Chinese race walker Liu Hong (© AFP / Getty Images)
There was double delight for China at Sunday’s (5) Korzeniowski Warsaw Race Walking Cup – the latest gold stop on the World Athletics Race Walking Tour.
It was a breakthrough win for Qian Haifeng in the men’s 20km in 1:19:05, but yet another triumph to add to a long list for Liu Hong in the women’s race, which she won in 1:27:33.
There is no stopping Liu. Just days before the 2016 Olympic and four-time world champion’s 37th birthday, she took control just as she appeared to lose it. Australia’s Jemima Montag took the lead at three-quarter distance, only for the Chinese to power back for yet another win.
The Chinese charge was evident from the gun. Montag was the only outlier in a group of seven that appeared to catch Katarzyna Zdzieblo by surprise.
The 2022 double world silver medallist from Poland quickly made up the ground in front of her home crowd, and the lightning start eased a notch to allow Australia’s Rebecca Henderson, Bolivia’s Angela Castro and China’s Yin Lamei to latch on.
It was short lived. Just after 3km the leaders were already down to three with Peng Li struggling to make up a three-second gap. Liu, Montag and 2012 Olympic champion Qieyang Shijie were determined to make it a three-woman race way before quarter distance, and as the heat rose to an unwelcome 24C, so did the pace.
From this point there was no one else within 200 metres, and significant gaps beyond that. 21-year-old Peng was now alongside Zdzieblo for fourth and fifth places. The latter was already hurling double bottles of water over her in an attempt to keep cool.
In contrast, Liu and Montag stared impassively into the distance behind dark glasses while Qieyang’s strained face suggested life in the fast lane was less than comfortable. In fact, the multiple world medallist appeared to get uncoupled just short of halfway.
But the pink-capped 33-year-old has previously won big races with a big heart, and she was not about to surrender this early. She hauled herself back into contention for the next two kilometres, just as Zdzieblo detached herself from Peng.
But with 55 minutes on the clock, a dip of the head from Qieyang said volumes. She realised her race for first was over as the leading pair powered on.
With five out of 16 1.2km laps left, Montag made her move with the Australian’s economic arm action moving all the quicker as she opened up a three-second gap on Liu. But the former world record-holder was far from done. She not only clawed back the lead, but nosed ahead to leave the Australian looking spent.
Liu then lit the afterburners to underline her class, and even broke into a rare smile as she lapped up acclaim from supporters on the course over the last circuit.
She finished in 1:27:33. Montag was 24 seconds back, and Qieyang was third in 1:28:14. A long way back, Zdzieblo, walking solo, recorded 1:31:18 for fourth with Shi Yuxia fifth in 1:31:27.
Following her 1:26:47 in Taicang in March, her best for three years, and now this victory against a world-class field, few would bet against Liu earning her 10th global medal at the Paris Olympics in August.
Qian defeats defending champion Bonfim
Qian, the World University Games silver medallist, took the men’s race by the scruff of the neck over the last 4km to deny Caio Bonfim a second successive triumph in the Polish capital. He crossed the line in 1:19:04, just 13 seconds shy of the PB he set in Taicang in March, while Bonfim came home in 1:19:16 for his third podium finish in a Gold Tour race this year.
Two-time world champion Toshikazu Yamanishi made a welcome return to finish behind the leading pair in 1:19:36. The Japanese was the only one to give chase when the leading pair took off just after halfway, but a short gap to the leaders proved tantalisingly elusive.
From the gun, Bonfim wasted no time at the front but had Tomohiro Noda and Zhang Jun for company. A loose group of 12 was positioned behind the trio with the rest of the field strung out behind them.
Brazil’s Bonfim hit his stopwatch just two seconds shy of 8:00 for the first 2km, by which time the dozen chasers had closed the gap. This included five Chinese, Yamanishi, Australia’s Declan Tingay and Rhydian Cowley with Jefferson Segura from Mexico living in rarefied company.
Just after 26 minutes, Qian showed intent with the leaders trimmed to nine, but the tiny gap was quickly closed. Noda from Japan was desperately trying to hang on their coattails, but the yellow vested Gianluca Pichiottino of Italy was looking comfortable in the middle of the group.
Exactly on 40 minutes, China’s Zhao Xiangfei forged a five-metre gap and then surprised spectators by immediately stepping off the road. At the same time, Bonfim and Qian moved through the gears to leave everyone in their wake – everyone, that is, except Yamanishi.
The Japanese went after the leaders but found the 15-metre gap to the pair ahead of him a bridge too far on this occasion. But his losses were slight compared to the chasers.
There was no sight of the earlier group, not even in the far distance as Bonfim and Qian passed the water station with five laps to go. With three laps left, Qian made his winning bid. As he did so, there was the tell-tale sign of Bonfim’s head beginning to dip – and so it proved.
At the same moment, Qian got a ride off lapped team-mate Wen Yongjie, but useful as it was, the leader was already headed for the winning tape, which he crossed in 1:19:05. Bonfim followed 12 seconds later, then Yamanishi finished in 1:19:37.
Behind the first three, Cowley clocked 1:19:46 for fourth. Pichiottino hung on for an isolated but solid fifth, and Tingay got ahead to claim sixth just ahead of Noda.
Paul Warburton for World Athletics
Leading results
Women
1 Liu Hong (CHN) 1:27:33
2 Jemima Montag (AUS) 1:27:56
3 Qieyang Shijie (CHN) 1:28:14
4 Katarzyna Zdzieblo (POL) 1:31:18
5 Shi Yuxia (CHN) 1:31:27
6 Peng Li (CHN) 1:31:29
7 Olivia Sandery (AUS) 1:32:35
8 Qiji Zhouma (CHN) 1:32:53
9 Alejandra Ortega (MEX) 1:34:51
10 Angela Castro (BOL) 1:34:58
Men
1 Qian Haifeng (CHN) 1:19:05
2 Caio Bonfim (BRA) 1:19:17
3 Toshikazu Yamanishi (JPN) 1:19:37
4 Rhydian Cowley (AUS) 1:19:46
5 Gianluca Picchiottino (ITA) 1:20:46
6 Declan Tingay (AUS) 1:21:01
7 Tomohiro Noda (JPN) 1:21:08
8 Michele Antonelli (ITA) 1:21:28
9 Artur Brzozowski (POL) 1:21:46
10 Kevin Campion (FRA) 1:23:26
