Heffernan gets Olympic training off to flying start

ROBERT Heffernan got his build up to next year’s Olympic Games off to a flying start in Barcelona yesterday when he finished sixth in a 10k event that featured all but one of the world’s top 10 racewalkers.

The race was won by his training partner, Francisco “Paco” Fernandez, in 39:25. The Spaniard was silver medallist at the last Olympics and again at the world championships in Osaka when the Corkman finished sixth. He has a best time of 37:52 for the distance.

Heffernan, who is embarking on his build up to next summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing, repeated his world championship placing — albeit at 10k — in 40:30. With his national record at 38:47 he was thrilled with the performance in a field that included the Olympic champion, Ivano Brugnetti.

“I am over the moon,” he said. “I had not expected to so well considering the fact that I have just been logging up miles and working in the gym in recent weeks with my first speed session during the week to get myself out of the comfort zone.

“Going out I was just looking for a marker but I got much more in the form of a huge boost. I now go into a big block of training in December.”

Meanwhile Charles Kamathi’s marathon debut ended in disappointment as he was pushed out of a podium position in Milan.

The former world 10,000 metre champion had hoped to make an impact at the longer distance but fellow Kenyans Evans Cheruiyot and John Birgen took the took top two places in La Maratona Di Milano.

Cheruiyot, also making his debut, beat former winner Birgen by five seconds in a time of two hours nine minutes and 15 seconds. South African Norman Dlomo clocked a lifetime best of 2hr 10min 39sec in finishing third.

Yet while that trio celebrated there was no joy for Kamathi, who was hoping not only to win but also post a world-class time over what is described as Italy’s quickest course.

Kamathi, who shot to fame six years ago in preventing the legendary Haile Gebrselassie from scoring a fifth successive world 10,000m success, saw his ambitions wrecked after 34 kilometres.

The former track star fell away when Dlomo powered to the front and both Birgen and Cheruiyot reacted quickly to the unexpected break.