RIO DE JANEIRO: Slovakia’s Matej Toth made a decisive break 2km from the line to add Olympic gold to his world title as he won the 50km race walk on Friday.
In punishingly hot and humid conditions, the Slovak overtook defending Olympic champion Jared Tallent of Australia at the end of a race for Slovakia’s first-ever Olympic athletics medal.
Toth timed 3hr 40min 58sec, Tallent taking silver at 18sec. Japan’s Hirooki Arai was initially credited as the third-placed finisher but was later disqualified following his collision with Canadian Evan Dunfee in the final kilometers, Dunfee awarded bronze instead.
“It was very emotional,” the 33-year-old Toth said of a race that saw 19 walkers pull up and 12 disqualified.
“There was a great atmosphere, a lot of people, so I just pushed and it was from all my body, my heart, my brain, my head.”
Asked whether it was a pleasure to win without any Russians in the field as they sit out the Rio Games due to a ban over state-sponsored doping, Toth said: “They deserve it!“
Tallent, who belatedly received gold from London after initial Russian winner Sergey Kirdyapkin failed a doping test, echoed Toth’s sentiments.
“It was a good group, I didn’t have to worry about any cheats in the race that were going to spoil the party for all the clean athletes,” he said.
France’s world record holder Yohann Diniz went through 30km in 2:11.29.
Tallent’s training partner Dunfee, who was leading the chasing pack, had made up 12 seconds on Diniz in the preceding 5km, and suddenly the Frenchman pulled up, allowing the Canadian to take the lead.
Diniz was soon back up and walking, but struggling, on the loop down the Pontal beach area southwest of central Rio de Janeiro.
The field was filled with walkers falling by the wayside, 11 pulling out before the 40km mark, including last year’s 20km world champion Miguel Angel Lopez, and a further 11 disqualified.
With 10km to go, Tallent had moved into the lead, going through 40km in 2:56:54, chased by Arai.
Coming into the business end of the race, Tallent had built up a 30-second lead over Toth with 6km to walk.
But the Slovak dug deep and ate into the Australian’s lead, reeling him in by the 48km mark and holding on for a dramatic victory.
Brazil’s female footballers suffered a second heartbreaking defeat in three days on Friday as a 2-1 bronze medal match loss to Canada in Sao Paulo saw the hosts fail to make the podium.
Goals either side of half time from Deanne Rose and veteran captain Christine Sinclair silenced a passionate crowd and saw Canada defend the bronze medal they won in London four years ago.
Brazil’s semifinal conquerors Sweden take on Germany for the gold medal at Rio’s Maracana later on Friday.
Led by five-time World Player of the Year Marta, Brazil captivated the host nation by smashing eight goals past China and Sweden in their opening two group games.
However, Beatriz’s consolation strike 11 minutes from time broke a streak of over 400 minutes without a goal in the four games since.
A mix of youth and experience worked wonders for Canada as 17-year-old Rose fired home the opener after a lightning counter-attack led by Ashley Lawrence.
Sinclair then scored her 165th international goal on her 250th appearance for Canada seven minutes into the second-half.
Beatriz set up a grandstand finish when she spun inside the area to fire home left-footed.
But despite a surge of late pressure, Brazil couldn’t find an equalizer as they failed to add to the silver medals they won at the 2004 and 2008 Games.
Russia won synchronized swimming team gold for the fifth straight Olympics in Rio on Friday, completing a double launched with their duet title on Tuesday.
The victory kept Russia’s stranglehold on Olympic gold in a sport in which they have won every title since the Sydney 2000 Games.
Russia had been leading after Thursday’s technical routine, scoring 196.1439 points overall after Friday’s free routine.
China achieved 192.9841 for silver and Japan, returning to the podium for the first time since 2004, took bronze with 189.2056.
Toth pips Tallent for 50km race walk gold in Rio heat; no medal for Marta’s Brazil
Toth pips Tallent for 50km race walk gold in Rio heat; no medal for Marta’s Brazil
