Salih Korkmaz (L) and Meryem Bekmez of Türkiye react after the Athletics Men's 20km Race Walk Final at the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)
CHENGDU, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's Salih Korkmaz and Meryem Bekmez dominated men's and women's 20km race walk, while China won big in both team finals at the 31st FISU World University Games here on Saturday.
Korkmaz took the lead in the final quarter and kept the position until the end, clocking one hour 23 minutes and 40 seconds for the men's gold. Bekmez added another gold for Turkey by finishing in 1:33:53 in the women's event.
China's Qian Haifeng took the silver in men's race in 1:24:40, while his teammate Cui Lihong ranked fourth with 1:26:16, leading China to the men's team gold with a total time of 4:18:54.
China was also crowned in women's 20km race walk team final with a result of 4:52:02, with Slovakia taking the silver by 5:05:36, and India claiming bronze by 5:12:13.
"Race walk has accompanied me for a long time in my life, and I still want to be with it for the next decade," said Cui. "Because I love it, and the efforts I made is worthwhile." ■
Gold medalist Salih Korkmaz (C) of Türkiye, silver medalist Qian Haifeng (L) of China and bronze medalist Manju Haruki of Japan pose during the awarding ceremony for athletics men's 20km race walk at the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)
Gold medalist Meryem Bekmez (C) of Türkiye, silver medalist Eliska Martinkova (L) of the Czech Republic and bornze medalist Gao Lan of China pose during the awarding ceremony for athletics women's 20km race walk at the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)
Gold medalists Team China (C), silver medalists Team Japan (L) and bronze medalists Team Australia attend the awarding ceremony for athletics men's 20km race walk team at the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)
Gold medalists Team China (C), silver medalists Team Slovakia (L) and bronze medalists Team India attend the awarding ceremony for athletics women's 20km race walk team at the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)
Salih Korkmaz (2nd R) of Türkiye, Qian Haifeng (3rd R) of China and Manju Haruki (1st L) of Japan compete during the Athletics Men's 20km Race Walk Final at the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)
Meryem Bekmez of Türkiye competes during the Athletics Women's 20km Race Walk Final at the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)
