by Larry Eder
This is RunBlogRun’s feature on the inaugural Women’s 35k Race Walk in the 2022 European Athletics Championships, held on August 16, 2022, in Munich, Germany.
2022 Munich Diary, Day Two: Antigoni Ntrismpioti takes inaugural 35k RW!
Giving Greece its first of two gold medals on the second day of the European Athletics Champs, Antigoni Ntrismpioti kept her cool until 25k, chasing Viktoria Madaraz of Hungary.
Maradraz took the lead by 5k, leading by 11 seconds (24:21), with 10k at 48:37 (19-second lead), but was caught by 20k in 1:36.52.
Raquel Gonzalez and Antigoni Ntrismpioti hit 20k in 1:36.48, then, 25k in 2:00.26, with 8 seconds over Gonzalez. At 30k, Ntrismpioti led at 2:23.33, a forty-two-second lead, but the Greek race walker broke the race open between 30k and 35k. Antigoni Ntrismpioti hit the finish in 2:47.00, a 2-minute, 11-second lead over the silver medalist Raquel Gonzalez, ESP, in 2:49.10. In third, Hungary’s Viktoria Madarasz kept the bronze in 2:49:10.
Antigoni Ntrismpioti spoke to the media about her gold medal race:
“It was a tactical race – the plan was to come here and win the gold medal, and we went for it because of the warm conditions as well as the slow pace – it all went according to plan. Around the halfway through the race, I felt that I had it, especially because the other athletes were falling behind. I know I am always strong in the last kilometers, but today, I also wanted to enjoy it whilst going at a fast pace. Because of the high temperatures, this was not the day to break records. There was a stretch with some shade, but overall, I felt fine in these weather conditions. It was like back home in Greece, as much expected. I am not thinking about the World Championships in Budapest just yet because I should still be racing the 20K on Saturday – I haven´t yet decided if I will compete, though. I never did the 50K. In fact, I came up from the 20K, so the 35K suits me well, and that is what I came here for.”
