Peru's Garcia Leon wins first gold of worlds in 20km race walk
Athletics - World Athletics Championships - Women's 20 Kilometres Race Walk - Final - Eugene, Oregon, U.S. - July 15, 2022 Peru's Kimberly Garcia Leon crosses the finish line to win the women's 20 Kilometres race walk final REUTERS/Mike Segar
EUGENE, Ore. : Peruvian Kimberly Garcia Leon won the first gold medal of the World Championships on Friday in the 20 kilometres race walk in a time of 1:26:58, with Poland's Katarzyna Zdzieblo claiming silver and China's Qieyang Shijie taking bronze.
Qieyang and Garcia Leon shared a 20-second lead over the rest of the pack at the halfway mark and battled shoulder-to-shoulder through the next five kilometres under sunny, hot conditions.
But with three kilometres left to go, 28-year-old Garcia Leon pulled away from the 2012 Olympic champion, who took silver three years ago, and broke the tape before embracing a member of her team.
Four-time champion Liu Hong, who led a Chinese podium sweep three years ago in Doha and collected bronze in the 2020 Olympics last year, came up short, finishing fifth in 1:29:00.
