Susana Feitor (POR), Elisa Riguado (ITA), Maria Vasco (ESP) (© Omar Martínez)
Ecuador's Jefferson Perez and Italy's Elisa Rigaudo took convincing wins in the 20km as the IAAF Race Walking Challenge got under way on Saturday (20 March) in this northern city on the US-Mexican border.
Perez, the 2003 World champion in Paris and the 1996 Olympic gold medallist, covered the 10-lap course on Paseo de los Heroes in 1:19.32, ahead of Poland's Robert Korzeniowski (1:19:40) and Italy's Ivano Brugnetti (1:19:42).
Women's 20km
Rigaudo, 23, bettered her personal best by more than a minute and posted the fastest time ever on Mexican soil to cross the finish line after a 1:28:50-hour effort. Spain's Sydney Olympic bronze medallist Maria Vasco (1:29:06), Portugal's Susana Feitor (1:29:12) and Ireland's 2003 Tijuana winner Gillian O'Sullivan (1:29:54).
Although World and Olympic medallist Elisabetta Perrone was Italy's best bet in the women's race, it was Elisa Rigaudo who emerged the first winner in Tijuana this weekend.
As expected, the best European took the initiative and 10-woman group was formed up front, covering the first 5km in 22.25 minutes. But the pack shrunk three kilometres later as Ireland's defending champion Gillian O'Sullivan led at half way in 44:46 minutes, together with her countrywoman Olive Loughthave and Portugal's Susana Feitor.
Riguado was a few metres behind with Norway's Sydney Olympic silver medallist Kersti Platzer and María Vasco, but the Italian and the Spaniard upped the pace and joined O"Sullivan and Feitor in the lead at the 11km mark.
With 15km completed in 1:06:55 and a half a minute advantage over the rest of the field, it was up to these four women to battle for three medals. One kilometre later, O'Sullivan could not keep the pace and was left out of the medal hunt.
The Italian saved her energy for the last two laps when she gained a slight 2-second lead which would increase to 10 seconds with only one kilometre to go. She would not give up and went on to claim her most important international win in a new personal best of 1:28:50.
Spain's Maria Vasco crossed the finish line in second with 1:29:06, six seconds ahead of Susana Feitor, who repeated her bronze medal of 2003. O'Sullivan clocked 1:29:54, one second faster than her winning time last year over the same course, but it was not enough to secure her a spot on the podium.
Pan American champion Victoria Palacios was the first Mexican to cross the finish line in seventh position after a 1:32:04-hour effort. This performance will enable her to make the Olympic team for Athens.
Australian sisters Jane and Nataly Saville were sixth and 16h, respectively. Italy's 2002 World Cup winner Erika Alfridi was relegated to 11th place.
"I felt very good during the race as I came here after fulfilling a high altitude training camp in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I believe many of the rivals I faced today have great chances of reaching the Olympic podium in Athens", said Rigaudo, who finished 10th at the 2003 IAAF World Championships in Paris.
Runner-up Vasco admitted that "she was simply stronger today and I was not in my best form as my main aim are the Olympics. I wanted to race against the world's best and posted my second best time ever. I hope to improve my national record in Greece. Perseverance is what has made Spain a leading country in race walking. Hard training and clear goals are essential in the sport".
In Feitor's opinion, "this third place is a continuation of my last year's performances. Having competed here helps, but things change from one year to the other. The race was very close so tactics and a good physical and mental preparation were key to achieve a good place".
The Portuguese was the only walker who participated in all scoring events in last year's Challenge. She is expected to race again a home favourite in Rio Mayor on 5 April.
Men's 20km
The warm temperatures started to cause their effect in the men's event, but a dozen of them managed to stay in the leading pack during the first three laps, passing the first 5 kilometres in the 20.11-20.20.17 range.
When the half way was reached in 39:57, Perez, Korzeniowski and local Alejandro Lopez led three more Mexicans: Erick Guevara, Rodrigo Flores and Noe Hernandez. Italy's 1999 50k world champion Ivano Brugnetti was some 13 seconds behind.
Guevara, Flores and Hernandez could not keep the past tempo set by the trio and started to lose ground. Guevara would be disqualified with less than 5 kilometres to go.
The leaders covered 15km in 59:37, but two kilometres later (17km in 1:07:37), Perez made his move and progressively gained a 8-second advantage over Lopez and Korzeniowski by the end of the ninth and penultimate lap.
The Cuenca-born athlete never looked back and crossed the finish line in 1:19:32 hours, 26 seconds slower than Mexico's Bernardo Segura's winning time last year. Korzeniowski (1:19:40) held on to repeat his second place of last year, while a fast finishing Brugnetti walked past a tiring Lopez to grab the remaining spot on the podium with 1:19:42 and improve his best time by nearly two minutes.
Lopez, the 2002 World Cup bronze medallist, was relegated to fourth place again like in 2003, leading the host country. Noe Hernandez, suffered from cramps after the 15km mark and dropped back to 19th place in 1:25:45.
It was the first Challenge win for the 29-year old Ecuadorian, who became the fastest man ever over the 20km walk when he clinched the world title in the French capital, in 1:17:21. He has been recovering from a breathing problem and a minor nose surgery earlier this year. He is expected to continue his training in the USA, before defending his World Cup title in Naumburg, Germany, 1-2 May.
In total, 55 men and 39 women from 19 countries started the race, of whom 42 men and 34 women were able to finish.
Despite the men's winning time was nearly half a minute slower than last year, the 2004 edition produced better results compared to 2003. Taking into account the top ten finishers, women were more than four minutes faster, while men were two minutes quicker.
In a 10km race for athletes aged under 23 years old, Mexico's Eder Sanchez (40:32.21) and Ireland's Ann Loughthave (49:35.50) were the winners.
Looking ahead to the 50km
The first leg of the IAAF Race Walking Challenge ends on Sunday with the 50km race, for which 42 men from 10 countries are registered, included all three Tijuana medallists last year: Spain's Jesus Angel Garcia, New Zealand's Craig Barrett and Mexico's German Sanchez. Russia's 1999 World Championships runner-up Nikolay Matyukhin and Mexico's World Championships bronze medallists Edgar Hernandez (2001) and Miguel Angel Rodriguez (1997) also start as strong medal contenders. Another Mexican, 20km specialist and 2003 Tijuana winner Bernardo Segura, is expected to make a rare appearance in the longer distance, where he has a 10-year old 4:05:31 personal best.
Javier Clavelo Robinson for the IAAF
with the collaboration of José María Castro Vidal (www.frontera.info)
