Salih Korkmaz (L) and Meryem Bekmez of Turkey celebrate after the 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)
Turkey dominated the individual 20km race walk events, while China took golds in both team events at the Chengdu Universiade.
CHENGDU, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's Salih Korkmaz and Meryem Bekmez dominated the men's and women's 20km race walk, while China won big in both team finals at the 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 silver in the men's race in 1:24:40, while his compatriot Cui Lihong ranked fourth with 1:26:16, leading China to the men's team gold with a total time of 4:18:54.
Gold medalsts Yin Lamei, Gao Lan, Ji Jie and Liu Roumei (L to R) of China pose during the awarding ceremony for the women's 20km race walk. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)
China was also crowned in the women's 20km race walk team final with a time of 4:52:02, with Slovakia taking the silver in 5:05:36, and India claiming bronze with 5:12:13.
"Race walking 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 are worthwhile." ■
