Sunny day in Antalya in southern Turkey where the 20km Turkey National Championships were held on the Akdeniz Boulevard today along with an international walking race.
20km men
The Ukrainian national team was present en masse with Ihor Hlavan, Ivan Banzeruk, Eduard Zabuzhenko, Viktor Shumik, Serhiy Svitlychniy and Maryan Zakalnytskyy.
Belarus was represented by Aliaksandr Liakhovich, while the hosts of Turkey made their two stars Salih Korkmaz and Sahin Senoduncu shine.
It would have been enough for Salih Korkmaz to match his personal best (1:20:35 obtained in Minsk, BLR on 26.8.2019) to win the international competition, but the young Turkish athlete is growing visibly.
Shortly after half the race he said goodbye to the group and flew towards victory with the new national record of Turkey (1:19:31) and first time under the wall of 1:20:00
For the second place close battle between Korkmaz's teammate, Sahin Senoduncu and Serhiy Svitlychniy (UKR).
The Ukrainian has slightly prevailed over the Turk conquering silver.
Serhiy Svitlychniy's time is 1:21:36 new personal best (previous 1:22:53 obtained in Ivano-Frankivsk, UKR on 20.10.2019)
Sahin Senoduncu (TUR) had to settle for bronze in 1:21:47 also for him new personal best (previous of 1:22:50 obtained in Ivano-Frankivsk, UKR on 20.10.2019)
Ukraine monopolizes from fourth to seventh place with:
- Eduard Zabuzhenko (1:21:50) also new personal best for him (previous of 1:22:16 obtained in Ivano-Frankivsk, UKR on 20.10.2019)
- Maryan Zakalnytskyy (1:21:56) also new personal best for him (previous of 1:30:44 obtained in Sumy, UKR on 14.6.2014)
- Ihor Hlavan (1:22:29). Hlavan had received a red card for loss of contact at 11:14 and was walking in second position. At 11:26 within 200m he received two more (one for bent knee and the other for loss of contact) and at 11:27 he was stopped until 11:29 in the Penalty Zone.
- Viktor Shumik (1:23:02)
Eighth place to Aliaksandr Liakhovich (BLR) in 1:23:21
Rewritten today after the races in Kobe and Antalya the seasonal world list of the 20km walk, as follows:
20km women
Also this race is lived on an interesting battle.
On arrival between the first and fifth finishers there were only 24" of gap and behind them there were two other athletes at 21".
Victory for Olena Sobchuck (UKR) in 1:29:12 new personal best (previous of 1:33:25 obtained in Sumy, UKR on 11.6.2016)
Second place to the house idol, Meryem Bekmez (TUR) in 1:29:24, also for her new national best and personal best (previous of 1:29:36 obtained in La Coruna, ESP on 8.6.2018)
Third place to Ayman Ratova (KAZ) in 1:29:31 shattering her own personal best and the Kazakhstan record of 1:37:15 obtained in Almaty, KAZ on 24.7.2018).
Three Ukrainian athletes follow from fourth to sixth place:
- Mariya Sakharuk in 1:29:35 also for her new personal best (previous of 1:33:34 obtained in Berlin, GER on 11.8.2018)
- Lyudmila Olyanovska in 1:29:36
- Nadiya Borovska in 1:29:57
Seventh place to Anna Terlyukevich (BLR) in 1:29:59
Eighth place in Evin Demir (TUR) in 1:33:26
Rewritten today after the races in Kobe, Ranchi and Antalya the seasonal world list of the 20km walk, as follows: