The 24th edition of the Grand Prix of Rio Maior valid for the 13th IAAF Race Walk Challenge took place on the traditional course of 1 km across the street Joao Ferreira Da Lima, Praça de Republica and street Joao Calado Da Maia.
On a day with a temperature around 20°, we have seen almost a mini World Championships, such was the quality of the athletes at the start.
At the level of the male was the presence of the Chinese Cai Zelin and Yu Wei (Wang Zhen was absent having received a visa with a couple of days late and will arrive only tomorrow for a training period in Monte Gordo with the Chinese team), the Colombians Eider Arevalo and Luis Fernando Lopez, the Brazilian Caio Bonfim, the French Bertrand Moulinet, the Guatemalan team led by Erick Barrondo, the Ukrainians Igor Hlava, Nazar Kovalenko and Ruslan Dmytrenko, the Slovak Matej Toth, the Ecuadorian Andres Chocho and the Spanish José Ignacio Diaz over to the Portuguese brothers Sergio and Joao Vieira.
The Italian presence includes the best athletes on the 20 km of the moment: Giorgio Rubino, Matteo Giupponi along with two athletes of 50 km Marco de Luca and Federico Tontodonati.
A total of 67 athletes at the start, to which is added a dozen juniors.
At female level were the Brazilian Erica De Sena, the Lithuanian Neringa Aidietyte, all the Portuguese team with Ana Cabecinha, Ines Henriques, Susana Feitor and Vera Santos, the Guatemalan Mirna Ortiz and Mayra Herrera, the two Italian Elisa Rigaudo (returning after the second maternity) and Eleonora Giorgi, and the two strong Chinese Liu Hong and Shenjie Qieyang.
In short, with some slight lack the best of the best that could be expected.
20 km women
Start at 5:30 PM
Goes to lead Shenjie Qieyang passing the first kilometer in 4:48.
Liu Hong follow in the Indian Kaur.
At 5 km the Chinese stops for muscle problems.
Meanwhile Eleonora Giorgi reached Liu Hong and go to 5 km in 22:40
Liu Hong and Eleonora Giorgi continue together up to 10 km in 44:41 to 44:47 for Liu Hong and Giorgi.
Liu Hong increse the pace.
To 15 km in 1:06:03 while Liu Hong passes Eleonora Giorgi passes in 1:06:30.
Meanwhile Elisa Rigaudo that is making a comeback race appears in one of his better days: it is always between the third and fourth place struggling with Ana Cabecinha.
In the last 5 km are witnessing to solo final Liu Hong winning well in a quiet 1:27:22.
Eleonora Giorgi second in 1:28:12.
Elisa Rigaudo reaches a result that she would have signed immediately: the third place in 1:29:15, ahead of the Portuguese Ana Cabecinha in 1:29:17.
20 km men
In groups of up to 5 km all the best.
Then take the initiative Bertrand Moulinet who earns a few feet and leads for a few laps until it is taken up by the group.
At this point goes to lead Giorgio Rubino who earns about ten meters and remains in the lead for a few laps.
Is catched to the 10 km. but remains in the lead group.
The activity of the jury is intense and unfortunately the first to be DQ'ed is Matteo Giupponi, but also Matej Toth suffer of two red and Erick Barrondo has one.
Around 15 km Eider Arevalo force the pace, and with him remains Erick Barrondo, Andres Chocho, Matej Toth, Caio Bonfim, Bertrand Moulinet and Giorgio Rubino.
In the last two laps still force the pace Eider Arevalo who goes on to win on Barrondo in 1:20:41
Immediately after arrival Erick Barrondo is disqualified for receiving two red cards in the last lap.
Then comes the second in 1:20:56 Andres Chocho that redeems the DQ of last year.
Behind him arrives Matej Toth, but also for him arttrives in the last lap the third red card and leaves the bronze to Caio Bonfim (1:21:04).
Behind them Bertrand Moulinez (1:21:10), Ruslan Dmytrenko (1:21:25) and Giorgio Rubino (1:21:38)
Marco de Luca is eight in 1:22:13
(frtom IAAF web site by Antonio Manuel Fernandes)
Warm and windy conditions affected some of the race walkers at the Rio Maior International Race Walking Grand Prix but Liu Hong and Eider Arevalo won with relative ease over 20km at the IAAF Race Walking Challenge meeting on Saturday (18).
After seeing her Chinese compatriot and Olympic bronze medallist Qieyang Shenjie withdraw after 5km, Liu pushed on alongside Italy’s Eleonora Giorgio. The pair continued to lead until 9km when Liu then forced the pace to find she was alone at the front.
Liu, who has won medals at the past three World Championships, forged ahead to the finish line to win in a season’s best of 1:27:22, just three seconds shy of the course record set 10 years ago.
“I expected to win this race in a good time,” said 2014 challenge winner Liu after becoming just the second non-European winner of the women’s race in Rio Maior. “I have a dream and I work every day to achieve it: winning the IAAF World Championship in Beijing. But first I have other races in the Race Walking Challenge.”
Giorgio finished almost a minute behind in second place, clocking 1:28:12, almost a minute and a half adrift of the Italian record she set last month in Dudince.
Another Italian, 2008 Olympic bronze medallist Elisa Rigaudo, came from behind in the closing stages to overtake the leading Portuguese race walkers Ana Cabecinha and Ines Henriques to make it on to the podium. Competing in her first race since finishing fifth at the 2013 World Championships, Rigaudo clocked 1:29:15.
With the help of the local crowd, both Cabecinha and Henriques took less than 90 minutes to complete the course. As the top Portuguese finisher, Cabecinha won the national title in 1:29:17 with home-town star Henriques one place behind in 1:29:52.
Cabecinha was surprised by her performance, having suffered with a cold all week and feeling as though she may have to withdraw from the race.
Behind them, Lithuanian record-holder Neringa Aidietyte clocked a season’s best of 1:30:40 to defeat Spanish champion Julia Takacs and Central American record-holder Mirna Ortiz.
Arevalo starts 2015 as he meant go on
For each of the past four years, Eider Arevalo has won his first race of the season. The Colombian record-holder continued that trend in Rio Maior, triumphing over one of the most competitive fields he has faced outside of major championships.
Italy’s Giorgio Rubino shot into an early lead and at one point was more than 50 metres ahead of the rest of the field. But once he was caught, the race only came alive again during the final three laps.
Arevalo, the 2012 world junior champion pushed the pace and gradually opened up an advantage, maintaining it to the finish to win in 1:20:53.
But the real drama was unfolding behind him. In a ‘sprint’ finish, Olympic silver medallist Erick Barrondo and European 50km silver medallist Matej Toth initially finished second and third, but both athletes were later disqualified for lifting in their last-gasp dash for the line.
Ecuador's Andres Chocho was later declared the runner-up in 1:20:24, replicating his position from the IAAF Race Walk Challenge meetings in Dudince and Chihuahua last month.
Last year’s winner Caio Bonfim produced a season’s best and his second-best time ever of 1:21:16, but despite it being almost two minutes quicker than his winning time from 2014, on this occasion it was only good enough for third place.
Bertrand Moulinet finished fourth with 1:21:22, 15 seconds in front of World Race Walking Cup winner Ruslan Dmytrenko. The Ukrainian, who won last year’s World Race Walking Challenge, was contesting his first race of 2015. Early leader Rubino eventually finished sixth.
“This is the result of hard work,” said Arevalo, who was disqualified at the 2014 World Race Walking Cup and did not finish at the 2013 World Championships. “I’ve trained a lot to be here and win. I felt good during the race and produced a good performance.”
Antonio Manuel Fernandes for the IAAF
Female race podium with Eleonora Anna Giorgi, Liu Hong and Elisa Rigaudo
Leading group al km. 14,5