Javier Francisco Fernandez won the men's 20km in 1:18:51 - Shenzhen, China (© c)
Heat and humid temperatures greeted the competitors in today's 20m races at the IAAF Race Walking Challenge in Shenzhen. But even though the athletes commented on the difficulty of the weather, it didn't stop both the men's and women's winners from notching top performances.
Men's race
On the men's side, World Cup titleholder Francisco Javier Fernandez of Spain led almost wire to wire to take the title in a world-leading time of 1:18:51. Second place went to seventeen-year-old Li Gaobo of China (1:19:03) and Eder Sanchez of Mexico took third place in a time of 1:20:08.
Olympic champion Ivano Brugnetti of Italy, expected to contend for a top position, finished outside the top ten after starting the race in the lead group. Fernandez, Li Gaobo and Brugnetti were joined by Luke Adams of Australia in the race's opening laps. Brugnetti was able to stay with the pack for the first half of the race before dropping back, while Fernandez widened his lead over the last laps of the race.
Li Gaobo, the winner of last year's China leg of the IAAF Race Walking Challenge in Yangzhou, mounted a spirited challenge to stay with the Fernandez, who is the double European champion and the defending Overall Challenge title holder, in the race's final lap but had to be content after placing just twelve seconds behind Fernandez.
Eder Sanchez was almost a minute behind in third place. He crossed the finish line looking relaxed and confident, exchanging congratulations with fifth-place finisher Luke Adams of Australia at the finish line.
"The humidity made this race hard," said Fernandez. "The weather conditions were tough. But this helped my concentration. By the last lap I already knew I had won, and in the end I set a better time than I had expected."
The story of the day for the Chinese was clearly the effort of Li Gaobo, the Asian junior record holder who was swarmed by the Chinese media after the race.
"I'm competing for a dream – the dream of the Olympic Games," Li Gaobo confirmed. "I love race walking, so I consider the training an enjoyment instead of a hardship." He announced that his next events would be the May leg of the IAAF Race Walking Challenge in Sesto S. Giovanni, Italy, and the World Championships in Osaka, Japan (25 Aug to 2 Sep).
Tomorrow's men's 50km race is set to be a Chinese clinic as only one non-Chinese competitor, Jesus Angel Garcia of Spain, the 1993 World champion is entered.
Women's Race
On the women's side, it was all China, all the time.
Shenzhen native Liu Hong won the race in a time of 1:29:41, placing her fifth on the list of 2007 top performances at the distance. Jiangsu Province's Bai Yanmin took the silver medal in 1:30:12 and Jiang Jing, the silver medallist from the 2004 women's race walking World Cup, took bronze. Jiang Qinyan and Shi Na came in fourth and fifth, respectively.
The top five women separated themselves quickly from the pack, with Bai and Jiang leading most of the way. In the last laps Liu Hong quickened her pace to out-step her teammates for the title. Not only was Liu Hong competing in her hometown, but the two-kilometre loop used for both the men's and women's races was located in Futian District, her hometown neighbourhood.
"The weather was too hot, so I'm not satisfied with the results even though I won the gold medal," Liu Hong said. "I'm excited that I won it in Futian District in Shenzhen. It's the first medal I've won in Shenzhen, and many people from the city came out today to support me, so I want to thank them."
Members of Shenzhen's Futian District Government, including deputy director Xia Yang, came out to support Liu Hong in her bid.
It was no secret that China's national race walking team wanted to use the Shenzhen event to give its athletes the chance to compete in a world level event in China in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics.
"It's a rare chance for (the Chinese women) to compete with the top athletes in the world," said Luo Chaoyi, director of the Athletics Administration Centre of the State General Administration of Sports. "Our goal is the 2008 Olympic Games. Before the Olympic Games, they should take part in all kinds of worldwide matches, as many as possible. Only then will they understand the difference between themselves and the top athletes in the world."
Mary Nicole Nazzaro for the IAAF
With Jessie Wang Jinxia and Susannah Luo Caiyi in Shenzhen
Men's 20km Top Ten (name, country, time)
1 Francisco Javier Fernandez (ESP) 01:18:51
2 Li Gaobo (CHN) 01:19:03
3 Eder Sanchez (MEX) 01:20:08
4 Lu Ronghua (CHN) 01:20:16
5 Luke Adams (AUS) 01:20:30
6 Jefferson Perez (ECU) 01:21:14
7 Jared Tallent (AUS) 01:21:25
8 Wei Yang (CHN) 01:21:26
9 Zeng Guoqiang (CHN) 01:21:36
10 Kim Hyun-Sup (KOR) 01:21:37
Women's 20km Top Ten (name, country, time)
1 Liu Hong (CHN) 01:29:41
2 Bai Yanmin (CHN) 01:30:12
3 Jiang Jing (CHN) 01:30:22
4 Jiang Qiuyan (CHN) 01:30:27
5 Shi Na (CHN) 01:30:58
6 Song Hongjuan (CHN) 01:31:44
7 Song Xiaoling (CHN) 01:34:10
8 Zong Jinzhao (CHN) 01:34:29
9 Sun Lihua (CHN) 01:35:39
10 Zeng Rongna (CHN) 01:35:57