhaozhao Wang in the race to the National Stadium wire, he also revealed a loss. His wedding ring had slipped off somewhere around the 3K mark, down Gingko Tree Lane, but he soon smiled, “I believe my wife will be OK because I won today.â€

He asked a cameraman to relay this message to his children, back home: “Your father is a world champion.â€

This was the 20th and last Worlds 20K – the event will be extended to 21.1K (half-marathon) in Beijing. Eight of the 20s have gone to Latin Americans, but this was the first to Brazil.

Bonfim has been knocking on the golden global door for years. He had taken the â€23 Worlds 20K bronze, the â€24 Olympic 20K silver and the Tokyo 35K silver.

He battled past four top rivals, Wang (2nd in 1:18:43), Spain ‘s Paul McGrath (3rd, 1:18:45) and the French pair of Aurélien Quinion (1:18.49) and Gabriel Bordier (1:19:23) for the gold.

“This is my first big international medal, so I couldnâ€t be happier about the result,†said silver winner Wang.

“It was a dream come true,†said bronze medalist McGrath, who has a Spanish mother, Scottish father, Irish grandparents and trinational heritage.

Tashikazu Yamanishi came in as both WR holder and world leader with his 1:16:10 from February. Japanâ€s great golden hope, he was buoyed by the throngs lining the course, leading for K after K only to see the dreaded red paddle for technique violation late in the race. Sat down with 2:00 of penalty time, he was never again a factor and finished a saddened 28th in 1:22:39.

“I donâ€t know what to do now,†he lamented. “To win in Tokyo was one of my big goals. I need to think about my next steps.â€

All but 5 of the 48 starters finished; 4 were DQed. Canadaâ€s Evan Dunfee, the Tokyo 35K king, scratched out with a hamstring injury. Team USA, well represented in 47 of the 49 Worlds events, had no one in the two menâ€s walks.

MENâ€S 20K WALK RESULTS

(September 20)

1. Caio Bonfim (Bra) 1:18:35

(20:27, 19:42 [40:09], 19:29 [59:38], 18:57) (40:09/38:26);

2. Zhaozhao Wang (Chn) 1:18:43

(40:09/38:34);

3. Paul McGrath (Spa) 1:18:45

(40:04/38:41);

4. Aurelien Quinion (Fra) 1:18:49 PR

(40:09/38:40);

5. Gabriel Bordier (Fra) 1:19:23

(40:04/39:19);

6. Haifeng Qian (Chn) 1:19:38

(40:04/39:34);

7. Kento Yoshikawa (Jpn) 1:19:46

(40:14/39:42);

8. Diego García (Spa) 1:20:05

(40:06/39:59);

9. Satoshi Maruo (Jpn) 1:20:09; 10. Christopher Linke (Ger) 1:20:11; 11. Leo Köpp (Ger) 1:20:35; 12. Ricardo Ortiz (Mex) 1:20:36; 13. Perseus Karlström (Swe) 1:20:37; 14. Maher Ben Hlima (Pol) 1:20:39; 15. Jordy Jiménez (Ecu) 1:20:43; 16. Francesco Fortunato (Ita) 1:21:00; 17. Matheus Gabriel Correa (Bra) 1:21:04; 18. Misganaw Wakuma (Eth) 1:21:17; 19. David Hurtado (Ecu) 1:21:18; 20. Rhydian Cowley (Aus) 1:21:18; 21. Ãlvaro López (Spa) 1:21:28; 22. Dominik ÄŒerný (Svk) 1:21:29;

23. Declan Tingay (Aus) 1:21:30; 24. Chenjie Li (Chn) 1:21:39; 25. Veli-Matti Partanen (Fin) 1:21:41; 26. Mykola Rushchak (Ukr) 1:21:57; 27. Serhiy Svitlychnyy (Ukr) 1:22:24; 28. Toshikazu Yamanishi (Jpn) 1:22:39; 29. Mateo Romero Blanco (Col) 1:22:44; 30. Byeong-kwang Choe (SK) 1:22:52; 31. Servin Sebastian (Ind) 1:23:03; 32. Bence Venyercsán (Hun) 1:23:06; 33. Noel Ali Chama (Mex) 1:23:41; 34. Gianluca Picchiottino (Ita) 1:23:50; 35. Mazlum Demir (Tur) 1:24:11;

36. Andrea Cosi (Ita) 1:24:18; 37. Jerry Jokinen (Fin) 1:24:37; 38. Erick Barrondo (Gua) 1:24:42; 39. Tim Fraser (Aus) 1:24:55; 40. César Alberto Herrera (Col) 1:25:01; 41. Raivo Saulgriezis (Lat) 1:27:25; 42. Max Batista Dos Santos (Bra) 1:27:34; 43. Wayne Snyman (SA) 1:30:12;… dq—José Luis Doctor (Mex), Luis Campos (Per), Hayrettin Yildiz (Tur), Ihor Hlavan (Ukr) (no U.S. entrants)

(5K leader splits: Černý 20:17; McGrath 40:04; Quinion 59:37)

Sixty-three years ago, â€56 racewalk Olympian Elliott Denman, representing the New York Pioneer Club, won the 3000 walk at the U.S. nationals held in Boulder, Colorado, clocking 13:52.2. In a long journalistic career he has covered every outdoor World Championships since the first in 1983.

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Spainâ€s Mária Pérez claimed a walks double for a second Worlds in a row yet proclaimed, “I did not come here today to make history in womenâ€s sport. I just came to improve myself.†(KIRK MECHE/IMAGE OF SPORT)

STANDING TALL AND STRONG — though just 5-1/106 (1.55/48) — María Pérez lorded over the competition in the 20K walk for her second gold of the championships. She had done the same in Budapest 2 years ago.

A week after her 2:39:01 triumph over 35K, the diminutive 29-year-old Andalusian needed just 1:25:54 to claim the 20K title on the penultimate morning and thus power Team España to equal-fifth on the medals table.

Her name will be carved in the championships records list twice, with her 2:38:40 for 35K at Budapest, followed by this 1:25:54. Both distances, however, will now be discontinued as the walks change to the half-marathon and full marathon.

It took Pérez 16K to establish a narrow lead over Mexicoâ€s Alegna González, with Peruâ€s Kimberly García, Chinaâ€s Quanming Wu and local favorite Nanako Fujii all still in medal range.

With just 1.5K to go, Pérez blasted ahead and powered back into the stadium after 16 laps of Gingko Tree Lane.

Gonzalez hung on for the silver medal in a hemisphere-record 1:26:06 while Fujii brought Japanese joy with her NR 1:26:18 bronze, leaning over the line to edge Ecuadorâ€s Paula Milena Torres, credited with an identical 1:26:18.

Consolation prize for double â€22 champion García was a Peruvian Record 1:26:22 in 5th. Chinaâ€s Jaiyu Yang clocked a fast 1:27:16 in 6th.

Rapidly improving U.S. champion Lauren Harris, the Marist College graduate now a Long Island schoolteacher, claimed a PR 1:32:50 in finishing 27th. Altogether 41 finished, with one DQ.

Moments after the win, Pérez plopped to the track in joy, then raised the Spanish flag overhead to greet her top pursuers. “I am the happiest woman in the world,†she exulted. “I did not come here today to make history in womenâ€s sport. I just came to improve myself. “

She gave plaudits to coach José Marin: “I owe my technique to him.â€

Mexicoâ€s men once ruled global walking, but it was González who put a Mexican woman on the 20K podium for just the second time.

“Competing in race walking in the Americas is like a mini-World Championships,†said González, whoâ€d sat out the 35K with stomach trouble. “We want to keep the Americas among the worldâ€s best and we did again today.â€

Arms raised in delight as she crossed the line, Fujii was just inches ahead of Torres. Said Fuji: “Winning the bronze medal in my country feels very special. I am honored to do it at home. I am wearing the black ribbon in honor to my coach who passed away last month. I know he is looking after me from above.â€

WOMENâ€S 20K WALK RESULTS

(September 20)

1. Mária Pérez (Spa) 1:25:54 (WL)

(22:05, 21:32 [43:37], 21:22 [64:59], 20:55) (43:37/42:17);

2. Alegna González (Mex) 1:26:06 NR

(43:38/42:28);

3. Nanako Fujii (Jpn) 1:26:18 NR

(43:38/42:40);

4. Paula Milena Torres (Ecu) 1:26:18 PR

(43:38/43:00);

5. Kimberly García (Per) 1:26:22 NR

(43:37/42:45);

6. Jiayu Yang (Chn) 1:27:16 (43:38/43:38);

7. Antia Chamosa (Spa) 1:27:55 =PR

(44:06/43:49);

8. Quanming Wu (Chn) 1:28:08

(43:38/44:30);

9. Li Ma (Chn) 1:28:52; 10. María Luz Andia (Per) 1:28:52; 11. Pauline Stey (Fra) 1:28:52; 12. Viviane Lyra (Bra) 1:29:02; 13. Lyudmyla Olyanovska (Ukr) 1:29:16; 14. Katarzyna Zdziebło (Pol) 1:29:31; 15. Alexandrina Mihai (Ita) 1:29:44; 16. Antigóni Drisbióti (Gre) 1:29:47; 17. Federica Curiazzi (Ita) 1:29:48; 18. Kumiko Okada (Jpn) 1:30:12; 19. Mariia Sakharuk (Ukr) 1:30:38; 20. Magaly Bonilla (Ecu) 1:30:39; 21. Rebecca Henderson (Aus) 1:31:05; 22. Paula Juarez (Spa) 1:31:50; 23. Yasmina Tokonbayeva (Kaz) 1:31:51; 24. Hanna Shеvchuk (Ukr) 1:32:15; 25. Hana Burzalová (Svk) 1:32:28; 26. Rachelle De Orbeta (PR) 1:32:47;

27. Lauren Harris (US) 1:32:50 (road PR) (45:27/47:23); 28. Vitória Oliveira (Por) 1:33:02; 29. Clemence Beretta (Fra) 1:33:14; 30. Evelin Inga (Per) 1:33:29; 31. Alejandra Ortega (Mex) 1:34:18; 32. Gabriela De Sousa Muniz (Bra) 1:34:28; 33. Elizabeth McMillen (Aus) 1:34:58; 34. Hristína Papadopoúlou (Gre) 1:35:05; 35. Ilse Guerrero (Mex) 1:35:20; 36. Tiziana Kinga Spiller (Hun) 1:35:32; 37. Ayane Yanai (Jpn) 1:35:44; 38. Jekaterina Mirotvortseva (Est) 1:36:25; 39. Panayióta Tsinopoúlou (Gre) 1:37:40; 40. Lucy Alejandra Mendoza (Col) 1:38:05; 41. Laura Cristina Mojica (Col) 1:42:08;… dnf—Sintayehu Masire (Eth), Alexandra Griffin (Aus), Meryem Bekmez (Tur), Erica de Sena (Bra), Antonella Palmisano (Ita); … dq—Mirna Ortiz (Gua), Li Peng (Chn).

(5K leader splits: García 22:05; Pérez 43:37, 64:59)

Sixty-three years ago, â€56 racewalk Olympian Elliott Denman, representing the New York Pioneer Club, won the 3000 walk at the U.S. nationals held in Boulder, Colorado, clocking 13:52.2. In a long journalistic career he has covered every outdoor World Championships since the first in 1983.

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