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Short report (reported by FPA)
Porto de Mós was the stage, this Sunday, for the first edition of the National Half-Marathon Road Race Walking Championships. In a race that marked the debut of the distance in national championships, João Vieira and Vitória Oliveira, with the athlete setting a national record, won the titles, on a day also marked by strong participation in the youth and veteran categories.
It was a day of celebration in the town of Porto de Mós, which hosted, this Sunday, March 22, the first edition of the National Half-Marathon Road Race Walking Championships, a competition that brought together athletes from the U23, senior and veteran categories, organized by the Portuguese Athletics Federation, in collaboration with the Leiria Athletics Association and the Municipality of Porto de Mós.
Olympian João Vieira, an athlete from Sporting CP, prevailed in the men’s race, crossing the finish line with a time of 1:31:03, confirming his status as one of the greatest references in national race walking. He thus obtained the qualifying mark for the Nations Cup, which will be held in Brasília in three weeks. Eduardo Camarate, from SL Benfica, secured second place (1:31:40) and the national Under-23 title, while Rui Magalhães, from MAC, completed the podium with 1:44:00.
In the women’s race, victory went to Vitória Oliveira, who won with a record time of 1:40:40, setting a new national record for the distance. Joana Pontes came in second (1:46:38) and Juliana Galvão completed the podium (1:50:53).
In the U23 category, Eduardo Camarate (SL Benfica) stood out with a victory in the men’s U23, with a time of 1:31:40. There was no champion in the women’s category.
In the end, the national champions were satisfied with their performance. João Vieira highlighted: “I leave Porto de Mós with very good feelings, another title added to my already long sporting career, and another demonstration that João Vieira is still capable of winning titles even at 50 years old. The energy is still there, I also work hard for it, with a disciplined life to achieve titles and represent my country.”
Vitória Oliveira emphasized: “I am very happy, national champion and with a new national record, although I want to lower the mark even further. I felt very good, the course is good, there were many athletes and the temperature was ideal. Now the focus is on the World Cup of Nations in Brazil.”
This competition marked the debut of the 21,097.5 km distance in national road race walking championships, following the evolution of the international calendar of the discipline, in a historic moment for the sport in Portugal.
Photo album (by Tiago Peixinho)
