Francisco Javier Fernandez winner in Sesto San Giovanni with coach Robert Korzeniowski (© Lorenzo Sampaolo)
Spain’s reigning World and Olympic 20km Walk silver medallist Francisco Fernández will tackle the 2006 season with two clear targets in mind.
"My primary goal is to retain the European title I clinched four years ago in Munich but the World Cup (13-14 May) will also be of the highest importance for two reasons: “firstly because it will be held on Spanish soil, in the city of La Coruña, and that’s always encouraging but secondly as a World Cup podium finish is the sole achievement missing in my career and I would like to fill in that gap in my background."
Moroccan training base under Korzeniowski's eyes
Since the trauma surrounding the death of his lifetime coach Manuel Alcalde in the spring of 2004, ‘Paquillo’ – as he is better known in the athletics circuit – is now coached by all-time race walking great Poland’s Robert Korzeniowski who has scheduled a wide variety of training places for his protégée.
“We spent the second half of January in South Africa to take advantage of warm weather (20º C) and great training facilities. Everything is going according to schedule and my relationship with Robert is perfect.”
But that’s not the only trip overseas planned by the duo, as Korzeniowski and Fernández will stay in the altitude of Ifrane, Morocco from 12 March for a whole month, “we look forward to travelling to Ifrane, as Hicham El Guerrouj himself has advised Robert on the most suitable places to train.”
Portugal or China to witness season’s 20km debut
Fernández’s hard work in Ifrane should show its benefit on 22 April, as he has already confirmed his 20km competitive presence in the IAAF Race Walking Challenge event in China which takes place just three weeks prior to the World Cup in La Coruña. But Fernández does not rule out making what would be ‘only a test’ in the IAAF Race Walking Challenge event in Rio Maior, Portugal, on 1 April. “In that case I would fly from Morocco and return there after the event.”
Retaining Race Walking Challenge title, a further aim
Fernández was an overwhelming victor last year in La Coruña's 'Gran Premio Cantones de marcha', with a 1:17:52 race, and also won the 2005 IAAF Walking Race Challenge scoring 30 points ahead of Australia’s Nathan Deakes’ 29, in the season long competition.
“To grab again the IAAF series is another aim this year. I feel great and of course it’s likely we'll see another under 1:18 clocking in La Coruña but I don’t like to get obsessed with times”.
Twice World silver medallist in 2003 and 2005 behind Ecuador’s Jefferson Pérez, ‘Paquillo’ first outing of the year came as early as 7 January in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, where he was runner-up to Russia’s Ilya Markov, with 18:48.76 and 18:54.40 being their respective times.
The Spaniard, 29, is the current European 20km Race Walk record holder thanks to the 1:17:22 he set in Turku in 2002, a World record performance then but since bettered by Pérez’s 1:17:21 when winning the 2003 World crown in Paris.
Fernández was recently declared ‘best Spanish male athlete of the year’ for the second time in a row, “that’s an award I value a lot since a large number of votes comes from athletics fans and that makes it something special.”
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
