2000 Sydney Olympic Games Womens 20K Walk

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Walking

2000 Sydney Olympic Games
Womens 20K Walk
Stunning DQ's Propel Wang to Gold

	Focus

	Men's 20K Men's 50K Women's 20K Viewer's Guide Road to Sydney

The first Olympic Women's 20 Kilometer Walk turned the leaders' hopes to ashes as one after another of the three leaders were disqualified for lifting or loss of contact as they headed towards the stadium. Wang Liping of China won the gold with a time of 1:29:05.

The Russian team, expected to perform well, were never a factor in the race. At the 17 kilometer mark, Racewalking International's John MacLachlan reported that the breakaway pack included Australian Jane Saville in the lead, Elisabetta Perrone of Italy next, Liping Wang third, Kjersti Tysse-Plätzer fourth and Erica Alfridi of Italy fifth, with no more than 20 yards between them.

Liu Hongyu of China moved into the lead but then was disqualified. Perrone of Italy took the lead but then was herself disqualified for lifting (failure to keep the one foot on the ground at all times). Perrone, the silver medalist in the 10K walk at the 1996 Olympics, did not take the DQ lightly. After stopping, she re-entered the race and passed Jane Saville to take the lead, only then finally walking off the course.

With a 14-second lead, Saville could sail on into the stadium to a hometown crowd that would erupt in ecstasy. But just before entering the tunnel, she received her third and final flag and was disqualified for loss of contact. The eruption was tears instead of cheers.

And so three women who thought they would be out of the medals took the honors in the first Olympic Women's 20 Kilometer Walk. Of the three medalists, Wang received only one warning - for a bent knee, while the silver and bronze medalists received no warnings at all.

Australian Kerry Saxby-Junna took 7th place, a weak consolation for the hometown crowd. Michelle Rohl was the top USA finisher with a time of 1:34:26 and a 17th place finish. Yueling Chen, gold medalist in the 10K Walk in 1992 now walking for the USA came in 38th. All of the US team performed minutes worse than their times at the Olympic Trials in July.

Race Reports as it Happened
From the Racewalking Email Group, by Racewalking International.

The Race

Women's 20K Walk (12.4 miles)
Thursday, September 28, 10:45
Course: Road Race
Entry Standard A: 1 hr 36 min.
Results: Wang Liping, China 1:29:05 gold, Kjersti Tysse-Plätzer, Norway 1:29:33 silver, Maria Vasco, Spain 1:30:23 bronze.
World Record: 1:27:19.1 Ailing Xue, China
The 20K is a new distance for the women walkers, previously the 10K Walk was the women's Olympic event.

Official Results - 20 KILOMETRES WALK ROAD - Women - Final
Thursday, September 28, 2000 - 10:45

Pos	Athlete		Country	Mark
1	Wang	Liping	CHN	1:29:05
2	Tysse-Plätzer	Kjersti	NOR	1:29:33
3	Vasco	María	ESP	1:30:23
4	Alfridi	Erica	ITA	1:31:25
5	Sanchez	Guadalupe	MEX	1:31:33
6	Cimpean	Norica	ROM	1:31:50
7	Saxby-Junna	Kerry	AUS	1:32:02
8	Gudkova	Tatyana	RUS	1:32:35
9	Misyulya	Natalya	BLR	1:33:08
10	O'Sullivan	Gillian	IRL	1:33:10
11	Papagianni	Athina	GRE	1:33:14
12	Savchuk	Valentina	UKR	1:33:22
13	Groza	Ana Maria	ROM	1:33:38
14	Feitor	Susana	POR	1:33:53
15	Yuan	Yufang	MAS	1:34:19
16	Saltanovic	Kristina	LIT	1:34:24
17	Rohl	Michelle	USA	1:34:26
18	Rosza-Urbanik	Mária	HUN	1:34:45
19	Gummelt	Bernd	GER	1:34:59
20	Granados	Encarna	ESP	1:35:06
21	Tolstaya	Svetlana	KZK	1:35:19
22	Leksir	Nora	FRA	1:35:29
23	Ouali	Fatiha	FRA	1:35:35
24	Zozulya	Vira	UKR	1:35:43
25	Kim	Mi-Jung	KOR	1:36:09
26	Ibañez	Mara	MEX	1:36:17
27	Pérez	Eva	ESP	1:36:35
28	Tsybulskaya	Valentina	BLR	1:36:44
29	Szebenszky	Anikó	HUN	1:36:46
30	Dukure	Jolanta	LAT	1:36:54
31	Milušauskaité	Sonata	LIT	1:37:14
32	Ramazanova-Khmelnitskaya	Larisa	BLR	1:37:39
33	Kehler	Lisa	GBR	1:37:47
34	Martinez	Ivis Haydee	ESA	1:38:07
35	Loughnane	Olive	IRL	1:38:23
36	Kokótou	Hristína	GRE	1:38:52
37	Liepina	Anita	LAT	1:39:17
38	Chen	Yueling	USA	1:39:36
39	Sheridan-Paolini	Lisa	AUS	1:40:57
40	Kuznetsova	Yelena	KZK	1:42:45
41	Collado	Natividad Teresita	GUA	1:43:28
42	Irusta	Geovana	BOL	1:43:34
43	Blazeková	Zuzana	SVK	1:44:03
44	Lawrence	Debbi	USA	1:47:20
45	Boussad	Bahia	ALG	1:52:50
	Sidoti	Annarita	ITA	DNF
	Radtke	Katarzyna	POL	DNF
	Stankina	Irina	RUS	DNF
	Isayeva	Aida	AZE	DNF
	Sazonova	Maya	KZK	DNF
	Born-Boyde	Kathrin	GER	DNF
	Polyakova	Olga	RUS	DNF
	McCaffrey	Janice	CAN	DQ
	Mendoza	Maria Graciela	MEX	DQ
	Liu	Hongyu	CHN	DQ
	Perrone	Elisabetta	ITA	DQ
	Saville	Jane	AUS	DQ

Michelle Rohl Rolls on to Third Olympics
An interview with the leading US women's 20K walker - three time Olympian and mother of three, Michelle Rohl.

Yueling Chen Earns US Slot but Blocked by China
China plays the citizenship card to keep their 1992 gold medalist out of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

China Reverses Decision, Grants Waiver for Chen
August 10, 2000: After a personal request by USOC official Bill Hibyl, the Chinese National Olympic Committee decided to allow Yueling Chen to compete for the US at the 2000 Olympic Games.

US Sacramento Olympic Trials July 16

In the Women's 20K Racewalk, Michelle Rohl (1:32:27), Yueling Chen (1:33:39), and Debbie Lawrence (1:33:47) earned places on the US Olympic Team in their race on 7/16. On Site Report is posted on the Racewalking board by Racewalking International.

2000 Summer Olympic Trails
Women's 20,000 Meter Race Walk Results
Sunday 07/16/00

Michelle Rohl led the race throughout, with Yueling Chen on her shoulder until she began to pull away after the 50 minute mark. At the finish Michelle led by over a minute. Debbie Lawrence finished third to also make the team. The temperature was 62F, a cool and pleasant morning.

1. Michelle Rohl 1:32:37
2. Yueling Chen 1:33:39
3. Debbie Lawrence 1:33:47
These top 3 now qualify for the US Olympic Team.

4. Joanne Dow 1:36:15
5. Sara Stephenson 1:37:35
6. Sara Standely 1:38 36
7. Jill Zenner 1:38:54
8. Danielle Kirk 1:40:47
9. Gretchen Fishman 1:41:23
10. Susan Armenta 1:43:15
11. Amber Antonia 1:43:47
12. Cheryl Rellinger 1:44:13
13. Victoria Herazo 1:45:21
14. Bobbi Jo Chapman 1:45:52
15. Deb Iden 1:46:19
16. Molly Lavacek 1:46:41
17. Lisa Sonntag 1:47:22
18. Debbie Benton 1:48:13
19. Ali Bahr 1:49:43
20. Lyn Brubaker 1:50:02
21. Heidi Hauch 1:50:35
22. Samantha Cohen 1:50:49
22. Donna Chamberlain 1:50:58
Profiles of the American women