STANDING TALL AND STRONG — though just 5-1/106 (1.55/48) — María Pérez lorded over the competition in the 20K walk for her second gold of the championships. She had done the same in Budapest 2 years ago.
A week after her 2:39:01 triumph over 35K, the diminutive 29-year-old Andalusian needed just 1:25:54 to claim the 20K title on the penultimate morning and thus power Team España to equal-fifth on the medals table.
Her name will be carved in the championships records list twice, with her 2:38:40 for 35K at Budapest, followed by this 1:25:54. Both distances, however, will now be discontinued as the walks change to the half-marathon and full marathon.
It took Pérez 16K to establish a narrow lead over Mexico’s Alegna González, with Peru’s Kimberly García, China’s Quanming Wu and local favorite Nanako Fujii all still in medal range.
With just 1.5K to go, Pérez blasted ahead and powered back into the stadium after 16 laps of Gingko Tree Lane.
Gonzalez hung on for the silver medal in a hemisphere-record 1:26:06 while Fujii brought Japanese joy with her NR 1:26:18 bronze, leaning over the line to edge Ecuador’s Paula Milena Torres, credited with an identical 1:26:18.
Consolation prize for double ’22 champion García was a Peruvian Record 1:26:22 in 5th. China’s Jaiyu Yang clocked a fast 1:27:16 in 6th.
Rapidly improving U.S. champion Lauren Harris, the Marist College graduate now a Long Island schoolteacher, claimed a PR 1:32:50 in finishing 27th. Altogether 41 finished, with one DQ.
Moments after the win, Pérez plopped to the track in joy, then raised the Spanish flag overhead to greet her top pursuers. “I am the happiest woman in the world,” she exulted. “I did not come here today to make history in women’s sport. I just came to improve myself. “
She gave plaudits to coach José Marin: “I owe my technique to him.”
Mexico’s men once ruled global walking, but it was González who put a Mexican woman on the 20K podium for just the second time.
“Competing in race walking in the Americas is like a mini-World Championships,” said González, who’d sat out the 35K with stomach trouble. “We want to keep the Americas among the world’s best and we did again today.”
Arms raised in delight as she crossed the line, Fujii was just inches ahead of Torres. Said Fuji: “Winning the bronze medal in my country feels very special. I am honored to do it at home. I am wearing the black ribbon in honor to my coach who passed away last month. I know he is looking after me from above.”
WOMEN’S 20K WALK RESULTS
(September 20)
1. Mária Pérez (Spa) 1:25:54 (WL)
(22:05, 21:32 [43:37], 21:22 [64:59], 20:55) (43:37/42:17);
2. Alegna González (Mex) 1:26:06 NR
(43:38/42:28);
3. Nanako Fujii (Jpn) 1:26:18 NR
(43:38/42:40);
4. Paula Milena Torres (Ecu) 1:26:18 PR
(43:38/43:00);
5. Kimberly García (Per) 1:26:22 NR
(43:37/42:45);
6. Jiayu Yang (Chn) 1:27:16 (43:38/43:38);
7. Antia Chamosa (Spa) 1:27:55 =PR
(44:06/43:49);
8. Quanming Wu (Chn) 1:28:08
(43:38/44:30);
9. Li Ma (Chn) 1:28:52; 10. María Luz Andia (Per) 1:28:52; 11. Pauline Stey (Fra) 1:28:52; 12. Viviane Lyra (Bra) 1:29:02; 13. Lyudmyla Olyanovska (Ukr) 1:29:16; 14. Katarzyna Zdziebło (Pol) 1:29:31; 15. Alexandrina Mihai (Ita) 1:29:44; 16. Antigóni Drisbióti (Gre) 1:29:47; 17. Federica Curiazzi (Ita) 1:29:48; 18. Kumiko Okada (Jpn) 1:30:12; 19. Mariia Sakharuk (Ukr) 1:30:38; 20. Magaly Bonilla (Ecu) 1:30:39; 21. Rebecca Henderson (Aus) 1:31:05; 22. Paula Juarez (Spa) 1:31:50; 23. Yasmina Tokonbayeva (Kaz) 1:31:51; 24. Hanna Shеvchuk (Ukr) 1:32:15; 25. Hana Burzalová (Svk) 1:32:28; 26. Rachelle De Orbeta (PR) 1:32:47;
27. Lauren Harris (US) 1:32:50 (road PR) (45:27/47:23); 28. Vitória Oliveira (Por) 1:33:02; 29. Clemence Beretta (Fra) 1:33:14; 30. Evelin Inga (Per) 1:33:29; 31. Alejandra Ortega (Mex) 1:34:18; 32. Gabriela De Sousa Muniz (Bra) 1:34:28; 33. Elizabeth McMillen (Aus) 1:34:58; 34. Hristína Papadopoúlou (Gre) 1:35:05; 35. Ilse Guerrero (Mex) 1:35:20; 36. Tiziana Kinga Spiller (Hun) 1:35:32; 37. Ayane Yanai (Jpn) 1:35:44; 38. Jekaterina Mirotvortseva (Est) 1:36:25; 39. Panayióta Tsinopoúlou (Gre) 1:37:40; 40. Lucy Alejandra Mendoza (Col) 1:38:05; 41. Laura Cristina Mojica (Col) 1:42:08;… dnf—Sintayehu Masire (Eth), Alexandra Griffin (Aus), Meryem Bekmez (Tur), Erica de Sena (Bra), Antonella Palmisano (Ita); … dq—Mirna Ortiz (Gua), Li Peng (Chn).
(5K leader splits: García 22:05; Pérez 43:37, 64:59)
