Throughout almost the entire Sunday, male and female athletes compete in the Korzeniowski Warsaw Race Walking Cup athletics meeting. In the 20-kilometer competition, both men and women, the Chinese representative came out on top.
At 8.30 a.m. men started on the route between Plac Teatralny and Plac Piłsudskiego in Warsaw. Qian won with a time of 1:19.05. Right behind him, Brazilian Caio Bonfim and Japanese Toshikazu Yamanishi reached the finish line.
The best Pole was Artur Brzozowski, who finished ninth with a time of 1:21.46 and became the national champion at this distance for the fifth time in his career.
– I'm very happy. I won, although I was not the favorite. I am happy that at this age I am still achieving very good results. I'm happy with the result, and this gold medal means a lot to me. Robert Korzeniowski organized it all very beautifully. The route at the Grand Theater was extremely interesting. It's a revelation in terms of organization. My friend, brother and other supporters were supporting me here. I felt their great support. It's very nice, said 39-year-old Brzozowski.
Maher Ben Hlima won the silver medal in the national championship. The Tunisian player spent two minutes in the penalty area after the referees found errors in his technique. Jakub Jelonek won the bronze. Olympic champion from Tokyo, Dawid Tomala, took fourth place.
Women's competition
The women started the 20 km competition at 10.30. Liu won with a time of 1:27.33. Australian Jemima Montag took second place, and Shijie Qieyang from China was third.
Katarzyna Zdziebło finished just behind the podium with a result of 1:31.18 and was definitely the best Polish woman. The silver medal in the national championship was won by Agnieszka Ellward, and the bronze was won by the champion's younger sister – Anna Zdziebło.
– Very nice party. Combining the Polish championship with an international meeting. Many foreign competitors competed here. It's good that the competition took place in Warsaw in such a spectacular place. I'm happy with the result – commented Zdziebło, for whom it was her fifth gold medal in the Polish Championships at this distance.
Juniors are also taking part
The Korzeniowski Warsaw Race Walking Cup meeting provided an opportunity to meet the Olympic minimum, which is 1:20.10 for men and 1:29.20 for women. In Paris, 48 participants in both categories will take part in the 20 km walk. The right to take part in the Olympics can also be obtained from the ranking.
In addition to the competitions included in the World Athletics Race Walking Tour series, there is also competition in younger categories in Warsaw. Children up to 12 years old take part in the 1 km walk, teenagers in the U-14 category – 2 km, and in the U-16 and U-18 categories – 5 km.
The competition in Warsaw will end with the elite 10 km walk competition, which is scheduled for 4 p.m. This distance will include, among others: Peruvian Kimberly Garcia Leon – double world champion from Eugene.
Main photo source: Radek Pietruszka/PAP