Saturday is a jam-packed day of gold medal events at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The women’s 20km racewalk is in the books and featured a thrilling finish as a field of the world’s fastest walkers both raced and walked to the finish line.
Women’s 20km Racewalk Results: Elena Lashmanova Wins Gold Medal, Sets New World Record
Bill Hanstock is a writer, author and Emmy Award-winning producer. He began writing for SB Nation in 2011.
In the end, Olga Kaniskina of Russia was passed in the home stretch by her fellow countrywoman Elena Lashmanova, who took the gold medal and set a new world record in the event. Lashmanova’s time of 1:25:02 smashed the old world record by a full six seconds.
Kaniskina led for a good portion of the race, particularly near the end, but an attack leading up to the finish line by Lashmanova revealed Kaniskina to have nothing left and she was forced to settle for second place. Behind the 1-2 Russian finish, Qieyang Shenjie of China took the bronze medal.
For complete coverage of the 2012 London Olympics, visit SB Nation’s Summer Olympics hub.
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