On the start line are 49 athletes representing 26 Countries.
These are the starting numbers of the longest race in the athletic program, that of the 50km which is so much discussed in 2017, but which in the end has a worthy parterre with respect to which we must add to that of women (which we deal in Report aside) which represents an absolute novelty for an individual World Championship after it was last year for team in Rome.
Absent for different reasons, gold and silver in Rio de Janeiro we find themselves struggling for the title Hirooki Arai (JPN), and Evan Dunfee (CAN) authors in Brazil for a superb race with a final curtain completely unpublished and to say the least, moving for the happy ending that offered us the true sense of the brotherhood that unites the "fifties".
However, we start this year not from Rio de Janeiro, but from Dudince (SVK), where on March 25, 2017 Havard Haukenes (NOR) coached by Stephan Plaetzer (GER), a name that everyone remembers with pleasure in the World Confraternity of race walk, won with personal best (3:43:40) becoming at the same time the seasonal leader of athletes who can compete.
Just over a minute behind him (3:44:42) Rafal Augustyn (POL) arrived at the start as second best athlete of the season.
Below the all time list
| RESULT | NAME | VENUE | DATE |
| | | | |
| 3:32:33 | Yohann DINIZ (FRA) | Zurich | 15 Aug 14 |
| 3:34:12 | Denis NIZHEGORODOV (RUS) | Cheboksary | 11 May 08 |
| 3:34:38 | Matej TOTH (SVK) | Dudince | 21 May 15 |
| 3:35:47 | Nathan DEAKES (AUS) | Geelong | 2 Dec 06 |
| 3:36:03 | Robert KORZENIOWSKI (POL) | Saint Denis, Paris | 27 Aug 03 |
| 3:36:04 | Alex SCHWAZER (ITA) | Rosugnano Solvay | 11 Feb 07 |
| 3:36:06 | Chaohong YU (CHN) | Nanjing | 22 Oct 05 |
| 3:36:13 | Chengliang ZHAO (CHN) | Nanjing | 22 Oct 05 |
| 3:36:30 | Yucheng HAN (CHN) | Nanning | 27 Feb 05 |
| 3:36:42 | German SKURIGIN (RUS) | Saint Denis, Paris | 27 Aug 03 |
The race
10km
After 15 minutes of racing force the pace Yohann Diniz (FRA) and passing over Buckingham Palace has a ten-meter edge.
At 5km there are still over twenty athletes in the head group led by Yohann Diniz (FRA), Horacio Nava (MEX) and Aleksi Oyala (FIN) in 22:46.
Yohann Diniz pass at 10km in 44:28 followed da Horacio Nava (MEX) in 45:09 and by 16 athletes of the leadeing group leaded by Oyala in 45:23.
20km
At 15km is leading Diniz in 1:06:02 with the others in the group following at 1:32 leaded by Hirooki Arai (JPN).
In the meantime was DQ'ed Edward Araya (CHI).
Yohann Diniz pass at 20km in 1:27:17 (second 10km section in 42:50)
A nine-men chase pack went trhough 20km in 1:29:28: Horacio Nava (MEX), Aleksi Oyala (FIN), Hirooki Arai (JPN), Claudio Villanueva (ECU), Wei Yu (CHN), Kay Kobayashi (JPN), Andres Chocho (ECU), Haward Haukenes (NOR), Evan Dunfee (CAN).
30km
Ai 25km guida Diniz in 1:48:24 (pace of 3.37) charged by one red card for bent knee
In the meantime were DQed Wu Qianlong (CHN) and Dominic King (GBR)
Follows Diniz, Aleksi Oyala, Andres Choco, Yu Wei, Evan Dunfee and Kay Kobayashi.
Other DQ'ed: Veli-Matti Partnanen (FIN) and Omar Zepeda (MEX) and Alejandro Francisco Florez (SUI)
Passing time at 30 km is 2:09:51 to Yohann Diniz (FRA), while chasing group compoded by Aleksi Oyala (FIN), Andres Choco (ECU), two red cards, Yu Wei (CHN), Evan Dunfee (CAN), Hirooki Arai (JPN), Kay Kobayashi (JPN), Claudio Villanueva (ECU) follows in 2:13:10.
Questi sono i passaggi di Yohann Diniz al momento inb tutta la gara:
- 5km: 22:46
- 10km: 44:48 (21:42)
- 15km: 1:06:02 (21:34)
- 20km: 1:27:18 (21:16)
- 25km: 1:48:24 (21:06)
- 30km: 2:09:51 (21:27)
Are DQ'ed, and are two heavy DQ, Haward Haukenes, NOR (1 loss of contact and 2 bent knee) and Andres Chocho, ECU (2 loss of contact and 1 bent knee).
40km
At 35km leads Diniz in 2:30:58.
Follows Diniz, Claudio Villanueva (ECU), Aleksi Oyala (FIN), Yu Wei (CHN), Evan Dunfee (CAN), Hirooki Arai (JPN) and Kay Kobayashi (JPN).
Force the pace Marco De Luca (ITA) passing in 2:36:18.
At 40km Yohann Diniz continues to lead and passes in 2:51:31.
Both Hirooki Arai (JPN), Kay Kobayashi (JPN) follows him passing in 2:57:14
Fourth place to Evan Dunfee (CAN) in 2:57:41 and fifth place to Claudio Villanueva (ECU) in 2:57:47.
The show is to see the collegiality of the most experienced Japanese Hirooki Arai trying to drag Kay Kobayashi's teammate to the podium: both of them are a doing a great walk.
The podium goal also for Ihor Glavan (UKR) now in fourth place, but also the other Japanese Satoshi Maruo.
Sixth is Marco De Luca (ITA).
Last 10km
Always to lead Yohann Diniz at 45km in 3:12:39.
Follows two Japan in 3:19:17, fourth is Ihor Glavan, UKR (3:19:53), fifth Satoshi Maruo, JPN (3:20:18). Follows Marco De Luca (ITA) in 3:21:05, Mate Hellebrandt (HUN) in 3:21:22 e Evan Dunfee (CAN) in 3:21:49.
The last five km are a spectacle in the London show.
It seems to revive the Zürich 2014 race by Yohann Diniz who, on a lap from the term, takes the flag of France and puts it to his neck.
He wins in 3:33:12 (Championshipos record)
Silver and bronze go to Hirooki Arai (JPN) in 3:41:17 and Kay Kobayashi (JPN) in 3:41:19.
Ihor Glavan (UKR) does not make the bronze but defends fourth place (3:41:42) after the return of the other Japanese Satoshi Mauro (JPN) in 3:43:03.
Incredible this Japan of Fumio Imamura in 50km. We will remember them in Tokyo 2020.
They follow:
6th place: Mate Hellebrandt (HUN) in 3:43:56 (national record)
7th place: Rafal Augustyn (POL) in 3:44:18
8th place: Robert Heffernan (IRL) in 3:44:41
The Italians:
Marco de Luca: He fight until the end trying to enter and the first eight, but he can not. It's 9th in 3:45.02 after a great race.
Michele Antonelli: did not finish the race
Full results of all events in the section Results or download directly from this link: click here
Photo album (by Giancarlo Colombo for Fidal): click here
The arrival of second and third both from JPN
(from IAAF web site by Paul Warburton
Finally at the sixth attempt, Yohann Diniz became world champion on the same course that left him leaning on a tree in despair five years ago at the 2012 Olympics.
This time the Frenchman needed no support as he led from gun to tape to lap nearly the entire field, and almost certainly bringing an illustrious career to a close.
As he basked in the Sunday sunshine, Diniz also became the oldest ever winner of the event; his 40th birthday awaits him on the first day of 2018. But he showed no signs of the fatigue and failure that ruined all previous attempts.
In fact, this was reminiscent of his world record at the 2014 European Championships where he also dominated with aplomb.
However, that race In Zurich brought cool, damp conditions. This time, the London temperature at the end was closer to 23C by the time Diniz broke the line for a championship record and the second-fastest time in history.
He might have been closer to that world mark had he not high-fived supporters over the last kilometre that served as a virtual lap of glory.
He spent as much time first making a scarf out of the tricolour thrown at him as anything else, before brandishing it above his head as he strolled over the winning line.
Diniz’s massive margin of victory over Japan’s Harooki Arai was as near as makes no difference an entire circuit of The Mall course – again, the biggest time gap in World Championships history.
The bronze went to Arai’s teammate Kai Kobayashi after the pair broke away from the rest shortly after 36 kilometres and helped each other to medals.
As expected, Diniz made a customary bid for glory shortly after the start. But unlike previous big races when the Frenchman shot to the front, the call of nature necessitating a quick stop brought him back to a large group of 20 plus, or at least Horacio Nava from Mexico for company to five kilometres in 22:46.
The lone British race walker, Dominic King, was also prominent in front of a fairly healthy gathering of home fans.
Diniz quickly decided two was a crowd and struck out alone to make 10 kilometres in 44:28, only 11 seconds slower than his ill-fated attempt at last year’s Olympics.
He maintained the charge over the next five kilometres to record 1:06:04 – a time very close to his Rio split with the following group of nine 1:30 in arrears.
The world record-holder even had time for an encouraging pat on the shoulder for USA’s Susan Randall as he passed her on the women’s inaugural 50km race walk, and undaunted by his collapse in Brazil, hit 20 kilometres in 1:27:18 – 23 seconds quicker than Rio.
The seven chasers close to three minutes back included Evan Dunfee and Arai who locked shoulders during a dramatic last few minutes in the Olympic race.
All of them were left staring hard at the fast-disappearing Diniz who was three minutes ahead at 30 kilometres, 2:09:58, a time good enough for a 1986 medal in the now defunct Commonwealth Games 30km.
On the other side of the road – and that’s because the Frenchman was by now going in one direction on the looped course, his pursuers going in the other – the chasing pack was starting to come apart.
Arai and Kobayashi made a telling bid and Dunfee was unable to respond to trail the pair by 27 seconds at 40 kilometres, while surprise showing Claudio Villanueva from Ecuador was six seconds behind the Canadian.
The fast-finishing Igor Glavin was as low as 13th by halfway, but the Ukrainian timed his effort well to pass all but the first three and claim fourth.
Japan’s great day was extended to Satoshi Maruo, who not only got welcomed by his be-medalled friends, but claimed fifth and a personal best.
The unsung hero of the day turned out to be Máté Helebrand. The Hungarian’s sixth place was a national record that knocked all but an eye-opening 10 minutes off his previous best.
In what turned out to be an unusually busy day for the judges, King was disqualified at 25km, and other high hopes Håvard Haukenes and Andres Chocho met the same fate along with six others.
Paul Warburton for the IAAF