14/08/2017   London (GR): 20km men - the masterpiece of Eider Arevalo






 

On the starting line there are 64 athletes representing 33 Countries.
 
These are the starting numbers of 20km women.
 
 

 

The race
 
 
5km
 

They are all in the group led by Wang Kaihua (CHN) in 19:54, but are in 20 athletes more or less.

 

10km

 
 
They are a dozen in the head (19:54) led by Isamu Fujisawa (JPN), and with Tom Bosworth (GBR) with two red cards.
 
 
15km
 
Immediately after the 11km Tom Bosworth (GBR) despite of the two red cards goes to force the pace.
Less than one lap he receives the third red card and is stopped. He stops crying on the shoulders of his fellow Chief Judge, who tries to console him for a few moments.
 
Force the pace Christopher Linke (GER), Sergey Shirobokov (ANA), Wang Kaihua (CHN), and Eider Arevalo (COL). There are also with them Caio Bonfim (BRA), Alvaro Martin (ESP), Dane Bird-Smith (AUS) and Isamu Fujisawa (JPN).
It seems that the race for medals will come out of this group.
 
This eight are leading at 15km in 59:33
 
 
Last 5 km
 
Force the pace Eider Arevalo and stand behind him only Christopher Linke and Sergey Shirobohow
It comes from behind Lebogang Shange (RSA) while Shirobohov continue in forcing the pace and finds him next to him.
Eider Arevalo remains with them.
 
The last lap of men is really a good promotion for the world race walk.
 
First try Sergey Shirobokov (ANA) and then Lebogang Shange (RSA) to set the pace.
Eider Arevalo (COL) resists, and in his right hand a banner is wrapped up.
Caio Bonfim (BRA) is back and about 600m from the finish line is over the South African and goes for bronze.
 
But for gold and silver is still to be decided. Shirobokov and Arevalo look together, Arevalo looks to see where Caio Bonfirm is and starts to force agian. Earn those five meters shortly after Buckingham Palace's turning point and walking beautifully have the time to melt the flag, tie it to his neck and go to win in 1:18:53 (new personal best).
 
Sergey Shirobokov (ANA) does not double the victory of a month ago in Grosseto, but doubles the wonderful and spectacular walk of the Russian school.
Since 2015 this junior athletre (born on 11.2.1999) has collected:
- a gold at the World Youth at Cali 2015,
- a gold at the U20 in Grosseto on moth ago,
- and the silver today in London in 1:18:55.
 
Third place to Caio Bonfim (BRA) in 1:19:04,
Fourth place to Lebogang Shange (RSA) in 1:19:18
Fifth place to Christopher Linke (GER) in 1:19:21
Sixth place to Dane Bird-Smith (AUS) in 1:19:28
Seventh place to Wang Kaihua (CHN) in 1:19:30
Eight place to Alvaro Martin (ESP) in 1:19:41
 
 
 
The Italians
 
 
Giorgio Rubino is 16th in 1:20:57
Francesco Fortunato is 25th in 1:22:01 (personal best)
Matteo Giupponi is 48th in 1:25:20
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

(from IAAF web-site by Paul Warburton)
 
 
 
All good things come to those who work and wait as Eider Arevalo discovered in the 20km race walk.

On the last lap, the gold medallist took one last look at Buckingham Palace on The Mall before deciding who was going to wear the crown. 

A last-lap sprint saw the Colombian crevice a gap to neutral Sergei Shirobokov, and when Arevalo thought himself clear, celebrated with his national flag passed to him by a fan, albeit keeping one eye on the Russian finishing just two seconds back.

Arevalo came to prominence as the junior winner of the IAAF World Walking Cup in 2010, and followed it up with a global junior crown two years later in Barcelona.

There has been plenty of South American area success since then for the 24-year-old, but seventh in Beijing two years ago was the best mustered at a senior level until now.

His 1:18:53 finish was remarkable not just for the area record that came with it, but in heat that seemed a lot more intense than the listed 22 degrees celsius.

Behind the pair, Brazil’s Ciao Bonfim rallied to deny Lebogang Shange a brave bronze.

Bonfim halved his sixth place finish at Beijing 2015, but cut in two in different way was the poor South African right behind.

He came like a train to move up from 20th at halfway and 23 seconds in arrears, and then went through the field like a dose of salts to take the lead briefly before settling back for a final duel with Shirobokov and Arevalo.

As it turned out, the move was a gear too many for Shange, and when the leading pair turned up the heat, Shange’s face suggested he was struggling.

Bonfim came back past him, but at least Shange rewrote his own national record to 1:19:18 - 48 seconds better, and 40 places better than a disappointing Olympics last year.

Someone who harboured hopes of a medal was Germany’s Christopher Linke.

But after a sizzling year where he won twice in the Czech Republic, the German suffered in the heat for fifth, and this time it was disappointment also for Dane Bird-Smith whose breakthrough bronze at the 2016 Olympics was still slower than his 1:19:28 personal best here for sixth.

But if the Australian was left with a case of ‘what if?’ Consider the plight of home favourite Tom Bosworth.

Just like he did in Brazil at the Olympics last year, the Briton went to the front only this time in front of his own supporters - and there were many lining the course.

He reached 5kms in 19:54, but that's comfortable in this class of field and there was little danger of shedding anyone from a group of 30-plus in the early stages. 

On a different stage at a different time, maybe Bosworth would have buried himself in the pack rather than putting himself out there for judges to take an even harder look at him. It was a risk that backfired.

For the first time in his senior career, the 27-year-old incurred a painful red card that left him distraught.

The word shattered barely did justice as Bosworth sobbed uncontrollably while slumped on a fence before being led back down the course head in hands and away from a thousand photo lenses capturing his misery.

Bosworth reached 10kms in 39:48 for halfway along with 10 others, but with the man from Kent removed a large group quickly became a small one as the pace ramped up.

Arevalo, Shirobokov, Japan’s Isamu Fujisawa, Arévalo, Linke, Bird-Smith, China’s Kaihua Wang, and Spain’s Álvaro Martín forged ahead.

But then the race really took off with Arevalo defying the list of favourites to win a first gold for Colombia at the Championships to go with Caterine Ibarguen’s silver medal in the women’s triple jump.

There were actually five medal ceremonies in the Mall to complete a great day in the heart of London.

Right at the end, the 2009 World Championship 20kms was re-awarded to China’s Wang Hao in first, Eder Sánchez from Mexico, second, and Italy’s Giorgio Rubino, who made it to the podium eight years after the race after Russia’s Valeriy Borchin was stripped of the title.

 

Paul Warburton for the IAAF

 

 

 

 
 
Arevalo and Shirobokov (Photo by Getty Images - for IAAF)