Fortunato and González confirm supremacy in Madrid

Italy’s Francesco Fortunato and Mexico’s Alegna González lived up to their billing as favourites at the Gran Premio Internacional Madrid Marcha, the sixth Gold leg of the World Athletics Race Walking Tour, held over 10km in the Spanish capital on a hot morning on Sunday (31).

Both winners secured their second victories at the event, World Race Walking Team Championships winner Fortunato regaining the title he first won in 2023 and world 20km bronze medallist González successfully defending her crown from last year.

González maintains momentum

The women’s race kicked off at a comfortable pace, the opening kilometre covered in 4:29. It was Peru’s Evelyn Inga, who was runner-up last year, and China’s Baima Zhuoma who took command during the second lap. They increased the pace to 4:16 but had González, Spain’s Aldara Meilán and France’s Pauline Stey in close attendance. 

That quintet race walked together until shortly before the halfway point (22:23) when Stey began to falter to lose any podium chance. The next athlete to cede ground was Baima following a 4:22 circuit pushed by González. The Mexican’s relentless cadence gradually paid off as Meilán’s resistance came to an end some 6.7km into the race, when the contest became a battle between González and Inga, both determined to achieve another 1-2 as was the case last year.

The in-form González made her move over the eighth lap, which she covered in 4:16. Inga was six seconds in arrears with two laps to go, while the 19-year-old Meilán, who finished third in the half marathon at the World Race Walking Team Championships in April, lost another 15 seconds but travelled a huge 48 seconds clear of Stey.

González covered the final two circuits at a 4:20 rhythm to increase her advantage over Inga, eventually clocking 44:03 to 44:16, while a lonesome Meilán finished 30 seconds behind the Peruvian athlete to complete a classy podium on her debut in Madrid.

“It has been my fourth competition in five weeks as I took part at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia where I won the 5000m, then I competed in Rio Maior and La Coruña over half marathon, so I felt a bit tired today,” said González, who remains unbeaten so far this season.

“My coach Ignacio Zamudio advised me to wait until the last laps to unleash my attack and I did so. I’m so proud to retain my title. I’ll now train a couple of months in Chihuahua to build up for the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo.”

Fortunato proves strongest

Likely due to the heat (around 28°C at the start), the men’s event also began at quite a moderate pace. The first kilometre was covered in 4:05 by a large pack headed by the Japanese duo of Kazuki Takahashi and Keisuke Hara. It was Takahashi who did most of the pacing duties over the next few laps, which took slightly under 4:00. While Fortunato joined them at the helm, his Italian compatriot Massimo Stano became the first major casualty from the leading pack as the Tokyo Olympic champion began to lose ground before reaching the fourth kilometre.

Shortly before halfway (19:56), it was Spain’s world 20km bronze medallist Paul McGrath who moved to the front to produce the quickest lap of the race so far as the 24-year-old clocked 3:54 for the sixth circuit. Seven athletes remained in contention at that stage: Fortunato, McGrath, Kento Yoshikawa, Hara, Germany’s Karl Junghanns, race organiser Diego García and world 20km champion Caio Bonfim, the Brazilian always travelling at the back of the lead group. 

Bonfim dropped back some 26:30 into the race and the key move came just before the eighth kilometre when Fortunato found another gear to cover that lap in 3:52. It was a change of pace that only McGrath, Hara and Yoshikawa could live with but the Italian continued to speed up. His 3:45 ninth lap proved too demanding for McGrath, who lost nine seconds at the bell, while Hara travelled another six seconds in arrears.

Fortunato kept the Spaniard at bay over the final kilometre to clock 3:50 for that lap and win in 39:16 to McGrath’s 39:24. Attention then turned to the thrilling fight for the third place on the podium as a fast-finishing Bonfim first overtook Yoshikawa and then caught Hara barely 200 metres from the finish thanks to an impressive 3:46 final kilometre. Bonfim was third in 39:32, one second ahead of Hara.

“It was tough because of the heat but I felt strong and managed to break away over the last laps,” said Fortunato. “I’ll now focus on the half marathon distance for the Birmingham European Championships. I only plan one competition before that, the Italian Championships over 10,000m on the track.”

The 1996 Olympic 20km champion Jefferson Pérez handed out the trophies to the winners and was named Ambassador of Madrid March for Latin America. 

Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics

Leading results

Women
1 Alegna González (MEX) 44:03
2 Evelyn Inga (PER) 44:16
3 Aldara Meilán (ESP) 44:46
4 Pauline Stey (FRA) 45:31
5 Baima Zhuoma (CHN) 45:35
6 Giulia Gabriele (ITA) 45:44
7 Yang Xizhen (CHN) 46:45
8 Meryem Bekmez (TUR) 46:46
9 Giada Traina (ITA) 46:55
10 Sofia Ramos (MEX) 47:00

Men
1 Francesco Fortunato (ITA) 39:16
2 Paul McGrath (ESP) 39:24
3 Caio Bonfim (BRA) 39:32
4 Keisuke Hara (JPN) 39:33
5 Kento Yoshikawa (JPN) 39:46
6 Karl Junghanns (GER) 39:59
7 Massimo Stano (ITA) 40:05
8 Diego García (ESP) 40:12
9 Kazuki Takahashi (JPN) 40:15
10 Álvaro López (ESP) 40:18