A cloudy day is the setting for the first ever track of the athletics.
It is the one dedicated to the first stage of men's race walk.
5.000m track walk U18 boys
Wang Xin (CHN) who is officially accredited by no time (but he is certainly not a newcomer to race walking) immediately takes the lead.
The Chinese is leading the 1,000m in 4:16:35.
Shortly before the 2,000m try to force the pace Ozgur Topsakakl (TUR) but is immediately catched by the Chinese who passes in the head even at 2,000m in 8:27.45 (seconds 1.000m in 4:11.10).
He walks at a pace of 1:40-1:39 for each lap and are still in nine in the lead group.
The passage at 3,000m still sees in the lead Wang Xin (CHN) in 12:32.40 (partial in the third 1000m of 4:04:55 with a final lap of 1:38.05) and with this pace the group is thinning.
The first to pay the costs are Lubomir Kubis (SVK) and Davide Finocchietti (ITA) whose personnel do not allow them to follow these trends pace. The same happens to Ozgur Topsakal (TUR) and therefore Europe must say goodbye to their dreams of glory.
At four laps from the end goes to the head Oscar Patin (ECU) that passes to 4.000m in 16:26.39 (partial in the fourth 1.000m of just over 3:54.00 but with the last lap walked in 1:30.00).
One more lap and Cesar Cordova Fernandez (MEX) reached Oscar Patin (ECU) who had forced and passed him.
Between the Mexican and the Ecuadorian it start an impressive head to head that will see them engaged up to 250 from the arrival.
At this point Cesar Cordova Fernandez (MEX) still forces the pace (with a technical gesture that does not have much to do with race walking) and crosses the finish line first in 20:09.90 (with a last impressive lap in 1:25.94 which means a 3:43.51/km for an athlete born in October 2002).
Correctly, the jury asserts its role and penalizes it by 30": it will be fifth in 20:39.90 (if it had not been the penalty it would have been disqualified).
"I came here with the goal of winning the gold medal. I have the preparation and the spirit to achieve that" the 15-year-old Cesar Cordova fernandez said after the arrival: "I was hoping to get first place and have an advantage so I could be closer and closer to the Olympic medal."
The clear philosophy of the Mexican athlete is often explained by one of the greatest walkers in the history of that Country who used to say: "It is better to die in front than to live behind".
Vicory to Oscar Patin (ECU) in 20:13.69
Second place to Suraj Panwar (IND) in 20:23.30
Third place for Wang Xin (CHN) in 20:28.02
Fourth place to Gilberto Menjivar (ESA) in 20:31.53
Re-written the Seson world list U18 on the distance:
The old Europe must be satisfied of the sixth place of Davide Finocchietti (ITA) in 20:51.96, new personal best, (previous of 21:22:70 established in Livorno on July 14, 2014) , of the eighth of Lubomir Kubis (SVK) in 21:10.94, of the ninth of Ozgur Topsakal (TUR) in 21:23.99 and of the 11th of Anthimos Kelepouris (GRE) in 21:58.74.
But we must be happy to receive the black shirt for the predictions of victory and medals: completely wrong !!!
Never ever we would have thought to see an athlete of India to arrive in second place.
But we are aware of one thing, given that we have been saying it for some time: the panorama of the world youth race walk is changing. New nations are emerging and this is certainly good for the specialty.
Is stopped in the penalty area Seogyoon Lee (KOR) but he ends the race in 22:20.57.
Bruno Lorenzett Nascimento (BRA) is disqualified.
The second stage Monday October 15, 2018 on the same distance.
(all photos, except cover photo, by Joe Toth, ARG per OIS-IOC)