Vera Santos of Portugal at the national indoor club championships (© Marcelino Almeida)
Lisbon, PortugalVera Santos of Portugal beat back strong winds as well as some rain to win the women’s 20Km competition at the Meeting Marcha Atl. Cidade de Olhao on Sunday (21).
The 10th edition of this competition, which also served as the national championships, is an Area Permit meeting through which points can be earned towards qualification for the IAAF Race Walking Challenge Final on 19 September in Beijing, China.
Santos, who was fifth at last year’s World Championships in Berlin over the distance, won in 1:30:09, among the fastest performances of the young season.*
The performance was better than her 1:30:35 from Berlin, but shy of her personal of 1:28:14 set at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing where she finished ninth. But the conditions in Olhao didn’t help.
This was the second national title for Santos, 27, adding to her victory from 2005. Susana Feitor rules the national tables with 13 victories, but the Portuguese standout didn’t compete, recovering from a broken arm sustained in a fall during a training session.
Finishing behind Santos were Ana Cabecinha, the eighth place finisher at the last Olympics, and Inês Henriques, who was 11th in Berlin last year, clocking 1:32:36 and 1:33:47 respectively.
The men’s 20Km international race was won by Bertrand Moulinet of France, who stopped the clock with a 1:25:16 career best, a 14-second improvement. Moulinet’s victory was secured when Portuguese João Vieira, the European bronze medallist in 2006, was forced to drop out due to unjury in the 16th kilometre.
Moulinet was followed by the Vieira’s twin brother, Sérgio, who clocked 1:28:36. Sérgio Vieira, whose 1:20:57 personal best dates back to 1997, has returned to top level racing after several years away.
Another Portuguese, Pedro Isidro, topped off the podium ahead of another Frenchman, Daimen Molmy, 1:28.43 to 1:28:57.
The 50Km national title was won by Dionísio Ventura in 4:06:07. Ventura, who has a personal best of 3:59:28, also took national triumphs in 2006 and 2009.
Antonio Manuel Fernandes for the IAAF
Leading Results –
20 Km –
Men -
1. Bertrand Moulinet, FRA 1:25.16
2. Sérgio Vieira, POR 1:28.36
3. Pedro Isidro, POR 1:28.43
4. Damien Molmy, FRA 1:28.57
5. Augusto Cardoso, POR 1:29.56
6. Pedro Martins, POR 1:33.38
Women -
1. Vera Santos, POR 1:30.09
2. Ana Cabecinha, POR 1:32.36
3. Inês Henriques, POR 1:33.47
4. Laura Polli, SUI 1:39.57
5. Zuzanna Schindlerova, CZE 1:40.48
6. Maribel Gonçalves, POR 1:41.57
50 Km –
Men –
1. Dionísio Ventura, POR 4:06.07
2. Jorge Costa, POR 4:14.34
3. Luís Gil, POR 4:14.59
* Anisiya Kirdyapkina's 1:25:11 performance at the Russian Winter Race Walking Championships on Saturday (20-Feb) is unlikely to be ratified for record purposes since, as at past years, no international judges were present at the competition.
The 10th edition of this competition, which also served as the national championships, is an Area Permit meeting through which points can be earned towards qualification for the IAAF Race Walking Challenge Final on 19 September in Beijing, China.
Santos, who was fifth at last year’s World Championships in Berlin over the distance, won in 1:30:09, among the fastest performances of the young season.*
The performance was better than her 1:30:35 from Berlin, but shy of her personal of 1:28:14 set at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing where she finished ninth. But the conditions in Olhao didn’t help.
This was the second national title for Santos, 27, adding to her victory from 2005. Susana Feitor rules the national tables with 13 victories, but the Portuguese standout didn’t compete, recovering from a broken arm sustained in a fall during a training session.
Finishing behind Santos were Ana Cabecinha, the eighth place finisher at the last Olympics, and Inês Henriques, who was 11th in Berlin last year, clocking 1:32:36 and 1:33:47 respectively.
The men’s 20Km international race was won by Bertrand Moulinet of France, who stopped the clock with a 1:25:16 career best, a 14-second improvement. Moulinet’s victory was secured when Portuguese João Vieira, the European bronze medallist in 2006, was forced to drop out due to unjury in the 16th kilometre.
Moulinet was followed by the Vieira’s twin brother, Sérgio, who clocked 1:28:36. Sérgio Vieira, whose 1:20:57 personal best dates back to 1997, has returned to top level racing after several years away.
Another Portuguese, Pedro Isidro, topped off the podium ahead of another Frenchman, Daimen Molmy, 1:28.43 to 1:28:57.
The 50Km national title was won by Dionísio Ventura in 4:06:07. Ventura, who has a personal best of 3:59:28, also took national triumphs in 2006 and 2009.
Antonio Manuel Fernandes for the IAAF
Leading Results –
20 Km –
Men -
1. Bertrand Moulinet, FRA 1:25.16
2. Sérgio Vieira, POR 1:28.36
3. Pedro Isidro, POR 1:28.43
4. Damien Molmy, FRA 1:28.57
5. Augusto Cardoso, POR 1:29.56
6. Pedro Martins, POR 1:33.38
Women -
1. Vera Santos, POR 1:30.09
2. Ana Cabecinha, POR 1:32.36
3. Inês Henriques, POR 1:33.47
4. Laura Polli, SUI 1:39.57
5. Zuzanna Schindlerova, CZE 1:40.48
6. Maribel Gonçalves, POR 1:41.57
50 Km –
Men –
1. Dionísio Ventura, POR 4:06.07
2. Jorge Costa, POR 4:14.34
3. Luís Gil, POR 4:14.59
* Anisiya Kirdyapkina's 1:25:11 performance at the Russian Winter Race Walking Championships on Saturday (20-Feb) is unlikely to be ratified for record purposes since, as at past years, no international judges were present at the competition.