Isaac Beacroft wins the U20 men's 10km race walk title in Antalya (© Sergio Mateo)
Australia’s Isaac Beacroft became the first winner of the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Antalya 24 on Sunday (21), using superb closing speed to overpower his rivals in a thrilling finish to the U20 men's 10km.
Aged just 16, Beacroft crossed the finish line at the Antalya Expo Centre in an Oceanian U20 record of 39:56 to deny China a fifth consecutive individual win in this event while also becoming the youngest ever winner of an U20 title at these championships. After being passed by Beacroft in the final stretch, Shi Shengji held on for silver in 39:57, while his Chinese teammate Luo Jiawei claimed bronze in 40:03 and together they gained team gold.
Japan, led by Sotaro Osaka in fourth, secured team silver, while Australia bagged the bronze.
Racing on a cool and still morning after the previous day’s storm, it was Germany’s Frederick Weigel – the son of 1983 world champion Ronald Weigel – who initially took the race on, leading through the first kilometre in 4:06. He remained to the fore as the 3km mark was passed in 12:21, joined by Luo and Spain’s Daniel Monfort.
Weigel dropped back as the field – led by Luo and Li – started to string out. As they reached 4km in 16:27, a stride ahead of Shi, the first red cards of the competition had been handed out for a loss of contact – one for world U20 leader Li included.
Luo and Li continued to control the race they hit halfway in 20:29, but Beacroft – contesting just the second road race of his career – was right up there with them.
Li decided it was time to make a move and he picked up the pace, the field in a line behind him. A 4:02 kilometre made an impact and only Shi could go with him, but the move didn’t come without danger and Li received a second red card.
Shi was a stride ahead as 7km was reached in 28:14, with Luo nine seconds behind his teammates, walking alongside Beacroft.
But Li’s individual medal hopes came to an end a short while later, as he was shown his third red card and left the course to serve a one-minute penalty. Shi received his first red card and then passed the 8km mark in 32:07.
That put the 17-year-old 12 seconds ahead of his closest challengers, but Beacroft was clearly waiting for the right moment to strike. He fought with Luo in what looked to be a battle for silver, but the Australian wasn’t done.
By 9km, Shi’s lead was down to three seconds and Beacroft closed the gap, timing his finish to perfection as he picked up the pace and stormed past Shi to make sure that Australia's first ever individual men's U20 medal in this event was a gold one.
“I'm just amazed, I can't believe it. I'm so happy with what I just did,” said the winner. “I always knew I had it in me that I could be up there, ready to go, but winning is another level. It's unreal.
“I'm just hoping that I set up the platform for the rest of the Australian team to tear it up.”
Behind the individual medallists, Osaka clocked a PB of 40:30 for his fourth-place finish, with his compatriot Taisei Yoshizako sixth in 40:39, also a PB, to secure the team silver.
Finishing between them was Italy’s Giuseppe Disabato, who managed a PB of 40:32 for fifth, while Turkiye’s Seyhmus Capat had the race of his life on home soil, setting a national U20 record of 40:42 to finish seventh.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics
| U20 MEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS | ||
| 🥇 | Isaac Beacroft (AUS) | 39:56 AU20R |
| 🥈 | Shi Shengji (CHN) | 39:57 |
| 🥉 | Luo Jiawei (CHN) | 40:03 |
| 4 | Sotaro Osaka (JPN) | 40:30 PB |
| 5 | Giuseppe Disabato (ITA) | 40:32 PB |
| 6 | Taisei Yoshizako (JPN) | 40:39 PB |
| 7 | Seyhmus Capat (TUR) | 40:42 NU20R |
| 8 | Daniel Monfort (ESP) | 40:43 PB |
| 9 | Frederick Weigel (GER) | 40:53 PB |
| 10 | Jesus Leonardo Ramirez (COL) | 40:53 PB |
| Full results | ||
| U20 MEN'S TEAM RESULTS | ||
| 🥇 | China | 5 |
| 🥈 | Japan | 10 |
| 🥉 | Australia | 14 |
| Full results | ||
