Grace Wanjiru wounds 37th in race race walk

Kenya’s Africa champion Grace Wanjiru finished 37th in 1:35.22 minutes in the women’s 20km race walk as the London World Championships came to a close on Sunday.

Wanjiru, who was making her second appearance at the World Championships after finishing 38th in 2011 Daegu, stayed with the leading pack of up to 15 athletes until after 5km of the 2km loop at the Buckingham Palace and The Mall Road.

Wanjiru, who had earlier indicated that she might take a break from race walk after the London event, was exhausted at the end of the race and had to be wheeled to the medical centre by the paramedics.

The six times Africa champion was unable to talk to the media after the race.

Rio Olympics silver medallist Maria Gonzalez from Mexico and Chinese duo of Jiayu Yang and Xiuzhi Lyu entered the last kilometre shoulder-to-shoulder but its Yang and Lyu, who stepped on the gas pedal to lead into the last 500m.

However, Lyu was to receive her third red card and disqualified with only 20 metres to the finish line as the 19-year-old Yang, who is the
2014 World Race Walking Cup silver medallist, became the youngest world champion in a personal best of 1:26:18 with Gonzalez going for silver in season’s best of 1:26:19.
Italian Antonella Palmisanon benefitted from Lyu’s disqualification to get bronze in a personal best of 1:26:36.