20 km Women

 

Immediately at the start go to lead the Chinese Qieyang Shenjie and the Italian Eleonora Anna Giorgi.

The two athletes alternate the lead lap by lap.

Shortly after the sixth km China force the pace and it takes an advantage of about ten meters.

The Italian  after a few laps recover  and continue with the other one as well.

 

For other positions behind them a group with Erica de Sena, Elisa Rigaudo, Ines Henriques, Ana Cabecinha, Mirna Ortiz and Brigita Virbalyte.

 

After an hour of racing the Chinese forces again the pace and  takes about twenty meters.

The Giorgi seems a bit in trouble and is approached by teammate Elisa Rigaudo who has since detached the others.

When about to be reached Giorgi has a reaction and manages to resist the Rigaudo comeback.

 

Victory to  Qieyang Shenjie in 1:27:52.

For her, this is the fourth time ever after those of London 2012 (1:25:16), Taicang 2012 (1:27:04) and La Coruna 2015 (1:27:44).

Second place to Eleonora Anna Giorgi in 1:28:20, the third to Elisa Rigaudo in 1:28:32.

Fourth comes Erica de Sena in 1:28:40, Ines Henriques fifth in 1:29:14.

Mirna Ortiz sixth in 1:20:43

 

 

20 km men

 

The pack is together for over 12 km.

He alternated the leading Lebogang Shange (RSA), Yerko Araya (WHO), Choco Andres (ECU) and Spanish  Alvaro Martin.

The group also includes Marco De Luca.

 

At 10 km leader is  Lebogang Shange followed by Yerko Araya, Alvaro Martin, Andres Chocho, Caio Bonfim and Marco De Luca.

A little more behind Erick Barrondo.

Force the pace the  South African and resists both Alvaro Martin and Andres  Chocho.

Meanwhile are disqualified both Yerko Araya and Erick Barrondo.

 

The race for victory narrow  to three, while De Luca exceeds the Brazilian José Bagio.

In the last laps they try first and then the South African Lebogang Shange, Alvaro Martin, which then prevails in the final race.

 

Victory to  Alvaro Martin in 1:21:03..

Second place went to Lebogang Shange in 1:21:23, the third to  Andres Chocho in 1:21:58 which came shortly before Marco de Luca (1:22:01).

José Bagio fifth in 1:22:15.

 

 

 

Full results in the section Results or download directly from this link: click here

 

 

 

 

 

 

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(From IAAF web-site by Paul Minshull)

 

 

China’s London 2012 Olympic Games silver medallist Qieyang Shenjie fulfilled her role as favourite at the Grande Prémio Internacional de Rio Maior em Marcha Atlética 2016, an IAAF Race Walking Challenge meeting, winning in a season’s best of 1:27:52 on Saturday (9).

 

She hit the front just before the halfway point and had a three seconds advantage over Italy’s Eleonora Giorgi at 10km, the pair having quickly established a big lead over the rest of the women until Qieyang started to edge away, passing this checkpoint in 44.18 and 44:21 respectively.

 

Qieyang then gradually increased her speed, getting faster and faster over the last 10 kilometres and dominating the race from the front, emulating her compatriot Liu Hong who won in Rio Maior 12 months ago.

 

After going through the first two 5km splits in 22:11 and 22:07, the Chinese walker ratcheted up the pace and produced a 5km split of 21:58 to go through 15km in 1:06:14, 15 seconds ahead of the Italian who had won at the last European leg of the Challenge in the Slovakian town of Dudince three weeks ago.

 

Qieyang finished off her commanding performance in Rio Maior with a 21:38 5km split to cross the line 28 seconds in advance of Giorgi, who came home in 1:28:20 to finish second behind a Chinese walker for the second year running.

 

For Qieyang, it was also a happy retrun to the Portuguese race and redemption for what happened in 2015, when the former Asian record holder had to pull out barely five kilometres into the race.

 

Fellow Italian Elisa Rigaudo finished strongly over the last 5km to take third in 1:28:31, the 2008 Olympic and 2011 world bronze medallist finishing third in Rio Maior for the second consecutive year.

 

Further back, Brazil’s Erica de Sena, who was part of a big chasing group who were 39 seconds behind Giorgi at the halfway point, just lost out in the battle with Rigaudo for the final place on the podium over the final five kilometres but still finished in 1:28:40, just 18 seconds adrift of the South American record she set when finishing second to Giorgi in Dudince.

 

Martin gas best day of his career.

 

Alvaro Martin, last year’s European under 23 silver medallist, got the biggest win of his career when the 21-year-old Spaniard took the men’s title in 1:21:03 with South Africa’s Lebogang Shange 20 seconds further back in second place.

 

Ecuador’s Andres Chocho, this year’s winner of the 50km at the IAAF Race Walking Challenge event in the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez at the start of last month and the 20km gold medallist at the South American Race Walking Championships last weekend, showed just a few effects of his hectic schedule to finish third in 1:21:58.

 

Martin, Shange and Chocho passed the halfway point together in 40:55 and were still together 5km later when they reached 15km in 1:01:13, having been joined by Venezuela’s Richard Vargas, with Italy’s Marco De Luca 10 seconds further back in fifth place.

 

However, Martin threw down the gauntlet over the final five kilometres, covering this split in 19:50 to get away from his two rivals.

 

Shange only settled for second place over the final kilometre but Chocho struggled in the later stages of the race and was almost caught but De Luca, who came through to finish fourth in 1:22:01.

 

Brazil's Jose Bagio came through to finish fifth in 1:22:15 as Vargas struggled over the final five kilmetres and slipped back to sixth in 1:22:27.

 

Phil Minshull for the IAAF

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Male pack in first lap