Spain's Lopez wins 20km walk world title, Fraser-Pryce cruises

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Justin Gatlin

Justin Gatlin
Justin Gatlin

Spain’s Lopez wins 20km walk world title, Fraser-Pryce cruises

Miguel Angel Lopez made the strongest finish on Sunday to claim the world title for Spain in the men’s 20-kilometres race walk as hosts China narrowly missed out on a first gold again.

Lopez caught leader Wang Zhen of China and then beat him in the last two kilometres, finishing in a personal best 1 hour 19 minutes 14 seconds.

Wang trailed by 15 seconds at the finish line in the Bird’s Nest stadium. Benjamin Thorne took a surprise bronze for Canada, 43 seconds off the pace in national record 1:19:57 hours.

“This the best moment of my life,’’ Lopez said. “It was a tactical race but I stayed calm … The course was difficult and complicated, plus the heat.’’

Wang said it was `tough toward the end. I was not too nervous but I felt some pressure as the competition was in China.’’

Lopez got the first world title for the proud race-walking nation of Spain in 22 years, since Valenti Massana won the 20km and Jesus Garcia the 50km in Stuttgart 1993. He took bronze at the 2013 world championships and was European champion last year.

Wang got the second silver for China at the championships, after Christina Schwanitz of Germany had denied Gong Lijiao by seven centimetres in the women’s shot put Saturday.

In preliminary action, two-time world and Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica stole the show with her hair dyed green and a few flowers stuck into them.

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She then dominated the 100m heats together with American Tori Bowie as both clocked 10.88 seconds.

“Winning a third world title? Well, every championship is different, this is a new championship. Today was just about getting through the rounds,’’ Fraser Pryce said.

The men’s 400m heats produced fast times as well with Saudi Arabia’s Yousef Ahmed Masrahi and Jamaica’s Rusheen McDonald clocking 43.93 seconds for an Asian and national record, respectively.

American holder LaShawn Merritt and Olympic champion Kirani James of Grenada also advanced safely into the semis.

Two-time defending champion David Storl of Germany qualified effortlessly for the evening shot put final.

In the heptathlon, Olympic champion Jessica Ennis-Hill retained the lead into the concluding 800m with 5,706 points, ahead of Dutch Nadine Broersen (5,620).

Fellow Briton Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who was in second place overnight, met disaster when she fouled all three long jump attempts, the third and last by a fraction, and fell far behind. A British protest was withdrawn after a review of the evidence.

The evening session with four medal events was to be highlighted by the 100 metres final, a likely showdown between Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin.

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