Heffernan head wrecked by Diniz’s record pace

The best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry. Robert Heffernan had only one plan in the 50km race walk on the streets of Zurich yesterday: to win gold.

When he saw that goal slipping from view at the halfway point — as Frenchman Yohann Diniz churned out a world record pace — his race soon began to unravel. His spirit broken, Heffernan stepped off the course at the 37km mark.

“I feel as if I was beaten up,” said a disconsolate Heffernan. “I was just broken. It broke my spirit, it broke me mentally. I didn’t have the same feeling when I came through in Barcelona and in London and Moscow. All the control was taken away from me.”