ZURICH: Yohann Diniz of France smashed the world 50km walk record at the European Athletics Championships on Friday in a time of 3hr 32min 33sec.

The previous record of 3:34:14 was set by Russia’s Denis Nizhegorodov in Cheboksary in May 2008.

The ecstatic 36-year-old Diniz even had time to stop for a few seconds to collect a Portuguese flag from a fan and also waved a French flag as he crossed the finishing line for his third successive European title in Zurich.

“I started off cautiously, with the rest of the pack and as usual I had pins and needles in my legs. I caught the Russians and asked myself if I had made a mistake because I did the same thing at Moscow (10th at 2013 world championships),” said Diniz, who won the fourth gold medal at the Championships for France.

“I felt very fluid with my technique and very relaxed and I could see that the Russians were not walking very consistently so I preferred to pull away a bit and get my times down to 4min 20secs a kilometre which I knew I had in my legs.

“I knew I could go a lot faster and I worked on everything from the fifth kilometre to the 50th.” he added.

In changeable weather conditions, Diniz had to cope with rain, sun and wind as he seized control of the race with 14km to go.

He strode away to finish 3min 48sec in front of Slovakia’s Matej Toth with Russian Ivan Noskov claiming bronze, a further 1min 20sec back.

Diniz’s previous best time and the French record dated back to 2009 at Dudince, Slovakia when he clocked 3:38:45.

Germany’s Anna Ruh competes in the qualifying round of the women’s discus throw during the European Athletics Championships at the Letzigrund Stadium on Friday.—AFP

Results: Women’s:

3,000m steeplechase heats: 1. Sviatlana Kudzelich (Belarus) 9:46.89 Q 2. Natalya Vlasova (Russia) 9:47.31 Q 3. Gesa Felicitas Krause (Germany) 9:47.36 Q 4. Sandra Eriksson (Finland) 9:50.00 Q 5. Fabienne Schlumpf (Switzerland) 9:51.45 Q 6. Marusa Mismas (Slovenia) 9:51.51 Q 7. Silvia Danekova (Bulgaria) 9:51.67 Q 8.

Antje Moeldner-Schmidt (Germany) 9:52.02 Q 9. Charlotta Fougberg (Sweden) 9:52.04 Q 10. Polina Jelizarova (Latvia) 9:52.58 Q.

Qualifications:

Shot put: 1. Christina Schwanitz (Germany) 19.35 Q 2. Evgeniia Kolodko (Russia) 18.32 Q 3. Aliona Dubitskaya (Belarus) 18.07 Q 4. Alena Kopets (Belarus) 17.63 Q 5. Irina Tarasova (Russia) 17.55 Q 6. Anita Marton (Hungary) 17.36 Q 7. Yuliya Leantsiuk (Belarus) 17.35 Q 8. Olha Holodna (Ukraine) 17.32 Q 9. Radoslava Mavrodieva Yankova (Bulgaria) 17.18 Q 10. Lena Urbaniak (Germany) 17.17 Q.

Discus throw: 1. Sandra Perkovic (Croatia) 63.93 Q 2. Melina Robert-Michon (France) 63.62 Q 3. Shanice Craft (Germany) 61.88 Q 4. Anna Ruh (Germany) 59.84 Q 5. Zinaida Sendriute (Lithuania) 58.69 Q 6. Ekaterina Strokova (Russia) 58.35 Q 7. Julia Fischer (Germany) 57.78 Q 8. Yuliya Maltseva (Russia) 57.73 Q 9. Eliska Stankova (Czech Republic) 55.79 Q 10. Sanna Kaemaeraeinen (Finland) 54.64 Q.

High jump: 1. Ruth Beitia (Spain) 1.89 Q 1. Marie-Laurence Jungfleisch (Germany) 1.89 Q 1. Airine Palsyte (Lithuania) 1.89 Q 4. Alessia Trost (Italy) 1.89 Q 5. Mariya Kuchina (Russia) 1.89 Q 5. Kamila Licwinko (Poland) 1.89 Q 7. Emma Green Tregaro (Sweden) 1.89 Q 7. Justyna Kasprzycka (Poland) 1.89 Q 9. Ana Simic (Croatia) 1.89 Q 10. Tonje Angelsen (Norway) 1.89 Q.

Men’s:

1,500m heats: 1. Chris O’Hare (Britain) 3:39.24 Q 2. Henrik Ingebrigtsen (Norway) 3:39.32 Q 3. Charlie Grice (Britain) 3:39.41 Q 4. Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad (France) 3:39.43 Q 5. Tarik Moukrime (Belgium) 3:39.50 Q 6. Stanislav Maslov (Ukraine) 3:39.63 Q 7. Jakub Holusa (Czech Republic) 3:39.64 Q 7. Homiyu Tesfaye (Germany) 3:39.64 Q 9. Ciaran O’Lionaird (Ireland) 3:39.79 Q 10. Timo Benitz (Germany) 3:39.83 Q.

50km walk: 1. Yohann Diniz (France) 3:32:33 WR 2. Matej Toth (Slovakia) 3:36:21 3. Ivan Noskov (Russia) 3:37:41 4. Mikhail Ryzhov (Russia) 3:39:07 5. Ivan Banzeruk (Ukraine) 3:44:49 6. Ihor Hlavan (Ukraine) 3:45:08 7. Marco De Luca (Italy) 3:45:25 8. Jesus Angel Garcia (Spain) 3:45:41 9. Rafal Augustyn (Poland) 3:48:15 10. Ato Ibanez (Sweden) 3:48:42.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2014