Rob enjoys his own ‘Rocky’ fairytale

Nothing was going to derail Robert Heffernan’s goal of winning the world 50km race walk title yesterday — not even his own team-mate knocking him down while driving behind him on a 40km walk at a high altitude training camp in Ifrane, Morocco back in April.

Heffernan put aside a series of fourth place finishes, including at last year’s Olympic Games, to triumph on the humid roads of Moscow before entering the Luzhniki Stadium for the final 600m and breasting the tape in 3:37:56 in what he described as his very own ‘Rocky’ moment.

“I wanted it to be the Rocky scenario in Russia,” said Heffernan, alluding to Rocky IV where the Italian Stallion took on Ivan Drago behind the then Iron Curtain.