02.05.2007

Adams runner-up in Milan race walk

Australian Luke Adams (1:22:18) has finished in second place in the fourth edition of the IAAF World Race Walking Challenge held overnight. Sesto San Giovanni (Milan), Italy set the scene for the 20km event which saw Erik Tysse from Norway claim victory in 1:21:38.

Currently sitting on top of the IAAF Race Walking Challenge leaderboard at the half way point of the season, Adams' second place in Italy follows his fifth in China and second placing in Portugal.

Hoping to record her fastest time this year and improve on her last competition, Jane Saville's race didn't go according to plan. 

After a relatively slow start of just 9.15 for the first 2km, Saville was with the second group, the Chinese and Ryta Turava 15 seconds ahead.

Trying to push through and find her own rhythm with each 2km lap, the NSWIS athlete felt uncomfortable and started to feel tension in her shoulders.

Dropping off the second group at the 10km mark, Saville finished a disappointing 12^th in 1hr 33min 57seconds.

Ryta Turava was very strong once again winning in 1.27.10, with Kjersti Platzer finishing well to take second in a Norwegian National record.

The men’s race started promisingly for local hero Ivano Brugnetti who was looking for the first win in Sesto San Giovanni of his career. The reigning Olympic 20km champion and former World 50km champion took the early lead in the first laps inside the stadium encouraged by the strong support from the home crowd.

The Italian went to the front followed by Commonwealth Games silver medallist Luke Adams, chinese Lu Ronghua (PB 1:18:49), Erik Tysse from Norway, Wei Yang and Dong Jimin from China, Mikel Odriozola from Spain.

Brugnetti reached 5km in 20:27 leading over Adams and Lu Ronghua, upping the tempo when walking the 2km split between 5 and 7 km in 8:03 increasing his lead over Adams to 15 seconds at 10 km (40:44 to 40:59). However the race changed completely as Brugnetti began struggling and was caught and then overhauled by Adams at 12km.

Shortly after 15km the Olympic champion dropped out when he was in third place behind Adams and Tysse. The Aussie passed 15km in 1:01:30, five seconds faster than Tysse, at which time third place was occupied by Robert Effernan from Ireland who was later disqualified at 18km.

Tysse, like his sister Kjersti Plätzer in the morning’s women race, started off carefully and was full of energy in the second half of the race. He began pushing and caught up Adams at 16km. With three kilometres to go Tysse broke away building up a solid gap over Adams. With the disqualification of Effernan, European bronze medallist Joao Vieira from Portugal went into third place.

Tysse entered the Pino Dordoni stadium with a 40 second-lead over Luke Adams and crossed the finish-line unchallenged in 1:21:38.

Courtesy IAAF