We were there Saturday Apr. 1, 2017 when Ines Henriques stubbornly prepared to carry out, perhaps with a victory, her 100th 20km.
That day on the course there was nobody who did not support for her, including opponents: this is the respect that in the world of race walk is reserved for those who are doing something great if not exceptional.
At the time Ines Henriques still did not know if she could compete at the World Championships in London on 50km (as it happened with great success) and then still competed intensely on 20km.
Her appearances on the shorter distance were subsequently diminished, but she still continued to compete in the classic Olympic distance.
From Mar. 27, 1999 when she made her first appearance in the 20km in Rio Maior in the race that ended in 1:57:35, only three more times she obtained times higher than 1:40:00 and all dating back to the year 2000.
Then it was a Rossinian crescendo of 100 performances less to the time indicated above.
- Twenty one performances between 1:32:00 and 1:33:00,
- Thirteen performances between 1:31:00 and 1:32:00,
- Fifteen performances between 1:30:00 and 1:31:00,
- Nine performances between 1:29:00 and 1:30:00,
only to stop at the first 68 results.
An average of the first ten performances equal to 1:29:39 not far from the personal best of 1:29:00 obtained in Rome on May 7, 2016 when she took the 9th place in the first edition of the IAAF World Race Walk Team Championships.
Few the dark moments of an enviable career:
- Edmonton 2001: the first disqualification
- Rio Maior 2003: the first DNF in her city
- those fifty days of 2009 when between May 1 in Sesto San Giovanni (ITA) and June 20 in La Coruna - the worst period of her career - she collected two DQ (Sesto San Giovanni - IAAF Challenge and Metz - European Cup) and another DNF (La Coruna - IAAF Challenge)
- Podebrady 2017: with another disqualification in the European Cup
After the success in London still to race in 20km in Leiria on Dec. 17, 2017 (1st in 1:32:38), and the two races of this beginning 2018 on:
- Feb. 4, 2018 in Quarteira in Algarve (POR): victory in 1:30:08
- Feb. 24, 2018 in Monterrey (MEX): 3rd in Memorial Hausleber in 1:32:08
Next Saturday we will all be celebrating in Rio Maior her 105th appearance on the 20km that she will certainly honor at best.
Rio Maior has its ambassadors in race walking world: Jorge Miguel and his athletes Susana Feitor and Ines Henriques.
Thanks to them for these 27 years of goals with a smile on their lips and humility in their hearts.