This day of April 25 in Braganca Paulista will long be remembered as a milestone in the history of the Brazilian race walk.
20.000m track walk men
Caio Oliveira de Sena Bonfim obtained the new South American record of 20.000 meters track walk by finishing the race in 1:20:13.7, breaking the previous record that Ecuadorian Andrés Chocho had kept for a decade (1:20:23.8 and set in Buenos Aires, ARG on 5.6.2011)
Caio Bonfim was in the lead from the start of the race with these split times, which denote a race that is always growing:
- 5.000m: 20:27.0
- 10.000m: 40:59.8 (20 32.8)
- 15.000m: 1:00:59.8 (20:00.0)
- last 5.000m in 19:24.68
Second place to Matheus Gabriel de Liz Correa (BRA) from Santa Catarina who stopped the clock in 1:20:49.2, the Olympic standard and a new South American U23 record (he improved what none other than Jefferson Pérez had). Also for him a new personal best, with the previous of 1:23:57.50 established on 12.12.2020 in Sao Paulo (BRA).
Third place to Lucas Gomez de Souza Mazzo (BRA) in 1:24:15.95. Also for him a new personal best, with the precvious of 1:29:49.95 established on 16.8.2014 in Sao Paulo (BRA).
However, it is very interesting to note that out of the nine participants, six (including the first five) all established their personal best.
“That track record had stood for ten years, and belonged to an icon like Andrés Choco. This race was a great opportunity and I took advantage of it. Achieving that result makes me very happy,” said Caio, who dedicated it to his son Miguel and his wife Juliana, two months pregnant. It was also - amid all the restrictions and complications caused by the pandemic - an opportunity to compete and prepare for international events, such as the upcoming South American race walk in Guayaquil.
Born on March 19, 1991, Caio is the best race walk scorer in the history of Brazilian athletics and one of the great South American figures: names such as Olympic champion Jefferson Pérez and, more recently, Colombian world champions Luis Fernando López and Eider Arévalo, as well as in Chocho and Caio, they entered the victorious South America in the main championships of the specialty.
Caio Bonfim represents CASO (Centro Atlético Sobradinho), of the Brazilian capital, and brings race walk from the cradle: his father Joao Sena is a well-known coach and his mother, Gianetti Oliveira de Sena Bonfim, was one of the forerunners of the women's march in our region, which dominated national - and even South American - competitions in the 1990s.
Caio Bonfim started race walk in 2007. At first he didn't want to, but he did a test, he liked it and never left. He had to overcome a delicate health problem at the age of 2. Due to the lack of calcium, the boy's legs began to bend and he needed surgery to correct them. He underwent an operation when he was less than 3 years old. Contrary to the doctors' fear that the problem could represent, Caio has grown normally and has been physically active since he was 6 years old.
After his promising campaign in the youth categories, Caio quickly entered the international elite of the 20km walk, reaching all the South American and Pan American records, up to the bronze at the 2017 London World Championships. Animator of the main challenges of the World Challenge Athletics, also had a brilliant performance at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, when he finished in 4th place. And he began to venture into the 50 kilometers (9th place overall), achieving the result of 3:47:02 - second mark ever in South American history, behind Andres Chocho's record.
20.000m track walk women
To complete this unforgettable Sunday for race walking, the young Gabriela de Souza Muniz (BRA) won the women's 20km with a time of 1:35:02.6, also setting an absolute national and South American U20 record.
These are her steps every 5,000m
- 5.000m: 23:56.0
- 10.000m: 47:33.5 (23:37.5)
- 15.000m: 1:11.13.9 (23:40.4)
- last 5.000m in 23:48.26
Second place to Viviane Santana Lyra (BRA) in 1:35:29.76
Third place to Elianay Santana da Silva Pereira Barbos (BRA) in 1:39:44.95