No walk in the park as Loughnane disappoints

IRELAND’S hopes of a medal at the world championships in Daegu suffered a major blow yesterday when Olive Loughnane failed to replicate her silver medal performance in Berlin two years ago in the women’s 20k walk.

The Cork-based Loughrea woman finished 16th in 1:34:02 — she walked 1:28:58 for the silver medal in Berlin and, a year earlier, she finished seventh at the Olympic Games in Beijing in 1:27.45.

“Obviously she is very disappointed,” the Irish team manager, Patsy McGonagle, said. “She was the only one of the top four from Berlin who was missing from the front of the race and we are all at something of a loss as to what the reason for that was.

“She came here in her best form — peak condition — because she had prepared very well for the world championships.

“She will go away now and examine the race in detail with her coach. It is all about getting ready for the London Olympics next year and making sure everything is spot on for that. But it was a big disappointment for us all out here because she was our big hope.”

Olga Kaniskina (Russia) claimed the Olympic title in Beijing and after adding the world title in Berlin and the European title in Barcelona she was back again to claim her third world title.

She dominated the race to win in 1:29:42 from the Chinese woman, Hong Liu, who improved on her third placing in Berlin to take the silver medal in 1:30:00 with another Russian, Anisya Kirdyapkina finishing third in 1:30:13.

The Italian, Elisa Rigaudo, finished fourth in 1:30:44 for her best ever placing at a world championships with Susana Feitor (Portugal) who set a record 11th appearance at a world championships in sixth and Beatriz Pascual (Spain) who finished ninth, all behind her.

Pascual made a determined effort to break the Russian dominance of the race when she led for the early part of the race.

But all the time Kaniskina, accompanied by her Russian team mate, Vera Volkova, was in a dominant position, leading at 5k in 23:29, two seconds ahead of Olive Loughnane, and 10k also. At 25k Kaniskina and another Russian, Anisya Kirdyapkina, were clear in 68:03 before Kaniskina took complete control of affairs.

The 26-year-old became the first woman in World Championships history to win three 20km walk titles in-a-row.

“We are now looking towards tomorrow when we have Ciarán Ó Lionaird in the semi-finals of the 1,500m and, before that, Alistair Cragg, in the heats of the 5,000m and Deirdre Ryan in the women’s high jump,” said Patsy McGonagle.

“Alistair (Cragg) is in very good form. His coach, Terrence Mahon, is here with the American team and is working with him so that’s a plus while his girlfriend, Morgan Uceny, representing the USA, has qualified for the final of the women’s 1,500m.”

Today Ó Lionaird will line up alongside his former college team mate, Olympic silver medallist, Nick Willis, in the second of the 1,500m semi-finals which gets under way at 12.05pm (Irish time). The Olympic champion, Asbel Kiprop (Kenya), is also in the field along with the silver medallist from Berlin, Deresse Mekonnen, with the first five from each of two semi-finals along with the two fastest losers to qualify for the final.

lIrish Athletes in Action today.

2.05 a.m: (Irish time) Alistair Cragg, men’s 5000m Heats.

2.45 a.m: Deirdre Ryan, Women’s High Jump Qualification.

11.55 a.m: Ciarán Ó Lionaird. Semi-finals of the Men’s 1500m.