Vladimir Kanaykin wins the 2007 European Cup of Race Walking (© Tim Watt)
There are two main centres in Russia where excellent race walkers are prepared. One is in Cheboksary which is the capital of Republic of Chuvashiya, where the 2008 IAAF World Race Walking Cup will be staged, and the second is in Saransk, the capital of Republic of Mordoviya, where the inaugural final of the IAAF Race Walking Challenge will be held this September.
The 2007 Russian Race Walking Championships were held in Cheboksary last weekend (16/17) but it was the race walkers from Mordoviya who won the highest awards. Vladimir Kanaykin, Denis Nizhegorodov and Irina Stankina are the pupils of one and the same coach - Victor Chogin from Saransk.
Men’s 20km
The 22-year-old Vladimir Kanaykin was the real sensation of the tournament. He won the World Youths in 2001 and the Juniors in 2002, and last month took the European Cup title at 50km but in Cheboksary he competed at the 20km distance. His winning time was 1:17.36 and places him as 5th best on the world all-time list, and is only 16 seconds worse then the World record.
1999 World champion Ilya Markov was left far behind - 1:18.56 - and Sergey Bakulin, who is in the same group with Vladimir Kanaikin, got the bronze - 1:19.14.
According to Chogin's plans Kanaykin may decide to compete in both distances at the Osaka World Championships.
Men’s 50km
2004 Olympic silver medallist Denis Nizhegorodov won the 50km Race Walking in 3:40.53. After winning last year’s World Cup race in La Coruña, Nizhegorodov registered a DQ at last summer’s European Championships in Gothenburg, so while this was by no means his fastest (3:39:25 national Record – 2004) it still proved he is back in the frame for medals this summer in Osaka. The winning time is currently the second fastest in the world this year.
The runner-up Sergey Melentiev was left far behind losing more then 10 minutes to the winner - 3:51.11. A very well known athlete Nickolai Matukhin was 3rd - 3:57.18. It should be taken into consideration that it was extremely hot in Cheboksary and many race walkers failed to clock their best results.
Women’s 20km
Irina Stankina who was the youngest World champion in Race Walking when winning the 1995 title in Gothebourg is making a strong comeback. After the glorious beginning of the career she experienced a lot of sad and happy moments. She won several important events, gave birth to a baby, got injured and fell ill. But her coach Victor Chogin believed in her and Stankina proved on Sunday that his faith was not all in vain as she won the women’s 20km in a reasonably impressive 1:29.56, which is certainly a good start to the new season.
Stankina left behind two opponents from Chuvashiya – Olga Mikhailova(1:30.19) and Larisa Yemelianova (1:30.52) – way behind.
Nickolai Dolgopolov and Rostislav Orlov for the IAAF
RESULTS
Men
20km (17 June)
1 Vladimir Kanaykin 1:17:36
2 Sergey Bakulin 1:19:14
3 Andrey Krivov 1:20:12
4 Aleksandr Prokhorov 1:23:00
5 Andrey Kanayev 1:26:06
6= Mikhail Volkov 1:27:03
6= Aleksey Nikolayev 1:27:03
8 Fyodor Grigoryev RUS 1:27:16
50km (17 June)
1 Denis Nizhegorodov 3:40:53
2 Sergey Melentyev 3:51:11
3 Nikolay Matyukhin 3:57:18
4 Yuriy Chesnokov 3:58:46
5 Sergey Korepanov 4:01:24
6 Sergey Sergachev 4:02:02
7 Aleksey Kronin 4:06:55
8 Andrey Trofimov 4:07:53
Women
20km (17 June)
1 Irina Stankina 1:29:56
2 Olga Mikhaylova 1:30:19
3 Larisa Yemelyanova 1:30:52
4 Svetlana Solovyova 1:31:31
5 Tatyana Shemyakina 1:31:49
6 Svetlana Vasilyeva 1:31:59
7 Tatyana Gudkova 1:32:33
8 Lyudmila Arkhipova 1:33:22
(Youth and Junior races took place on 16 June)
