Isaac Beacroft celebrates his world U20 5000m race walk title in in Oregon (© Getty Images)
Australia’s Isaac Beacroft roared to a world U20 5000m race walk record of 18:40.37 on the fourth morning of competition at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 on Saturday (8).
The 19-year-old turned the tables on China’s Pu Huajia, who beat the Australian to the U20 title at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships in Brasília in April. Timing his finish to perfection, Beacroft picked up the pace again on the final lap and Pu couldn’t respond, finishing three seconds back in an Asian U20 record of 18:43.70.
The drama continued beyond the finish line as Japan’s Naoto Roppongi completed the distance in third place but was handed a time penalty for three red cards and so bronze went to Italy’s Nicolò Vidal in a PB of 18:56.19. After that 30-second penalty, Roppongi finished fourth in a PB of 19:24.43.
Ireland’s Séamus Clarke finished fifth in 19:28.27, India’s Nitin Gupta was sixth in 19:32.30 and Mexico’s Osvaldo Miramontes set an area U20 record of 19:34.07 in seventh.
It was a second major victory for Beacroft in just over a week as he won the 10,000m race walk at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on 31 July. He improved on his fourth-place finish at the 2024 World U20 Championships in Lima, adding this title to the U20 title he claimed at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Antalya, also in 2024. Despite his nation's race walk success, Beacroft became the first athlete from Australia to win a race walk title at the World U20 Championships.
"Coming into the race, I thought that it was going to take a world record performance to win and it did," said Beacroft, who surpassed the 18:50.00 that had been set as the time to beat for a world U20 record. "So, I was prepared for that in my head and I knew that I was capable, I have seen it in my training.
"Pu Huajia is a lovely man, he is very good to compete against. He is very gracious in winning and very gracious in losing as well. So, I think that is going to be a very long rivalry. I am super excited to continue to do it."
Italy’s Serena Di Fabio dominated the women’s 5000m race walk, clocking 20:57.57 to win by more than 20 seconds.
The 18-year-old took control of the race early on and ticked off the laps metronomically, striding away from a chase group featuring France’s Chloé Le Roch and China’s Yang Yutong. Le Roch secured silver in a national U20 record of 21:17.92, while Yang got bronze in 21:31.99 as the next 13 athletes behind Di Fabio all set PBs.
Ibuki Hori closed well to finish fourth in 21:36.62, one place ahead of her Japanese teammate Harumi Tabata in 21:57.99
Di Fabio started as the world U20 leader thanks to European U20 record of 20:42.74 she set in Caorle in July. With her win, she became Italy’s first race walk winner at the World U20 Championships and switched the top spot from the U20 race at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Brasilia where Yang beat the Italian by 10 seconds.
Yang crossed the finish line in fourth place but already had the bronze secured as Tunisia’s Imen Saii had earlier received three red cards and was subject to a time penalty.
Le Roch gained her first global medal after finishing fourth at the World Race Walking Team Championships in April and eighth in the 10,000m race walk at the last edition of the World U20 Championships in Lima.
"It is a big motivation knowing that Italy has so much history in race walking. I have the opportunity to meet and train with some good Italian race walkers, it is an honour," said Di Fabio. "I am going to celebrate with my team, I am actually the team captain. It is a big responsibility. I wanted to do this role in the best way possible and I think I did."
More to follow…
