2000 Olympic Games Mens 20K Walk
Late DQ Hands Medal to Korzeniowski
Mexico Shouts, "We Was Robbed!"

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Men's 20K Walk (12.4 miles)
Friday, September 22, 12:50
Course: Road Race
Entry Standard A: 1 hr 23 min.
World Record: 1:17:25.6, Bernardo Segura, Mexico
1996 Gold Medal: Jefferson Perez , Ecuador 1:20.07

Poland's Robert Korzeniowski thought he took the silver medal as he finished the 20K Walk  two seconds behind Mexico's Bernardo Segura.  But his moment turned golden as the judges reported a disqualification for Segura, who received his third and final flag for "loss of contact" just outside the Olympic Stadium when he began his challenge to overtake the leaders in the race inside the tunnel to the stadium.  Segura had been 10 meters behind the leaders, Korzeniowski and Hernandez.

Korzeniowski (gold and new Olympic Record) , Mexico's Noe Hernández (silver) and Russia's Vladimir Andreyev (bronze) received the first medal ceremony of the 2000 Games in the Olympic Stadium.  Meanwhile, Segura's congratulatory phone call from the president of Mexico Ernesto Zedillo turned to sour grapes.  Newspapers in Mexico have taken up the call of "Olympic robbery" and there are insinuations that a European or American walker would not have suffered a late disqualifying call.  The Australian embassy in Mexico City was moved to issue a denial of a conspiracy against Mexican athletes, according to the BBC.

Korzeniowski is the reigning 50K Walk Olympic champion and hopes for double gold as he walks again in the 50K.  His gold in the 20K and previous gold in the 50K make him the only walker to attain such a double.  He is no stranger to the type of DQ that crushed Segura - in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, he was disqualified in the stadium trying to better his second place position in the 50K Walk.  He took 8th place in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in the 20K Walk.

Judging of loss of contact in racewalking is ruled by naked eye observations by highly experienced judges.  At least one foot must remain in contact with the ground.  Video judging is not accepted.  Both feet must be off the ground for 30/100ths of a second for the naked eye to observe it.   Loss of contact is not the same as breaking into a run.  It takes excellent technique for 20K walkers to maintain form and accelerate in  the final kilometers of a race, which is why judges near the finish often are the ones to make the call.  Competitors are judged at many points along the race course and may receive two warnings before a final disqualifying warning.

Segura had received one warning earlier in the race.  His second warning, of which he apparently was not aware, came as he left the 2 kilometer loop and began accelerating to catch the two leaders as they headed into the Olympic Stadium.  His third and fatal call came just four minutes  and 400 meters before the end of the race.  The final finish was one of the closest ever in Olympic racewalking, with only 5 seconds between first and third finishers and Segura besting Korzeniowski by only 2 seconds.  Only the chief judge may inform a competitor of the disqualification and he was tied up first informing another walker, then 30 minutes after the finish had to disturb Segura during a television interview to inform him of his disqualification.

The temperature at the start was 80F with a breeze from the north.  The race starts with 5 laps of the track in the stadium before leaving to do repeated 2 kilometer loops around Olympic Park, then returning for a kilometer in the stadium.  The race began at a fast pace that led Racewalking International's John MacLachlan speculating that the Olympic Record would fall, as it did, by almost a full minute, and two minutes faster than the 1996 gold medal finish time.  Korzeniowski solidly earned his medal and received a 10-minute phone call in congratulations from the Polish prime minister.

Australian 10th place finisher Australian Nick A'Hern announced his retirement from racewalking immediately after the finish.  A'Hern finished fourth in the 20K Walk at the 1996 Olympics.

• More on Judging and Rules

20K Walk Men
Official Results  - Men - Final

• More on Judging and Rules

• Mexican Outrage over "Olympic Robbery"
  from the BBC.

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Women's 20K
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