Event Report - Women's 20Km Race Walk - Final

Russia's Olga Kaniskina become the first woman in history to win back-to-back World Championship walk titles with a masterful display in the shadow of the historic Brandenburg Gate.

Kaniskina, the reigning Olympic 20km champion, secured her second successive world title by a commanding 49-second margin in 1:28:09 to further cement her growing stature as one of the all-time great race walkers.

Olive Loughnane, of Ireland, enjoyed the greatest moment of her lengthy career as she took a surprise silver medal in 1:28:58 with China's Hong Liu making up for the frustration of finishing fourth at last summer's Olympic Games by taking a deserved bronze in 1:29:10.

For Kaniskina it was a perfectly executed race in temperatures which started out at 27c and rose to 30c.

"Everything went according to our plan of the race," said the Russian gold medallist. "After the fifth kilometre I took the leading position and I focused on my technique. Of course, the hot weather influenced the result and it could have been better (a quicker time) but we train for the competition in every weather."

Loughnane, meanwhile, had an extra motivation.

"I promised my little daughter, Eimer that I was going to bring her a medal, said the Irish race walker. "So, she will be very happy. We all believed that anything was possible."

The competitors faced the prospect of race walking 10x2km up and down the Unter den Linden boulevard between the Brandenburg Gate and the equestrian statue Alter Fritz.

To the fore in the early stages, much to the joy of the large watching crowd, was German No.1 Sabine Krantz and she took the a leading pack of some 27 athletes through 5km in 23:18 with Spain's Maria Vasco, the 2007 World bronze medallist, close behind.

Disappointingly, however, for the home crowd Krantz was to abandon attempts to complete the race after the halfway stage of the race.

After 30 minutes of race walking Kaniskina, started to impose her considerably will on the race and moved to the head of affairs. She gently squeezed the pace and quickly the field started to fracture.

By the 10km halfway point the diminutive Russian had opened up a 21 second-lead on the field, passing that mark in 44:48 - 21 seconds clear of Norway's Olympic silver medallist Kjersti Tysse Platzer with Russian teenager Anisya Kirdyapkina in third, five seconds further back behind the veteran Platzer.

However, both Platzer and Kirdyapkina were paying the price for trying to hang on to the leader by incurring warnings for lifting from the officials.

While Kaniskina marched inexorably on to victory the race for the minor medals changed considerably from 10-15km. Platzer dropped quickly back through the field and by three-quarter distance it was 33-year-old Loughnane and Liu locked in battle for silver and bronze.

Kaniskina passed 15km in 1:06:22 some 56 seconds clear of Loughnane and Liu, who were running side by side, with 19-year-old Kirdyapkina a further 11 seconds back.

After 1:17 of running, Loughnane made her decisive move for the silver medal by opening up a gap on Liu and was not to relinquish that position - repeating the feat of her countrywoman Gillian O'Sullivan, a silver medallist in this event at the 2003 Paris edition of the World Championships.
 
Liu, meanwhile, clung on gamely for bronze to become the first Chinese medallist in this event since Liu Hongyu led home a Chinese one-two in this event 10 years ago.

Kirdyapkina wound up fourth in 1:30:09 with Portugal's Vera Santos fifth in 1:30:35 and Spain's Beatriz Pascual sixth - her same finishing position as last yeat's Olympic Games - in 1:30:40.

Platzer, 37, suffered a disqualification in the final 5km.

But the race was all about the baby-faced Kaniskina. It never looks effortless for the Russian, who regularly grimaces and looks in pain when competing, but boy can she race walk.

Steve Landells for the IAAF