World Champs Menâ€s 20K Walk — His Name Fit The Result

“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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