Tags:
For the first time in the event’s history, the competition will be held in South America – and in the Southern Hemisphere – marking a significant moment for the discipline and for the sport more broadly. After the marathon started at 6.45 the U20 men is the second event at the start at 7:15 while women will have the start at 8:15. The course is a 2 km loop for the marathon and 10 km distances.
Weather forecast this early morning in Brasilia: mostly cloudy until 8 AM; temperature increasing from 19° C to 21° C; humidity around 80%-90%; wind from East around 15 km/h with gusts max 30 km/h.
10km U20 men
Pu Huajia brought the U20 men’s 10km title back to Chinese ownership at the Caixa World Race Walking Team Championships Brasilia 26 on Sunday (12). The 18-year-old delivered a dominant performance to win by 49 seconds, crossing the line in a PB of 39:58. Australia’s defending champion Isaac Beacroft, who won in Antalya two years ago at the age of 16, had to settle for the runner-up spot with 40:47. Alessio Coppola placed third (41:16) and led Italy to the team title.
The race got off to a conservative start with Beacroft at the head of a large lead pack through the first kilometre. As the group approached the two-kilometre mark, Beacroft started to increase the pace slightly, but Pu went with him. With 14 minutes on the clock, Pu and Beacroft had a five-second lead over the rest of the field and they continued to race alongside one another for most of the first half.
In the second half, though, Pu managed to break free from Beacroft, opening up a significant lead on the Australian who had set a world U20 10,000m record at the end of last year. Pu, contesting his first race outside China, powered ahead and crossed the line in 39:58, the fourth-fastest winning time at these championships. It’s the fifth time in the six most recent editions that China has won the U20 men’s title at the World Race Walking Team Championships.
Beacroft followed in 40:47 while Coppola placed third in 41:16. Coppola’s teammate Nicolo Vidal finished fourth, while Shi Chengxi of China was sixth, meaning Italy and China both notched up seven points in the team standings. But Italy claimed the victory – their first team triumph in the U20 race – by virtue of a higher-placed second counter. Australia, with Owen Toyne placing 12th, claimed team bronze.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics
Finish line:
Victory to Pu Huajia (CHN) in 39:58. Second place to Isaac Beacroft (AUS) in 40:47. Bronze to Alessio Coppola (ITA) in 41:16.
Follows: Yasin Abduselam Abdulwahab (ETH) in (41:21) new personal best; Nicolò Vidal (ITA) in 41:25; Emiliano Barba (MEX) in 41:49; Shi Chengxi (CHN) in 41:51
Yasin Abduselam Abdulwahab (ETH) arrived 4th was penalised after the arrival for incorrect technique.
Team standings:
Victory to Italy (7 points) in front of Chine (7 points but worst second arrived).
Third place to Australia (14 points), fourth Spain (19 points), fifth Mexico (21 points), sixth Japan (26 points) and seventh Ecuador (35 points)
10km U20 women
Yang Yutong emerged victorious in a competitive U20 women’s 10km at the Caixa World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Brasilia 26, winning both the individual and team titles for China on Sunday (12). It was only in the closing stages that the 19-year-old finally shook off the challenge of Italy’s European U18 champion Serena Di Fabio, the seventh-place finisher at this event two years ago. Yang crossed the line in 46:11 to finish 10 seconds ahead of Di Fabio with Ni Lihua placing third in 46:37 to secure team gold for China.
The race got off to a conservative start as the first kilometre was covered in 5:09. The pace started to pick up as the large lead pack approached 3km, but it was only at half way – which was reached in 24:01 – that the pack started to whittle down. Di Fabio led a nine-woman group at that point. After another kilometre, covered in 4:35, the pack was down to five: Di Fabio, France’s Chloe le Roch, plus Chinese trio Yang, Ni Lihua and Wang Yaru.
Le Roch and Wang started to drift off the pace, leaving just three women to battle for the podium places over the final few kilometres. Di Fabio, Yang and Ni race walked together through 8km, then Yang began her long drive for home. Ni surrendered her challenge, while Di Fabio tried her best to stick with Yang, but the Chinese teenager was too strong. With a final kilometre of 4:23, and having covered the second half in 22:10, Yang crossed the line in 46:11 to become the third consecutive Chinese winner of the U20 women’s race at these championships.
Di Fabio held on for second place in 46:21 while Ni finished third in 46:37. Further back, Le Roch was fourth (47:18) and Wang fifth (47:27).
China dominated the team standings and regained gold, two years after Spain ended their four-edition winning streak. Italy claimed team silver with 12 points, just one ahead of Japan. It represents Italy’s best team result in the U20 women’s race at these championships, and Japan’s first team podium finish in a women’s race.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics
Half race:
Leading pack is composed of 8 athletes leaded by Serena Di Fabio (ITA) in 24:01. In the pack there are Yang Yutong (CHN), Ni Lihua (CHN), Wang Yaru (CHN), Chloe Le Roch (FRA), Hiwot Ambaw (ETH), Yuna Uchiyama (JPN) and Suzu Okuno (JAP).
Finish line:
Victory to Yang Yutong (CHN) in 46:11 in front on Serena Di Fabio in 46:21. Bronze to Ni Lihua (CHN) in 46:37.
Follows: Chloe Le Roch (FRA) in 47:18, Wang Yaru (CHN) in 47:27.
Team standings:
Victory to China (4 points) in front of Italy (12 points)
Third place to Japan (13 points), fourth Spain (39 points), fifth Peru (42 points), sixth Turkiye (42 points), seventh Mexico (42 points) and eighth to Australia (45 points)
Official results: see below enclosed files
Photo album
Photo album from Fidal: https://www.fidal.it/gallery_one.php?gid=3427