Paula Torres wins at the Grande Premio Internacional de Rio Maior (© Organisers)
Paula Torres and Caio Bonfim reigned supreme at the Grande Premio Internacional de Rio Maior – a World Athletics Race Walking Tour Gold meeting – on Saturday (12).
For the Ecuadorean champion it was a second Tour win inside a month.
Torres added this 20km win to the 35km title she lifted at Dudince, and in doing so beat defending champion Kimberly Garcia - again.
In fact, Peru’s two-time world champion Garcia had no answer shortly before 15km when Torres pushed on to make it a happy March-April double.
The women started 12 minutes earlier than the men, and the main six in a modest field wasted no time in chalking up the first 1km lap in a quick 4:23. That six became four just a few hundred metres later to leave Spain’s Laura Garcia-Caro, Torres, Garcia and Johana Ordonez from Ecuador on their own.
Garcia pushed on going into the third lap, but she had three early evening shadows just five or so metres back.
The 5km mark was reached in 22:50, and well within the leaders’ comfort zone. Going into lap seven, a seemingly significant three seconds separated Garcia from Torres and Garcia-Caro.
Ordonez has a PB of 1:29:58 but her best this year is a modest 1:37:52 and it showed as she rapidly fell away.
Approaching nine laps, Torres decided to get after Garcia, and it left Garcia-Caro unable to respond. Torres was working hard, but any gain was marginal at best.
In fact, Garcia already had eyes, albeit shaded by dark glasses, on retaining her title, but Torres calmly worked her way back into contention.
As the chaser crossed the line at 14km, she quickened her step to put fading daylight between her and the Peruvian.
Even then, Garcia wasn’t going quietly.
She dug deep to hold the gap to a mere three seconds at 17km. Garcia kept it that way all the way to the final lap when Torres lit the afterburners to add another 15 seconds and breast the tape in 1:29:37 to 1:29:52.
The sky was full of cloud but it was still a warm 21 degrees despite the 5pm staggered start for the men.
Fast start didn’t do justice to the race.
Bonfim took off like he had an early dinner date, with the rest already appearing to fight over the leftovers. Italy’s Gianluca Picchiottino and Perseus Karlstrom gave chase and notched a first circuit well under four minutes.
At 3km, it was 11:57 - fast, but not that fast for race walkers of this calibre. By 7km, Bonfim underlined his 2025 form to forge a real gap over the chasing pair.
But Karlstom wasn’t done yet.
The cap-wearing Swede upped his tempo to catch the Brazilian and walk tandem for the next lap. But Bonfim gave it a second thrust before half way, with Karlstrom walking in his wake for just a few seconds before, again, drawing level.
The clock stopped at 40:02 for halfway, and again, well within the capabilities of men who have dipped under 78 minutes for the whole distance.
By 11km, it was Karlstrom’s turn to test the water. He gained five metres, but the see-saw soon tipped the other way.
It was a 60:19 clocking at 15km for both, but that became a nine seconds gap one tour later - and the race was over.
A tiring Karlstrom could offer no response and had no choice but to give way. It allowed Bonfim a relative stroll to the line for a final 1:20:47 to the Swede’s 1:21:26.
Behind both, Picchiottino was also feeling the pace. He tired even more so than Karlstrom and got passed in the last two laps by Callum Wilkinson and Joao Vieira, who turned 49 in February.
The Portuguese athlete was eventually outsprinted to the line by the Briton – a race walker barely a month old even when Vieira was walking 1:20:59 for the distance.
And Viera finished only three minutes outside that in this race, 28 years later.
Paul Warburton for World Athletics
