What is the best way to celebrate August 15th?
That of Wales, which organized the Wales Walking Championships in Cardiff (GBR) on the distance of 10,000m track walk, but also open to other athletes from Great Britain.
10,000m men track walk
Only four athletes at the start, but some interesting results and a fight that ended in the final phase.
Starting leader Guy Thomas (GBR) who boasts a personal best of 42:28.20 established in Bedford (GBR) on 19.6.2016, led the whole race, but was sanctioned by the jury for some technical problem. The two previous red cards turned into three in the final phase and Guy Thomas was forced to suffer the penalty of 60”.
This allowed the main opponent, Tom Partington (GBR) to overtake him and fly to victory with a time of 43:43.22.
For him this mark represents the new personal best. The previous one (43:58.9h) was set on 1.4.2019 at the National Sport Center Athletics Stadium in Douglas (GBR) in the Isle of Man. This season he had already participated in a 10,000m track walk in Bedford (GBR), but had been forced to abandon.
Second place to Guy Thomas in 44:05.83
Third place went to George Wilkinson (GBR) in 44:48.78
10,000m women track walk
Seven athletes at the start.
Bethan Dawies (GBR) immediately leads the race (she boasted a personal best of 47:05.97 established in Canberra, AUS on 29.1.2017). In this season the 30-year-old Welsh girl had already touched the personal best in Bedford (GBR) on the occasion of the English U23 Open Championships, finishing in 47:07.97 (and winning the race), but only 2 seconds were interspersed between the result and her personal best.
Here in Cardiff Bethan Dawies raced as leader from start to finish and stopped the clock in 45:21.70 new personal best, but above all new Wales record
Behing her also Heater Lewis (GBR), always in second position, obtains the new personal best in 46:36.10 (the previous one was 49:06.83 and dates back to 22.6.2014 when it was obtained on the Bedford track (GBR). Last season (1.3.2020), however, on the road distance of 10km Heater Lewis had obtained an interesting 45:14 in Coventry (GBR) which is still his personal best on the road.
Third place to Erika Kelly (GBR) in 51:56.10.