Women’s road races and walks: Russian women dominate
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| After winning the 20km walk gold in Barcelona, Russia's Olga Kaniskina has the distinction of holding the world, Olympic and European titles at the same time. |
Like with men, the women too were divided between the major marathons and European Athletics Championships in 2010. The fastest European was 33-year-old Russian Liliya Shobukhova, the 5000m European champion in 5000m, who moved to number three on the European all time list in a 2:20:25 national record winning the Chicago Marathon in October.
Russian athletes occupied the top three spots in the European list with Inga Abitova setting a 2:22:19 personal best in London in April and 36-year-old Mariya Konovalova setting a 2:23:50 PB in only her second career marathon.
Christelle Daunay set French record 2:24:22 in Paris in April and Isabellah Andersson broke the Swedish mark in Frankufrt in October with 2:25:10. Overall women’s marathon in Europe is in really good shape, 27 women ran under 2:30 this season. But like usual in major championships marathon is a different event. Runners react differently to the fact that it’s all about winning the race not just running a fast time.
In Barcelona, only a handful of top European marathon runners were running, but still the winner was a surprise. Although 31-year-old Lithuanian Zivile Balciunaite finished fourth in Göteborg 2006, her two marathons of the 2010 season prior to the European championships hardly suggested that she could be a winner in the Catalan capital. But the Vilnius athlete ran a perfect race making her move at the right time and emerged as a clear winner in a season’s best 2:31:14 time more than a minute ahead of 30-year-old Russian Nailya Yulamanova, who was second in 2:32:15.
The Russian had been fighting for a medal in Berlin 2009 as well before finally fading to eighth place there and also had placed 12th at the 2006 European Athletics Championships. 30-year-old Italian Anna Incerti completed the medal trio in 2:32:48. She too competed in Göteborg 2006 finishing ninth there.
20km Walk:
The women’s race walking was an all-Russian affair in 2010. Russians set the four fastest times during the season and also cleanly swept the medals in Barcelona. The National Winter Championships in Sochi brought the best result of the season with 21-year-old Anisya Kirdyapkina winning in 1:25:11. This result however can’t be accepted as a world record because there weren’t sufficient number of international judges present on site. 25-year-old Olga Kaniskina placed only fourth in Sochi, but lately her seasons have been all about winning the major titles and it was the same story in 2010.
Kaniskina, whose last loss in major championships came in the 2006 European Athletics Championships where she came second, has won the last two world titles and the Olympic title as well in 2008.
In Barcelona, there was no doubt about the winner. Kaniskina waited and then struck and, exactly the same stylish way that we’ve gotten used to expect from her. A 1:27:44 finishing time, a season’s best made the Russian also the European champion and she is now the reigning Olympic, World and European champion at the same time.
Kirdyapkina was second in 1:28:55 and Vera Sokolova third in 1:29:32 while German veteran, 33-year-old Melanie Seeger missed out on a medal despite a great finish in 1:29:43.
Notable stats:
Marathon
New entries on the European all time list:
3rd 2:20:25 Liliya Shobukhova RUS
10th 2:22:19 Inga Abitova RUS
21st 2:23:50 Mariya Konovalova RUS
24th 2:24:22 Christelle Daunay FRA
Tied for 30th 2:25:10 Isabellah Andersson SWE
2010 head-to-head between best Europeans:
Liliya Shobukhova RUS – Inga Abitova RUS 1-0
Liliya Shobukhova RUS – Mariya Konovalova RUS 2-0
Career head-to-head between best Europeans:
Liliya Shobukhova RUS – Inga Abitova RUS 2-0
Liliya Shobukhova RUS – Mariya Konovalova RUS 2-0
20 km walk
New entries on the European all time list:
3rd place 1:25:11 Anisya Kirdyapkina RUS
Tied for 10th place Tatyana Sibileva RUS
2010 head-to-head between best Europeans:
Olga Kaniskina RUS – Anisya Kirdyapkina RUS 1-1
Olga Kaniskina RUS – Vera Sokolova RUS 1-1
Anisya Kirdyapkina RUS – Vera Sokolova RUS 2-1
Career head-to-head between best Europeans:
Olga Kaniskina RUS – Anisya Kirdyapkina RUS 6-1
Olga Kaniskina RUS – Vera Sokolova RUS 6-1
Anisya Kirdyapkina RUS – Vera Sokolova RUS 6-2
