ATHLETICS: Over ten 2km laps of London’s iconic Mall, dual Olympic medallist Jared Tallent tried gallantly to win Australia’s first athletics medal.

Always considered a ‘warm up’ for his preferred 50km distance, Tallent finished seventh in the 20km race walk and was the highest placed of the Aussies with Chris Erickson 38th and Adam Rutter not finishing.

"It is a bit disappointing but it holds me in good stead for the 50km next week, I've been working a lot harder for the 50km," Tallent said

"It was good to have the hit out today and I'll be a lot stronger next week and hopefully be in the medals there.

"The course is very fast and it will be pretty fast over 50km if we get good weather like this," Tallent said of Thursday's race.

It was a dramatic 20km of racing on the day dubbed ‘Super Saturday’, as athletes performed for a massive international crowd.

Japan’s Yusuku Suzuki set a cracking pace that split the field early. Unfortunately Aussies Rutter and Erickson were both victims of this frenetic pace and dropped off the lead pack in the first 6km.

Tallent held his nerve and eventually Suzuki cracked and dropped back through the field. Chinese duo Ding Chen and Zhen Wang took over the pace setting duties in a formidable lead pack that contained Tallent and dominant Russian walkers Vladimir Kanaykin and Valeriy Borchin.

At the 11km mark the lead pack had an escapee in France’s Bertrand Moulinet. Unperturbed, Tallent and company pressed on without taxing themselves too much. Sure enough Moulinet was gobbled up at the 12.5km  mark.

By halfway, Tallent was sitting in fifth with Erickson 39th and Rutter 47th.

Chen, Wang, Borchin and Guatemala's Erick Barrondo stretched out the lead pack and finally managed to shake Tallent.  Colombia’s Lopez was disqualified at the 16km mark leaving a lead group of five in Tallent’s grasp. Kanayakin was disqualified minutes later leaving Tallent in fifth and chasing a five second gap.

Bouyed by the crowds, Chen tried to make another move as Tallent dropped further back . Wang could not keep up as Borchin and Barrondo stuck with Chen.

On the bell lap with 2km to go Chen had a lead of six seconds over Borchin with Borrondo two seconds behind, Wang was in fourth (+0.11) with a fading Tallent (+0.41) in eighth.

Chen was having the race of his life fist pumping the Chinese fans and high fiving the crowd on his final 2km journey down The Mall, across the front of Buckingham Palace and back up towards the finish line to the roar of the crowd. It was somewhat of a victory lap over the last 2km.

Behind him Wang overtook Borchin and Barrondo setting up a possible Chinese one-two for the vocal Chinese contingent before Borchin collapsed 1km out from the finish line and was taken away in an ambulance.

Chen raised both hands high in the air as he won gold for China in an Olympic record 1:18.46, with Barrondo snatching a silver for Guatemala and Wang completing a Chinese medal double with bronze.

Tallent, who won bronze in the event in 2008, finished seventh, 1min16secs behind Chen with a season’s best 1:20.02.

Rutter pulled out with 16km to go due to exhaustion, with Erickson clocking 1:24.19.

"It was a bit disappointing. I was found wanting in the second half of the race. I didn't quite have it out there today," Erickson said.

"I'm 30, so I think I still have another Olympics in me ... But I will be looking more at the 50km- that's my event. We just happen to have three great guys doing it right now!"

Australia's 50km contingent features Tallent, former World Champion Nathan Deakes and Luke Adams, who finished sixth in Beijing.

Taya Conomos
Olympics.com.au