Yu Chaohong after winning the men’s 50km in Shenzhen (© c)
Shenzhen, ChinaArea recordholder Yu Chaohong won the men’s 50km at the Shenzhen leg of the IAAF World Race Walking Challenge earlier today.
In a race dominated by Chinese athletes, the 30-year-old Yu clocked 3:49:27, the second-fastest time in the world so far this year.
The silver medal went to Yu's countryman Sun Chao, and the lone non-Chinese athlete entered in the race, Jesus Angel Garcia of Spain, 37, the European silver medallist, took bronze.
The temperature, which ranged from 21 to 26 degrees Celsius, combined with high humidity and intermittently sunny skies made today's endurance race an usually tough challenge for the athletes.
“I misjudged the weather”
Yu Chaohong, the fourth-place finisher in the 2004 Athens Olympics, began the day in a lead pack of five Chinese walkers and looked strong throughout the first half of the race. He led the rest of the way, though he was challenged in the race's later stages by Han Yucheng. Han had stayed in the lead group for the entire race but began to struggle in the race's final laps, finishing seventh.
"It was hard work for me to finish this race," said gold medallist Yu Chaohong who was the 2004 World Cup runner-up. "I thought today would be cooler than yesterday but I misjudged the weather, and I took the wrong strategy at the start of the race, to walk very fast in the first half. When the sun came out, the thick air felt like a pot of steam around me, so finishing was tough. But I did my best. The medal makes me happy but I am not content with the time. I could have done better."
Yu Chaohong asserted that his ultimate goal is to compete in next year's Beijing Olympics and to attempt to win the medal that eluded him in Athens.
"Every Chinese athlete wants to get a medal in the 2008 Olympic Games in our country. Now what I need to do is exert myself and do my best in every competition and every day in training."
Sun Chao left the racecourse visibly exhausted after crossing the finish line and was not able to speak with the media.
Garcia, the 1993 World champion, made the most of his Shenzhen appearance. The veteran crossed the finish line looking fresh and clearly enjoyed his time in southern China.
"The first time I came to China to compete was in the World Cup in 1995," Garcia said to the media afterwards. "From then on, I felt China was a friendly and comfortable place to compete. Today's cheers and applause during the race made me feel as though I was in a familiar old place."
Garcia said that he had not yet decided whether to participate in the May leg of the IAAF Race Walking Challenge in Italy – where he would be able to face off again against today's winner Yu Chaohong, who will be there – or to focus all of his attention on preparing for the World Championship.
"The World Championship is the more important race to me," Garcia said. "I hope to do better in that race than I did today. At the same time, I really hope that I can take part in the 2008 Olympics and to do my best to get a medal."
At the conclusion of today's race, men's and women's youth 1km races were held at Shenzhen Stadium. The Shenzhen race organizers also offered a forum on the development of international race walking as part of this two-day event.
The IAAF Race Walking Challenge continues on 14 April in Rio Maior, Portugal.
Mary Nicole Nazzaro for the IAAF
With Jessie Wang Jinxia and Susannah Luo Caiyi in Shenzhen
Men's 50km Top Eight (name, country, time)
1 Yu Chaohong (CHN) 03:49:27
2 Sun Chao (CHN) 03:50:46
3 Jesus Angel Garcia (ESP) 03:52:54
4 Xing Shucai (CHN) 03:54:19
5 Cui Zhide (CHN) 03:54:42
6 Zhao Jianguo (CHN) 03:59:00
7 Han Yucheng (CHN) 04:03:53
8 Xu Faguang (CHN) 04:04:59