JARED TALLENT reconfirmed why he is one of Australia’s best athletes earning a world championship silver medal in the men’s 50-kilometre walk in Beijing on Saturday.
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The Ballarat athlete won bronze in the same distance the past two IAAF World Championships meets and added to an impressive medal haul that includes three Olympic medals, two of which were for his pet 50km event. His first Olympic silver was won in the Beijing Bird’s Nest stadium in 2008.
This time, he entered the ‘Nest with a beaming smile, crossing the line in three hours, 41 minutes and 17 seconds. Slovakian Matej Toth produced a gutsy, dominant performance from the outset to capture gold in 3:40:32.
“It was brutal out there today, but I am very happy with the result,” Tallent said, post-race.
“Matej was always going to be very hard to beat, he walked 3:34 earlier in the year. I’ve trained with him, I know hard he works so when he went away early I didn’t want to chase too hard because, I guess, I didn’t want to blow up and fade.
“I had a very strong last ten kilometres. I was hoping he might struggle a bit and I could close the gap but it wasn’t to be. I’m stoked. To come back to the Bird’s Nest and walk away with another silver is pretty good. It’s not the gold that I wanted, but I’m proud of the result that I have.”
Tallent looked comfortable from the outset, sitting among the leaders from start to finish.
Toth made his break at the five-kilometre mark and Tallent took command of the chase pack, leading them through multiple surges to threaten Toth.
Tallent passed the half-way mark alongside Irish defending world champion Robert Heffernan and Japanese duo Tatayuki Tanii and Hirooki Arai, who each made top-five finishes. Tanii won the bronze 3:43:44.
When the group moved through the 40km-mark, Tallent put his foot down and moved into clear second. It was a position he would never relinquish.
Victorian Chris Erickson crossed the finish 13th in a time of 3:51:26, his best performance at a major international championships.
Tallent coached his younger sister Rachel for her world championship debut in the women’s 20km walk a day earlier. Rachel Tallent finished 22nd, just nine minutes off winning pace. Fellow Ballarat walker Kelly Ruddick had also been set to make her world championship debut but was forced to withdraw with an inner-ear infection.
Meanwhile, Ballarat Olympian Kathryn Mitchell threw short of the women’s javelin final on Friday night.
It was a tough night for the Australian Flame with 2013 world silver medallist Kim Mickle and young gun Kelsey-Lee Roberts all failing to reach the medal event.
Mitchell’s best throw was 61.04 metres. Mickle, battling a shoulder injury, managed 59.83m. Roberts threw 60.18m in an earlier qualifying group.
