Jun
20
China’s Yafei Zhu and Spain’s Beatriz Pascual clinched their respective 20Km victories to highlight the “Gran Premio Cantones de Marcha” – the Spanish leg in 2010 IAAF Race Walking Challenge held Saturday 19 on a cloudy and ideal day for Race Walking. While the 21-year-old Chinese retained his title from last year with a 1:21:11 clocking, the Spaniard Pascual managed her first ever victory at an IAAF World Challenge permit meeting thanks to a 1:28:05 performance. Coming slightly over one month ahead of the European championships the 28-year-old Barcelona-born walker propels herself into the medal picture.
It’s also worth mentioning the fifth place managed by Spain’s Julia Takacs (1:30:14, a National U-23 record) and the seventh place of Britain’s Johanna Jackson 1:30.41, a new national record.
via iaaf.org – Zhu and Pascual nab La Coruña titles – IAAF Race Walking Challenge.
Jun
18
As part of the IAAF Race Walking Challenge 2010, the fourth and last leg of the IAAF Permit Race Walking meetings takes place on Saturday (19) in La Coruña, a city which has since 1987 annually hosted a world class ‘Gran Premio Cantones de Marcha’.
The events scheduled to be contested are 20km Race Walks for both men and women. The northwest Spanish coastal city hosted a successful IAAF World Race Walking Cup back in 2006 and offers the competitors an ideal, flat 1km-long circuit on which to get fast times while the spectators also benefit since they have the chance to witness a star-studded field establish plenty of fast times.
via iaaf.org – World’s crème gathers in La Coruña – IAAF Race Walking Challenge PREVIEW.
Jun
02
Ireland’s world-class race walkers ramped up their build-up to the European Championships in July with two top-six finishes and personal bests at the IAAF 10km Challenge in Kracow, WRITES CLIONA FOLEY.
World 20km silver medallist Olive Loughnane finished fifth in
44mins 8secs in the race won by World and Olympic champion Olga Kaniskina in 43.03.
Cork's Robert Heffernan broke 40 minutes for the first time since 2005 when he was sixth in a personal best of 39.21 in the men's race, which was won by China's Yafei Chu in 38:40.
Ireland's 50km specialist Jamie Costin also broke 40 minutes for the first time when 11th in 39.56.
via Race Walking: Personal bests for Costin and Heffernan as Irish shine – Other Sports, Sport – Independent.ie.
May
30
Krakow, Poland – Olga Kaniskina of Russia and Chu Yafei of China won their respective 10Km Race Walk titles at the Na Rynek Marsz!, or “March on Market Square!” on Saturday (29), the third Race Walking Grand Prix meeting of the 2010 IAAF Race Walking Challenge.
In the women's race, it was Germany's Melanie Seeger who controlled the race early on, leading for the first three kilometers. Then Kaniskina, the two-time World and reigning Olympic 20Km champion, took over and maintained the lead through the finish. It was a close battle between the pair over the final 500 metres, but Kaniskina held on to beat Seeger by two seconds in 43:03. Seeger's 43:05 was a career best.
via iaaf.org – Kaniskina and Chu take 10Km wins in Krakow – IAAF Race Walking Challenge.
May
27
Krakow, Poland – Now in its fourth year as an IAAF World Race Walking Challenge event, the ‘Na Rynek Marsz’ competition in Krakow this Saturday (29) is once again set to be one of the highlights of the race walking season.
The meet has a new location this year, but what hasn’t changed is the quality of the fields assembled by competition director Robert Korzeniowski. The men’s 10 Kilometre race will feature both individual winners of the recent World Race Walking Cup, Hao Wang and Matej Toth, while the women’s field will include the reigning Olympic and World champion Olga Kaniskina.
The competition, which has traditionally taken place in Krakow’s Old Town has been moved to the Blonia recreational area, as the newly laid cobblestones around the old market square were found too dangerous for walkers. It is likely that the new route around a bigger loop will allow for faster times.
via iaaf.org – Chihuahua winners Hao Wang and Toth, and Kaniskina the headliners in Krakow – IAAF World Race Walking Challenge.
May
04
JO Jackson has made history by becoming the first Brit in history to win a medal at an IAAF Race Walking Challenge, scooping bronze in Sesto San Giovanni, Italy on Saturday.
SEASON'S BEST: Jo Jackson sets her fastest time of the year in Italy and becomes the first Brit in history to reach the IAAF Race Walking Challenge podium (Getty Images)
The 25-year-old clocked a season's best of 1.32.03 hours in the 20km race behind Portugal's Vera Santos and Germany's Melanie Seeger, who took gold and silver respectively.
Jackson passed the halfway mark in 45.42 minutes and despite picking up her second disqualification card at the seven kilometer stage, which meant she had to hold back for the rest of the race, she still become the first ever Brit to reach the podium.
She said: “This is a major breakthrough for me to make the podium in an IAAF Challenge event.
“I'm disappointed with the time as I had to hold back after receiving my second red card at seven kilometres, I know there is a lot more in the tank.”
Jackson will now turn her attentions to competing for Great Britain in the IAAF World Race Walking Cup in Mexico in later this month.
via Race walker Jackson is first ever Brit to reach podium | More than the games.
May
04
BRITAIN’S leading race-walker Johanna Jackson finished a very creditable third at the IAAF Race Walking Challenge event in Sesto San Giovanni. The UK record-holder finished third in the 20km race-walk in 1:32:05, which was just outside her national record of 1:31:16. The Middlesbrough & Cleveland athlete, who became the first Brit to mount the podium in the IAAF Challenge series, took third behind Portugal’s Vera Santos 1:28:29 and Germany’s Melanie Seeger 1:29:20. Speaking after the race, Jackson said: “This is a major breakthrough for me to make the podium in an IAAF Challenge event. I am disappointed with the time as I had to hold back after receiving my 2nd red card at 7km, I know there is a lot more in the tank”
via Athletics Weekly.
May
02
Schwazer and Santos dominate in Sesto San Giovanni – IAAF Race Walking ChallengeCommanding victory for Alex Schwazer in Sesto San Giovanni Lorenzo SampaolorelnewsSesto San Giovanni, Italy – Reigning 50 km Olympic champion Alex Schwazer and Vera Santos of Portugal took the honours at the 53rd edition of the famous Coppa Città di Sesto San Giovanni IAAF Race Walking Challenge race on Saturday 1. The Sud Tyrol walking star cruised to a dominating win in 1:20:29 beating 2007 Sesto winner Erik Tysse from Norway, who added another podium in Sesto finishing runner-up in 1:21:29 ahead of France’s reigning European 50 km champion Yohan Diniz. Schwazer became the first Italian to win in Sesto San Giovanni since 2004 when local favourite Alessandro Gandellini beat Ivano Brugnetti.
via iaaf.org – Schwazer and Santos dominate in Sesto San Giovanni – IAAF Race Walking Challenge.
Apr
29
Alex Schwazer is the headliner of the 53rd edition of the Coppa Città di Sesto San Giovanni near Milan, the Italian leg of the IAAF Race Walking Challenge scheduled on 1st May.
The 20km race of the famous Northern Italian race is expected to be a tussle between strong 50km walking stars who will compete over the shorter distance to test their shape two weeks before the IAAF Race Walking Cup in Chihuahua scheduled on 15-16 May 2010.
The starting list of the 1 May race features Yohann Diniz from France, the 2006 European champion at 50km, the Norwegian pair formed by Eric Tysse, the 2008 Olympic Games fifth placer in the 50km and winner in Sesto in 2007, and Trond Nymark, the World Championships silver medallist from Berlin 2009 and André Höhne of Germany, fifth in the 50km in his native city Berlin and son of Christoph Höhne, 1968 Olympic champion in the 50km in Mexico City.
via iaaf.org – Schwazer, Diniz, Tysse to take centre stage in Sesto San Giovanni – Race Walking Challenge.
Apr
11
Rio Maior, Portugal – Spurred on by a hometown crowd, local hero Vera Santos took the women’s title at the 19th Grande Premio Internacional en Marcha Atletica in Rio Maior, Portugal on Saturday (10). On the men’s side, Eric Tysse of Norway won this IAAF Race Walking Challenge meeting for the second time.
via iaaf.org – Santos and Tysse take Rio Maior wins – IAAF Race Walking Challenge.