Loughnane in with medal chance

OLIVE LOUGHNANE will be among the elite medal prospects when she lines up at the Brandenburg Gate for the start of the women’s 20k road race at the world championships tomorrow.

That the Cork-based Loughrea woman should find herself in this position was inevitable following her performance at the Olympic Games in Beijing where she finished seventh.

That placing is a statistic that does not reflect the true merit of her performance. To do that one has to turn to the overall statistics of what was a sensational race.

The first 12 across the line all broke the old Olympic record. The top 10, with the exception of the winner and including Loughnane (1:27:45), set personal best performances and there were four national records.

“If you told me last night I was going walk to 87:45 I’d have said ‘hope you have the flag ready’,’’ the Irish woman said after finishing a minute inside the Olympic record. “I did amazingly well. I could not have done any more.”

She has prepared at altitude in Quadix under Montse Paseor, whose late husband, Manuel, coached their training partner Francisco “Paco” Fernandez to a world record and an Olympic silver medal before his untimely death.

“I knew everything would be perfect there — physio, back up and all that — and it has given me results in the past,’’ she said. “I am in good shape. It was very blustery for the national championships in Santry and it was difficult to get a rhythm going but I am very happy with the way the race went.’’

After her pb at the nationals she went to Poland along with the other Irish walkers to put the finishing touches to the preparations for the world championships in Berlin where she will line up alongside the defending world and reigning Olympic champion, Olga Kaniskina.

The brilliant Russian has maintained her near invincible form this year, winning the Russian Winter Walking Championships in a time of 1:24:56 in Adler and she followed this up with a decisive victory at the IAAF Race Walking Challenge in China.

The Russian’s last defeat over 20km was in May 2007 and many rightly expect the 24-year-old to make history and become the first woman to retain this title.

Hopes of a German medal lie with Sabine Krantz who won the Race Walking challenge in La Coruna in 1:29:03 while Masumi Fuchise has just set a Japanese record at 1:28.03.

“Olive is up there with the best of them,” Irish team boss Patsy McGonagle said. “She has prepared thoroughly for this event and, if she builds on her performance in Beijing, she has to be a contender for a medal.’’