IAAF World Athletics Championships: China sweeps the podium as Ching hits target in women’s 20km race walk

Ching finishes 30th in hot and humid Doha streets, improving on her 35th place in London two years ago

Olympic champion Liu Hong wins her third title in the event as China make a clean sweep of medals

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China dominated the women’s 20km race walk with Liu Hong (centre) taking her third world title in Doha. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 1:58pm, 30 Sep 2019Updated: 2:05pm, 30 Sep 2019

Chinese women swept the podium in the women’s 20km race walk at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha early on Monday, while Hong Kong’s Ching Siu-nga achieved her pre-race target.

Hong Kong’s sole representative at the world’s biggest track and field event, Ching overcame the heat and humidity to finish 30th in the streets of the Qatar capital. Despite starting the event a minute before midnight to try to avoid the heat, the temperature still soared to 31 degrees Celsius. Ching clocked one hour, 42 minutes and 55 seconds, more than 10 minutes away from her personal best set in Japan early this year.

Ching had said before the race that setting a personal best would be difficult because of the energy draining conditions and she would be delighted simply to improve on her 35th place at the last world championships in London two years ago.

Ranked 45th in the world, Ching is likely to qualify for next year’s Olympics with a quota of 60 athletes set for the event in Tokyo.

China’s Liu Hong (centre) captured her third world title in Doha. Photo: Xinhua

China’s Liu Hong, the 2016 Rio Olympic champion, captured her third world title in the 20km event in 1:32:53. The 32-year-old from Guangdong, who gave birth to a child in 2017, was also crowned the world champion in 2011 and 2015.