Kimberly Garcia wins in La Coruna (© Organisers)
Peru’s Kimberly Garcia and Japan’s Toshikazu Yamanishi proved strongest at the Gran Premio Cantones, a World Athletics Race Walking Tour Gold meeting, held on Saturday (18) in the Spanish coastal city.
While the 2022 double world champion Garcia became a commanding winner to retain her title, the two-time world 20km race walk champion Yamanishi prevailed over Spain’s double world champion Alvaro Martin after a tough battle in a race of incredible depth. With six athletes clocking 1:18 or faster, it was arguably one of the quickest ever men’s 20km contests.
Garcia in a class of her own
The women’s contest opened at a slow rhythm, the first kilometre taking 4:35 with Mexico’s Alegna Gonzalez making most of the pace while China’s Ma Zhenxia and Brazil’s Erica Sena race walked at her shoulder. The cadence heated up over the following circuits, averaging 4:25 thanks to Qieyang Shenjie of China’s front tactics.
By the 5km checkpoint (22:13), 16 women remained in the leading pack with Qieyang at the helm closely followed by Garcia, Australia’s world silver medallist Jemima Montag, Spain’s Laura Garcia-Caro, Garcia and the former world record-holder Liu Hong. At that stage, Spain’s double world champion Maria Perez remained as part of the leading group.
The first serious movement came just before the eighth kilometre – the fastest to that point (4:19) – when Garcia increased her pace, trying to leave her rivals behind. China’s Yang Jiayu, Liu and Montag responded and didn’t let the Peruvian get away. But Garcia kept on pushing hard – clocking 4:18 for the 10th kilometre to reach halfway in 43:58 – and finally her efforts paid off as only Yang and Ma could keep up. Six women formed part of a chasing group: Gonzalez, Liu and her Chinese compatriot Peng Li, Garcia-Caro, Perez and Brazil’s Viviane Lyra, while Montag looked to have lost any chance of winning.
With the clock reading 51 minutes some 11.2km into the race, Yang’s resistance came to an end and Garcia pulled away quite easily to gradually increase her advantage on the Chinese athlete. By 13km, Garcia – who averaged a frantic 4:14 for the previous three circuits – became a virtual winner as Yang race walked 14 seconds adrift, herself just a couple of seconds clear of the quintet comprising Garcia-Caro, Gonzalez, Ma, Liu and Lira. Even as her pace slowed over the following circuits, Garcia widened her lead to 18 seconds by the 15th kilometre, while Yang had been reeled in by the quintet. Meanwhile, a courageous Perez travelled a lonesome eighth, another eight seconds behind that group of six.
While Garcia continued her brisk 4:17/4:18 cadence, Ma lost touch with the chasing group before the 17th kilometre – the quintet some 23 seconds adrift of the Peruvian by then. Over the closing circuits, Garcia-Caro became the next casualty with Yang, Gonzalez, Liu and Lira fighting hard for the two remaining podium berths. It was the Mexican who proved to be the strongest as she unleashed a powerful attack some 1500m from home to open a sizeable margin on her rivals. At the bell she was 16 seconds behind Garcia, but 11 seconds ahead of Yang, Liu and Lira.
Garcia romped home unopposed in 1:26:41, just one second off her lifetime best set in La Coruna last year and some 17 seconds clear of a fast-finishing Gonzalez who bettered her career best by two seconds to improve on third place from last year. Liu completed a mouth-watering podium with a 1:27:11 performance, two seconds ahead of Lira who clocked a massive PB. The same goes for Garcia-Caro with a 1:27:19 career best for fifth. As for Perez, she showed fine form in her first 20km contest since the World Championships in Budapest, the 28-year-old clocking 1:27:40 for her fifth quickest ever time.
“Winning here for the second time in a row is fantastic, as Cantones features the best possible line-up in the world and that’s quite encouraging for me,” said Garcia. “I’m building up for Paris and this win is a morale booster for me.”
Yamanishi prevails
Unlike the women’s competition, the men’s kicked off at a brisk pace, the opening circuit being covered in 3:56 with the Chinese pair of Zhang Jun and Zhang Jiaxu plus Brazil’s title defender Caio Bonfim and Spain’s Alvaro Martin at the helm. Qian Haifeng took the lead in the fourth kilometre and hit 5km timed at 19:44, closely followed by his compatriots Zhang Yun and Cui Lihong, while Martin and his fellow Spaniard Miguel Angel Lopez were tucked behind alongside Australia’s Declan Tingay. Japan’s Tomohiro Noda and Ecuador’s Brian Pintado also moved to the front over the following laps, the still large leading pack going through the 8km point in 31:40.
The halfway stage was reached in 39:33 after the fastest kilometre to that point (3:55), with 25 athletes still in the large heading group. Japan’s Noda accelerated over the next circuit, clocking 3:54 with Qian and Martin in hot pursuit, but the first key movement came when the 29-year-old Spaniard picked up the pace to cover the 12th kilometre in a blistering 3:49. Despite that kind of rhythm, still 14 men remained in close attendance.
By the 15km checkpoint the clock read 58:57, averaging sub-3:56/km speed. Shortly afterwards, Pintado opened full gas to cover the 16th kilometre in 3:48 and that whittled the leading group down to seven as he was joined by Spain’s Martin and two-time European medallist Diego Garcia, the Japanese duo of Yamanishi and the season’s quickest performer Koki Ikeda, Bonfim and Zhang. Another 3:49 circuit led by the Ecuadorian proved to be too fast for Bonfim, who lost ground with two circuits left, while Garcia also began to falter. With some 1600m left, Yamanishi produced a devastating change of speed and only Martin could follow in his footsteps. The pair covered the penultimate lap in 3:43 to hit the bell two seconds clear of Pintado, with three on Ikeda, four over Zhang and with Bonfim travelling five seconds in arrears.
The closing circuit became a thrilling two-horse battle between the 28-year-old Yamanishi and the local hero Martin, while Pintado and Bonfim also fought hard midway through the last lap. Finally, the 2019 and 2022 world champion Yamanishi found another gear to get rid of Martin 200m before the finish line, which he crossed in 1:17:47 following a 3:36 final lap. The Spaniard came runner-up in 1:17:49, his second quickest ever performance, while a fast-finishing Bonfim got the better of Pintado, who managed a lifetime best of 1:17:54. Ikeda also ducked under the 1:18 barrier.
Leading results
Women
1 Kimberly Garcia (PER) 1:26:41
2 Alegna Gonzalez (MEX) 1:26:57
3 Liu Hong (CHN) 1:27:11
4 Viviane Lyra (BRA) 1:27:13
5 Laura Garcia-Caro (ESP) 1:27:19
6 Yang Jiayu (CHN) 1:27:27
7 Maria Perez (ESP) 1:27:43
8 Ma Zhenxia (CHN) 1:28:14
9 Shi Yuxia (CHN) 1:28:44
10 Pauline Stey (FRA) 1:29:07
Men
1 Toshikazu Yamanishi (JPN) 1:17:47
2 Alvaro Martin (ESP) 1:17:49
3 Caio Bonfim (BRA) 1:17:52
4 Brian Pintado (ECU) 1:17:54
5 Koki Ikeda (JPN) 1:17:59
6 Zhang Jun (CHN) 1:18:00
7 Diego Garcia (ESP) 1:18:19
8 Cesar Rodriguez (PER) 1:18:23
9 Ricardo Ortiz (MEX) 1:18:31
10 Miguel Angel Lopez (ESP) 1:18:33
