Also this morning there is a sunny day at La Nucia (ESP) near Alicante for the second of the two walking races of the National Absolute Championships in Spain: that of the 10,000m track walk women.
10.000m track walk women
Raquel Gonzalez Campos (ESP) and Maria Perez (ESP) go immediately in front of the race to set the pace.
It soon becomes clear that it will be very difficult for the other athletes to fight for a medal different from the bronze one.
The pace is quite fast.
The two have a personal best on the distance obtained in the same race in Gijon (ESP) on 23.7.2016 when Raquel Gonzalez won the 2016 title in 42:14.12 in front of Beatriz Pascual (42:35.69) and Julia Takacs (43: 55.70). Maria Perez in that occasion was fourth vith the personal best (44:13.83).
Raquel Gonzalez and Maria Perez continue together without any doubts and soon (about four kilometers) they have an unassailable lead.
These are the saplit times every 1,000m up to the 7.000m that they have always seen Raquel Gonzalez leading the race:
- 1.000m: 4:27.59
- 2.000m: 8:50.12 (4:23.53)
- 3.000m: 13:13.51 (4:23.39)
- 4.000m: 17:40.56 (4:27.04)
- 5.000m: 22:08.73 (4:28.17)
- 6.000m: 26:36.11 (4:27.34)
- 7.000m: 30:57.65 (4:41.54)
Shortly before the eight kilometers Maria Perez forces the pace, with a dry and effective change of pace, and gains about ten meters.
The next two kilometers are as follows:
- 8.000m: 35:14.72 (4:17.07)
- 9.000m: 39:29.38 (4:14.66)
Now the gap with Raquel Gonzalez is large, but Maria Perez evidently thinks of personal best.
Maria Perez, with a last 1,000m covered in 4:22.70, wins the title of Champion of Spain 2019 and establishes the new personal best in 43:52.08, lowering the previous one by almost 22 seconds.
Second place goes to Raquel Gonzalez (ESP) in 44:44.32
Third place to Laura Garcia-Caro (ESP) in 46:48.09