Francisco Javier Fernandez winner in Sesto San Giovanni with coach Robert Korzeniowski (© Lorenzo Sampaolo)
MonteCarloThe three Race Walksmen’s and women’s 20km and men’s 50km - which were part of the 10th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Helsinki, Finland (6 – 14 August), brought to a close the IAAF World Race Walking Challenge 2005, with overall victories for Francisco Javier Fernández of Spain (30pts) and Belarus’ Ryta Turava (29pts), who each net US$30,000.
Final positions were based on the best total of points achieved by an athlete in any three of the Challenge competitions, with 10 points scored for a win, nine for second, eight for third, and so on, down to 10th position.
Prize money is awarded to the Top 8 men and women with US$20,000 for second, US$15,000 for third, US$10,000 - 4th; US$8000 - 5th; US$7000 - 6th; US$6000 - 7th; US$5000 - 8th.
Turava, was second in the World Championships behind the World record of Russian Olimpiada Ivanova (1:25:41), setting her own national record of 1:27:05. The Russian did not compete in minimum three Challenge events and so is not listed in the Final Standings. Turava had wins in Rio Maior and Sesto S. Giovanni, and was second in La Coruna before her Helsinki silver finish.
Susana Feitor of Portugal, who was third in Helsinki (1:28:44), took second place overall (24pts), while Claudia Stef of Romania who was second in the 2004 Challenge finished overall third this time (22pts). Last year’s Challenge winner, Elisa Rigaudo of Italy finished in fourth (20pts).
In the men’s category, Robert Korzeniowski of Poland who had won the last two Challenge titles retired at the end of 2004, and his place at the top in 2005 was taken by Francisco Javier Fernández of Spain who had a perfect score of 30pts from three wins - Rio Maior, Sesto S. Giovanni and La Coruna – and came second at the World Championships.
Jefferson Pérez of Ecuador, who retained his World 20km title ahead of the Spaniard, and was second overall in the Challenge last year, did not compete in three Challenge fixtures and so does not feature in the final standings. The same case also applies to Helsinki 50km winner Sergey Kirdyapkin of Russia.
Nathan Deakes of Australia with 29pts was second thanks to wins in Tijuana and Cixi City (1:17:33 Area Record), and a second in Rio Maior, while Helsinki bronze medallist Juan Manuel Molina of Spain was someway adrift in overall third spot with 19pts.