Sunday of walking championships also in England, at Bedford, where the U20 and U23 British Championships took place with the walking events.
Not many athletes at the start, and among other things in the U23 women at the start there was no athlete.
We come to the races in their detail.
10,000m track walk U20 men
A single athlete at the start, Tom Partington (GBR), who completes the race in 47:55.85 not so far from his personal best of 47:41.10 (established in Bedford, GBR on Jun. 18, 2017).
10,000m track walk U23 men
There were four athletes at the start, and among them the Bydgoszcz U20 World Champion in 2015.
Cameron Corbishley (GBR) won the race in 43:47.34 for him a little more than a walk as he boasts a personal best of 41:37.44 set in Bedford, GBR on Jun. 18, 2017).
Second place for Luc Henry Legon (GBR) in 48:32.55
The disqualifications of Guy Tomas (GBR) and in particular that of Callum Wilkinson (GBR) that on the social networks has shown as "today's star of the show, the judges" have caused much controversy.
10,000m track walk U20 women
It may have been because of this result that Callum Wilkinson (GBR) will have decided to let off steam against the judges.
Three athletes at the start: Jacqueline Benson (GBR), Ana Garcia (GBR) and Emily Ghose (GBR) and unfortunately all three disqualified.
One friend of Marcia dal Mondo sent us this report of the race
Of the panel of four judges, there was a deal of experience. The panel did include two of the judges who regularly judge in major events including the Diamond League events in London and the indoor meetings where internationals have competed. One of whom being an active member of the IAAF panel, having judged at the most recent world championships and world Teams Championships. The other a member of the national panel, with lengthy experience in two countries where he has resided.
So what happened on the day? Racing on a track does present issues for some competitors. The three female competitors were unable to comply with the definition of race walking in the opinion of three judges. In their case, they infringed the rule relating to the leg being straight from the point of contact to passing under the body (vertically upright position). Judges make a decision on what appears in front of them. I can speak only for the reasons with one athlete, where fatigue and other factors played a part.
The two male athletes, again, in the opinion of three judges failed to meet the requirements of the rule as published. One because he was considered not to have maintained contact, the other for a combination of non-compliance to the straightened leg and contact sections of the rule.
In any race, circumstances occur where athletes, for whatever reason struggle to maintain contact or comply with the rule as relating to straightening the knee. They are not cheating, it just means at that time they are not getting it right (the long jump analogy). Errors of judgement may be made on both sides, however judges will err on the side of caution and make judicious use of the yellow paddle to maximise the possibility of all competitors successfully finishing an event. A report for disqualification is only submitted if the judge is certain in their own mind it is warranted.
What happens in regard to an athlete’s mode of progression one day and in one race may not hold true of all other days. It is upsetting to all concerned, the athlete, the coach and those associated with the athlete; however it is the nature of sport and life in general.
The judging of the event requires the opinion of three judges, using the human eye, to sustain a disqualification. Some will say there is a need for video analysis etc (the VAR at the current FIFA World Cup will be referenced). However it means that one would need to video all competitors for the race, all parts of the course or track and then review every frame, simple mathematics suggests that at 8 competitors over a potential 60 minute span reviewed several times at reduced speed it may take days or weeks to carry out such a task.