WU20: Wanyonyi out to defend 10,000m walking race title as Gati faces tough opposition

Heristone Wanyonyi raced himself to the history books at last year’s World Athletics Under 20 championships in Nairobi when he became Kenya’s first race walker to win a world title.

This year Wanyonyi heads to the race set for Friday 5 August as one of the favorites, albeit with stiff competition. He was victorious in the 10,000m race walk on the track, winning by seven seconds from India’s Amit Khatri.

He clocked 42:10.84 to win the title last year and is about a minute shy of that so far this year, but he was competitive at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Muscat, placing fourth. And the three men who finished ahead of him there are not in Cali.

“I know I will face stiff competition, especially from Asian countries that are very good at race walking. However, I am not worried at all. I am going to try to defend my title and if all goes well lower my personal best,” said Wanyonyi who is the captain to Team Kenya’s contingent in Cali.

Turkey’s Mazlum Demir, who led for several kilometers at the World Race Walking Team Championships before fading and eventually finishing 11th, heads to Cali as the fastest man in the field.

He clocked a national U20 record of 40:42.09 in June and he will be keen to improve upon his sixth-place finish from last year’s World U20 Championships.

Japan and Italy have fielded strong teams in the race walks. Shotaro Shimoike and Riku Ooie will compete for Japan, both of whom have come close to breaking 41 minutes on the roads, while Italy will be represented by Nicola Lomuscio and Emiliano Brigante, whose track Personal Bests are among the quickest in the field.

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Colombia’s Mateo Romero finished just two seconds behind Wanyonyi in Muscat earlier this year. The home crowd advantage could spur the 19-year-old to an even higher finish in Cali.

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In the women’s race, Kenya’s Margret Gati faces stiff competition with Japanese athletes heading to the race as favorites.

Ai Ooyama and Ayane Yanai are the fastest entrants for the championships, thanks to their road clockings of 45:19 and 45:21 respectively. Ooyama, who will be one of the youngest athletes in Cali, will be making her track debut, but if she is able to match her speed from the roads, then it should put her in medal contention.

Australia’s Olivia Sandery already has considerably experience across a range of distances and surfaces. She holds the fastest time on the track this year by an U20 athlete with her 45:24.1 PB from January. A fifth-place finish at the World Race Walking Team Championships in March has no doubt fired up Sandery ahead of the World U20 Championships.

Additional reporting by World Athletics