Heffernan and Boyce book Olympic tickets

RACEWALKERS Robert Heffernan and Brendan Boyce qualified for the 50km final at the London Olympics following tremendous displays at Namburg, Germany on Saturday.

Heffernan, who is also set to compete in the 20km at the 2012 Games, was second in 3:49.28 while Letterkenny man Boyce was sixth with a lifetime best of 3:57.58 — two seconds inside the standard. There was disappointment for Ireland’s third walker in the event, Colin Griffin (Ballinamore), who was disqualified two kilometres from the finish.

The race developed into a ferocious head to head between Heffernan and the veteran Spanish racewalker and former world champion Jesus Angel Garcia, who eventually claimed victory in 3:48:11.