21.08.2009

Berlin Day 7 - LIVE

Jared Tallent and Luke Adams stand before the Brandenberg Gate in readiness for the start of the men's 50km walk.

Tallent is the Olympic silver medallist in this event and after a solid sixth place in the 20km on Saturday will be looking to get back in the medals today.

Adams also contested the Olympic 50km and finished a credible 10th in a personal best 3.47.45.

Track and Field News gives France's Yohann Dinez favouritism on account of his fast 3.38.45 this year.

The world record holder Nizhegorodov (Russia) has to be a chance but has rarely competed in 2009. 2008 Beijing Olympic champion Alex Schwarzer is back and his repeat duel with Tallent should be fascinating.

Yuki Yamazaki (Japan) is the early leader with Adams only a few metres back. Tallent is in the chasing group a further 30 metres adrift as they come through the Brandenburg Gate to complete their first 2km loop.

At 5km Yamazaki leads Adams by two seconds in 22.11. Tallent remains is the chasing group 11 seconds behind Adams, going through in 22.24.

Australia has only two competitors in this event following the withdrawal of Chris Erickson earlier this week. Nathan Deakes also failed to make it to the start line, a place he earned when winning the historic world title two years ago in Osaka.

For a brief moment it was Australia first and second as Adams joined Yamazaki in the lead at the 7km mark and then two kilometres later Tallent moved up.

The lead group of 10 go through 10km in 44.34. IAAF official splits have Adams in first and Tallent fourth, one second behind.

The lead pack includes all the expected players, Nizhegorodov, Schwarzer and Diniz along with surely the hairiest walker in the world, Trond Nymark form Norway.

The Australians finalised their preparations in the high altitude of St Moritz, where a contingent of seven walkers lived for two months.

The split at 10km is very similar to that it was in Beijing last year where the lead pack, which included Adam Rutter and Tallent, went through in 44.39. Schwarzer ended up with a winning time there of 3.37.09 so we can expect a similar time today especially considering the much cooler conditions in Berlin.

Sergey Kirdyapkin is also in the lead group. The Russian won gold in Helsinki four years ago where he was the only one of the top four not to set a personal best. In third place on that occasion was Schwarzer, who made history by becoming, at 20 years of age,  the youngest medallist in the history of the event at the world championships.

The Australian Flame is burning brightly this morning with our two men in the lead group, now down to six, at the 15km mark. A pair of Russians, Kirdyapkin and Nizhegorodov, race favourite Diniz and Japan's Yamazaki join them with a split of 1.06.25.

The Australians are clean to this point with Yamazaki the only one with a warning for losing contact.

Adams, who was born in Tanzania, where his parents were medical missionaries, has only raced over 50km on four other occasions. His debut came seven years ago at the national championships where he placed third to Liam Murphy in 4.04.03.

The 20km split is 1.28.25 with Adams in the lead and the ever-fluxing lead group now at seven as two-time bronze-medallist Schwarzer now rejoins. Tallent's there as well.

One of the greats, Jesus Angel Garcia is in 12th place. The 39-year-old Spaniard, who is arguably past his best now, won this race way back in 1993 when the world championships were held in Stuttgart.

A little confusion at the drinks station just after the 24km mark, as Adams and Diniz exchange some hand gestures whilst grabbing for their drinks. All is okay and the Aussies take in the all-important fluids ready for the punishing second 25km that awaits.

At halfway the lead group is now down to five, as Yamazaki is disqualified for a third warning. The Russian and Australian duos are joined by Frenchman Diniz and the pace picks up slightly, with the last 5km split about 20 seconds faster than the previous. 1.50.09 is the time for Tallent and Adams.

Two kilometres later and Diniz has been dropped and the Australians and the Russians are out in front.

Now it looks like the 2005 champ is gone, leaving the the world record holder with Tallent and Adams out in front.

There have been national quinellas on three previous occasions, Rome 1987 by the GDR, Tokyo 1991 by the Soviets and then in Helsinki 2005 by the Russians. There's a long way to go but could Australia today be the fourth nation to accomplish this feat?

At 30km Tallent has a slight two second lead over Adams and Nizhegorodov as he reaches that point in 2.11.36. The pace is heating up as the last 5km was 21.27.

Kirdyapkin, the second Russian, is 16 seconds adrift of Adams. All three leaders remain clear of any warnings.

The Ballarat-born Tallent set a personal best of 3.39.27 when winning silver over this distance in Beijing last year and today at the 30km mark is one minute adrift of that pace.

What a sight as the Australian duo are now out in front at 2.28 into the race.
Nizhegorodov trails by about 100m as he stops for a 'comfort' break.

At 35km it's Tallent leading from his older compatriot, Adams in 2.33.12. They're 24 seconds ahead of Nizhegorodov.

Wow, the Australians are still out in front. Australia has never won two medals in the same event at the world championships. Are we witnessing history? At a world or Olympic level the last time Australia went one-two was when Maureen Caird and Pam Ryan dominated the 80m hurdles at the 1968 Olympics.

Ten kilometres to go and Adams with one warning drops backs as Tallent is joined by 2005 champ, Kirdyapkin in the lead.

Nizhegorodov is out. We are still waiting on the 40km splits but it appears as though Kirdyapkin has moved out to a few seconds' lead over Tallent. Adams still has one warning and remains in third.

Nymark who has been in the top 10 on three previous occasions at the world championships now moves into second. If he hangs on, the 22-year-old will win his first medal at world level.

Up front Kirdyapkin is set to join walking legend Robert Kozeniowski as a mutiple winner.

With two laps of the circuit to go, Tallent maintains a hold on third, 52 seconds behind Nymark in second. Adams is another 44 seconds behind in fifth. Garcia is fourth, is making his 10th appearance at the world championships.

With one lap to go Tallent is in fourth place, one minute 38 seconds behind the leader Kirpyapkin. Adams is in fifth another 37 seconds back.

Garcia has two warnings so will be a little conservative over final kilometres, perhaps giving Tallent another sniff of a medal that for much of the race was his.

Fours years after winning gold in Helsinki Sergey Kirdyapkin does it again in Berlin, winning in a world leading 3.38.35.

Trond Nymark is the surprise silver medallist walking a Norwegian record of 3.41.16. Garcia wins his fourth medal, 16 years after his first in Stuttgardt, in a season's best 3.41.37.

Luke Adams records a personal best of 3.43.39 in sixth place just ahead of teammate Tallent in seventh, who was hurting over the final lap and records 3.44.50.

Luke Adams on his sixth place finish in the 50km:

"I did what I could. I put myself up there. I was in the red at 38km and from then it was just agony."

Team coach Craig Hilliard on Adams:

"It was pretty tough out there."

On seeing Adams hit the lead after 30k and looking like a medal threat:

"You always hope, but I've been around enough 50km races and so has Brent (Vallance)  to know that the race doesn't really start until 30km. So really what was going to occur from 30-40km is how the race was going to pan out.

"If they got to 42-44km feeling good I think it would have been a totally different result.

"The attrition rate was high. Schwarzer was out after 40km and Nizhegorodov was struggling."

On Adams' health after the race:

"He's on his back feeling fairly pins-and-needly. Same with Jared. The doc's with them both and Luke has to back up with a drug test. It's going to be a long afternoon."

Coach Brent Vallance on Tallent pushing the pace when he hit the lead:

"That's what you want when you are a double Olympic medallist. None of these guys died wondering whether they had it in them or not. That was the plan. He stuck to it well.

"He was probably growing in confidence after 30km. Unfortunately the boys just didn't have it after 40km."

On Tallent struggling over the final kilometres:

"He was still in a medal position at 45km so that (pulling out) was never going to happen. He did crawl home in the last two to three km though. He's pretty beaten up at the moment."