Report23 Aug 2004


Surprise Greek win - Women's 20km Race Walk Olympic report

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Athanasia Tsoumeleka of Greece and Olimpiada Ivanova of Russia - gold and silver in the 20km Walk (© Getty Images)

To cries of “Hellas! Hellas!”, Athanasia Tsoumeleka strode into the Olympic Stadium at the end of the women’s 20 kilometre Walk to deliver the athletics gold medal that all of Greece had sought with such fervour since the International Olympic Committee decided seven years ago that the Games should return to Athens after 108 years.

The 22-year-old Tsoumeleka, whose previous best international performance was her fourth place at the World Juniors four years ago, had made a burst with just 2km left, and resisted the desperate counter-attacks from Russia’s Olimpiada Ivanova and Jane Saville, of Australia, to finish four seconds ahead of the Russian in 1:29.12, with Saville a further nine seconds back in 1:29:25 for bronze.

“It was a tough race,” the tiny Greek woman said, her beaming smile belying the efforts she had gone to, “I knew the course from our national championships, and I have been dreaming ever since of coming into the stadium and hearing the cheers of the crowds.”

With a strong breeze around the Olympic Stadium, temperatures at the start of the race were not as fierce as they had been over the weekend, at a mere 26 degrees. It helped to keep a strong, good-sized bunch together, including all the anticipated favourites, such as Ivanova and Yelena Nikolayeva, the World champion, Spain’s Maria Vasco, the sisters Jane and Natalie Saville, Hongjuan Song, from China, and her team mate Wang Liping, the Sydney gold medal-winner, and Italy’s Elisa Rigaudo, the leader of the Race Walking Challenge standings.

Plus, there were two Greeks, Athina Papayianni and Tsoumeleka, the three-time Greek champion whose previous best time was 1:29:34 she recorded last year.

The lead group clicked off the opening 2km laps in just over nine minutes each, although the fourth lap picked up slightly to reach 8km in 36:17.

With 14 walkers still in close contention at halfway (45:16), Ivanova and Margarita Turova at the front of the pack began turning the screw ever so slightly, covering the sixth lap in just 8:55. The principle casualty was Song, the fastest in the world this year ahead of the Games, with 1:26.46, but unable to sustain this pace.

The next lap was faster still, at 8:51, and now Jane Saville, the woman who four years ago was in the gold medal position when just outside the Olympic Stadium but was barred from entry because of a third judge’s warning, was setting the pace once again.

Into the last lap, though, and it was Tsoumeleka, in inspired form, who made a telling burst, quickly opening up a lead of some 10 metres on Saville and Ivanova.

Despite being served her second warning in sight of the stadium, Tsoumeleka was able to sustain her speed to see off the Russian and Australian.

“Nothing can make up for losing the gold medal in my home town,” Jane Saville said, “but this is pretty good.

“I knew Ivanova was pretty strong, and that she’d be tough to beat, and I just could not go with her any more at the end. The Greek girl I don’t know much about, but she must be a pretty tough athlete.”

Steven Downes for the IAAF

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