Pu Huajia wins the U20 men's race at the Caixa World Athletics Race Walking Team Championshops Brasilia 26 (© World Athletics 
Oscar Munoz Badilla)
Pu Huajia brought the U20 men’s 10km title back to Chinese ownership at the Caixa World Race Walking Team Championships Brasilia 26 on Sunday (12).
The 18-year-old delivered a dominant performance to win by 49 seconds, crossing the line in a PB of 39:58.
Australia’s defending champion Isaac Beacroft, who won in Antalya two years ago at the age of 16, had to settle for the runner-up spot with 40:47. Alessio Coppola placed third (41:16) and led Italy to the team title.
The race got off to a conservative start with Beacroft at the head of a large lead pack through the first kilometre. As the group approached the two-kilometre mark, Beacroft started to increase the pace slightly, but Pu went with him.
With 14 minutes on the clock, Pu and Beacroft had a five-second lead over the rest of the field and they continued to race alongside one another for most of the first half.
In the second half, though, Pu managed to break free from Beacroft, opening up a significant lead on the Australian who had set a world U20 10,000m record at the end of last year.
Pu, contesting his first race outside China, powered ahead and crossed the line in 39:58, the fourth-fastest winning time at these championships. It’s the fifth time in the six most recent editions that China has won the U20 men’s title at the World Race Walking Team Championships.
Beacroft followed in 40:47 while Coppola placed third in 41:16.
"I think my strategy for the race was good, especially towards the end of the race," said Pu. "I was feeling good, which was encouraging. The goal for my next race is to break 39 minutes."
Coppola’s teammate Nicolo Vidal finished fourth, while Shi Chengxi of China was sixth, meaning Italy and China both notched up seven points in the team standings. But Italy claimed the victory – their first team triumph in the U20 race – by virtue of a higher-placed second counter.
Australia, with Owen Toyne placing 12th, claimed team bronze.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics
| U20 MEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS | ||
| 🥇 | Pu Huajia (CHN) | 39:58 |
| 🥈 | Isaac Beacroft (AUS) | 40:47 |
| 🥉 | Alessio Coppola (ITA) | 41:16 |
| 4 | Nicolo Vidal (ITA) | 41:25 |
| 5 | Emiliano Barba (MEX) | 41:49 |
| Full results | ||
| U20 MEN'S TEAM RESULTS | ||
| 🥇 | Italy | 7 |
| 🥈 | China | 7 |
| 🥉 | Australia | 14 |
| Full results | ||
