The National Walking Championships were also held in Serbia on Sunday 9 May.
The races were as follows:
- senior men: 10.000m track walk
- senior women: 5.000m track walk
- U20 women: 5.000m track walk
- U18 women: 5.000m track walk
Unfortunately the participation was not high, but it is always very nice to see competing for the national title even in these smaller countries.
However, Serbia in the past boasted a fairly famous name in the 50km: Aleksandar Rakovic who had finished 11th at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games (3:51:31) and then obtained the same position in the subsequent Sydney 2000 Olympic Games (3:49:16).
Rakovic was also sixth in the 1995 World Championships edition held in Gothenburg (SWE) in 3:49:35 while he set his 50km best mark in the 1999 World Cup in Mezidon (FRA) in 3:48:01 which is still today Serbia's national distance record.
We personally remember him in a memorable 1996 victory in the 30km of Sesto San Giovanni when in the middle and a delirious crowd he won the Italian classic in 2:12:25 in front of Sandor Urbanik (HUN) in 2:12:53 and Patrizio Parcesepe (ITA ) in 2:13:21.
But let's get back to our races.
10.000m track walk men
Victory to Predrag Filipovic (SRB) in 50:37.85
Second place to Danijel Nikolic (SRB) in 1:01:22.50
Third place to Marko Zoric (SRB) in 1:04:39.36
5.000m track walk women
Victory to Tijana Savicevic (SRB) in 26:17.17
Second place to Marija Papovic (SRB) in 28:55.06
Third place to Maja Milutinovic (SRB) in 33:16.31
5.000m track walk U20 women
Victory to Bjanka Dobrosavljevic (SRB) in 30:00.24
Second place to Una Danilovic (SRB) in 30:38.66
Third place to Ivana Velimirovic (SRB) in 34:19.24
5.000m track walk U18 girls
Victory to Anja Nedeljkovic (SRB) in 26:54.45
Second place in Tanja Antic (SRB) in 27:34.80
Third place to Milica Buncic (SRB) in 29:42.80