Jefferson Perez takes his third career World 20km title (© Getty Images)
Osaka, JapanWorld record holder for the 20km Race Walk, Jefferson Perez of Ecuador lived up to his reputation as a great championships performer by adding another gold medal to his extraordinary showcase which features an Olympic gold medal in Atlanta and World titles in Paris 2003 and Helsinki 2005 plus three World Cup wins in 1997, 2002 and 2004, and a hat-trick of Panamerican Games titles in 1995, 2003 and 2007.
Two years ago Perez equalled Italian Maurizio Damilano’s two back-to back titles in the World Championships (1987 and 1991) in cold weather conditions in Helsinki 2005.
“I want to express my gratitude to the organizers, to Japan and to the IAAF. Conditions were perfect today. I had big respect for all walkers. I knew that I could become the first walker to win three consecutive gold medals but before the start I forgot about that. I needed to concentrate on today’s race as I knew that it would be another competition, mainly because of the weather that was my biggest worry”, said Perez.
Perez made his decisive move at 13km when he passed Italy’s fading Ivano Brugnetti, the Olympic champion, who started very strongly and took a 17-second lead at halfway. Perez chose a more conservative tactic which paid off.
“The most important thing was to win and not to pursue fast times. Today, I sticked to my strategy to walk with courage and my spirit. If I had started fast, my power would have weakened”.
He fell at the end of the race. He was getting weaker from 17km onwards. “I had cramps all over my body but I didn’t feel it before reaching my goal.”
Perez’s win in the Japanese coastal city will be welcomed with joy and pride by his compatriots back home. In the South American country Perez sponsors a social aid foundation named after him which aims at promoting education and medical assistance to children and poor people.
“If I win a medal that is good, but it is more important for people to believe they can do something for themselves. The most important thing is not that I added another honour to my collection but that people have food to eat”, said Perez after the race, “…I am inspired by those who wake up at 6am and work in the market until 10pm.”
In 1996 Perez became the youngest ever Olympic Race Walking champion and Ecuador’s first medallist at any sport. He fulfilled his religious promise when, after his Olympic title, he walked 459 km from Quito along the Pan-American Freeway at altitude to his home-town of Cuenca as a religious promise.
Perez managed to rise to the occasion in the biggest event of the year although he did not come to Osaka as the biggest favourite. This role belonged to Francisco Javier Fernandez who was originally disqualified after crossing the finish-line in second place.
“When Paquillo was disqualified I was surprised”.
Perez had the right to be surprised as a later Jury of Appeal Decision** reinstated the Spaniard to the silver medla position.
The win in Osaka showed once again that Perez was able to peak when it matters most. A successful training camp in the Italian walking centre of Saluzzo after his Panamerican Games gold medal in Rio de Janeiro paid off. There he could benefit from ideal training conditions and from the advice of italian walking coach Sandro Damilano.
“I found perfect conditions in Saluzzo where I could train with Italian walkers Elisa Rigaudo and Alex Schwazer”, concluded Perez.
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
**NOTE
Jury of Appeal Decision
26 August 2007 - Osaka, Japan - A protest was presented by the Spanish Team concerning the disqualification of Francisco Fernandez in the 20km Race Walk at the 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Osaka 2007
The disqualification occurred in the last metres of the race, under Rule 230.3 (a) Chief Judge
In competitions held under Rule 1(a), (b), (c), (d), the Chief Judge has the power to disqualify an athlete inside the stadium when the race finishes in the stadium or in the last 100m when the race takes place solely on the track or on the road course, when his/her mode of progression obviously fails to comply with the paragraph 1 above regardless of the number of previous Red Cards the Chief Judge has received on that athlete. An athlete who is disqualified by the Chief Judge under these circumstances shall be allowed to finish the race.
After examining the video of the race and discussing with the Chief Judge, the Jury of Appeal decided unanimously that the mode of progression of the Spanish athlete did not merit a disqualification.
The Jury of Appeal in its decision noted that the purpose of Rule 230.3 (a) is to prevent athletes from improving their position in the closing strages of the competition by obviously failing to comply with the mode of progression defined as Race Walking
The appeal of the Spanish federation is upheld and the athlete reinstated.
It is to be noted that Mr. Odriozola, a member of the Jury, did not participate in the decision.
