Photo Credit: Dan VERNON for World Athletics
By A Correspondent
Hayato Katsuki grabbed an exciting bronze in the 35km walk on a sultry opening morning of the World athletics championships in Tokyo on Saturday.
It was exciting and oscillating as the duo of Japanese, Katsuki, Asian Games 50km champion in 2018, and Masatora Kawano took the early lead and maintained it giving the impression that there might well be a Japanese 1-2. That was not to be as Kawano faded away after taking the lead past 27km and Katsuki developed exhaustion and almost tumbled out.
Canadian Evan Dunfee won the first gold of the championships, winning the men’s 35km walk in a display of grit and maturity in the final stages, clocking 2:28:22. He had trailed behind the Japanese and a few others in fourth or fifth place until around the 30km mark from where he seemed to gain in speed and energy. Yet, in the last lap, he looked ready to collapse but drew the last ounce of strength to romp home comfortably.
Brazil’s Caio Bonfim was second in 2:28:55, a season best while Katsuki’s bronze came in 2:29:76. Kawano who got a red card eventually finished 18th in 2:27:15.
China’s Zhou Yinching was fourth while the rest of the Asians including the Chinese and the Japanese finished well behind. India’s Sandeep Kumar was 23rd while national record holder Ram Baboo was disqualified. Among the other non-finishers were Qin Wang of China and Kim Mingyu of Korea. Chinese Zhang Jinrui was disqualified.
Dunfee who had taken the bronze in the 2021 Olympics, was happy that he had achieved his targets this year, a world record and a world title. He had earlier this season set the record 2:21:40 which was later bettered by Italian Olympic champion Massimo Stano who did not enter in these championships.
Dunfee said: that he had been planning for these championships and he showed patience today in taking the lead and maintaining it.
“I was really struggling and I was thinking that maybe the gold was not going to happen today,” he told journalists.
Asia could not gain a medal from the women’s 35km walk as Chinese Li Peng finished fourth in a personal best 2:43:29. Maria Perez of Spain retained her title won two years ago with a commanding display in difficult conditions. She missed her season best by just two seconds as she clocked 2:39:01 to add to the two gold medals won in 20km and 35km in the 2023 edition. She had also won an Olympic gold last year in the mixed relay.
Olympic champion in Tokyo, four years ago, Antonella Palmisano took the silver behind Perez while Paula Milena Torres of Ecuador had the bronze. Perez was never troubled during the final two kilometres as she coasted home.
Ryan Crouser, making his season debut after injuries and rehabilitation had raised serious doubts about his participation in Tokyo, won his third World championships gold on the trot with a putt of 22.34m in the fifth round. Mexican Uziel Munoz posted a national record of 21.97m in taking a surprise silver while Italian Leonardo Fabbri had the bronze after tying with New Zealander Tom Walsh, a multiple medal winner at the global stage, with 21.94m. Fabbri’s better second mark, that of 21.83m, compared to Walsh’s 21.54m, clinched the issue. Walsh was devastated in missing out on a medal.
“Every championship has a different aspect to it, but this is the one I am most proud of,” Crouser said. He added that he felt “a lot of doubt” heading into the championships.
Kenyan Beatrice Chebet, Olympic champion and world record holder, added the World championships title in the 10,000m as she beat a defending champion Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia and a fast-finishing Italian Nadia Battocletti over the final 100 metres clocking 30:37.61. Under the humid conditions the runners struggled to keep pace. Chebet, another Kenyan Agnes Ngetich, Ethiopian Ejgayehu Taye and the Italian were in front with four laps to go.
Chebet’s final kick was difficult for the others to match though the Italian tried her best to make it a close finish before settling for the silver 30:38.23.
The US retained the mixed 4x400m relay title holding off a spirited challenge from the Dutchwoman Femke Bol in the final 100 metres. The Dutch challenge came a little late and Alexis Holmes on the US anchor was able to romp home in front.
In the women’s 1500m heats, Asia could not gain any success while Japanese Ryuji Miura, one of the medal contenders in these championships, won a place in the 3000m steeplechase final, finishing third in a heat in 8:30.43.
In the men’s 100m heats, Thailand’s Puripol Boonson was through to the next round with a “best loser” slot in 10.15s. Other Asians failed to go through. Chinese Xie Zhenyi (10.21s) and Den Xinrui (10.23s) and Japanese Yoshihide Kiryu (10.28s) and Abdul Sani Brown (10.37s) were among those who failed to progress from the first round.
In the women’s 1500m, Nazomi Tanaka and Tomoka Kimura of Japan and India’s Pooja were unable to get among the qualifiers in the heats.
Chinese Feng Bin made the women’s discus final with a season best of 65.52m.
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