Robert Heffernan said he wanted to create a ‘Rocky’ scenario by beating the Russians in their own backyard and the Irish journeyman duly matched Sylvester Stallone’s most outlandish plotline to win the 50km walk gold at the World Championships on Wednesday.
True, world and Olympic champion Sergey Kirdyapkin was missing after a late withdrawal, but the ‘Ivan Drago’ role memorably played by Dolph Lundgren in Rocky IV, sat comfortably on the shoulders of Mikhail Ryzhov.
With Russia having won both 20km walks earlier in the week, Ryzhov and compatriot Ivan Noscov were expected to complete a hat-trick, but the 35-year-old Heffernan, who has spent most of his 13-year international career eyeing the podium from afar, had other ideas.
“I knew I was in the best shape of my life, physically, mentally, preparation-wise… everything was right and I had no excuses,” he said after winning Ireland’s first world gold in 18 years. “It was the Rocky scenario; I wanted to come here and beat the Russians in Moscow and that’s what I did.”
The Irishman, who withdrew before the 2011 race due to the sudden death of his mother, triumphed in 3h 37m 56s, the fastest time of the year and over a minute clear of Ryzhov and two ahead of double Olympic silver medallist Jared Talent of Australia.
It was Ireland’s third-ever world gold following the 5,000 metres victories of Sonia O’Sullivan in 1995 and Eamonn Coghlan in 1983.
“It’s surreal, I can’t quite believe it — though I always thought I could do it,” he said. “When I came into the stadium and looked up at the big screen and saw myself it was like an out-of-body experience. Then I thought ‘hey, I’m looking good and I’m going to win this’ and was able to relax and really enjoy that final lap.”
On Tuesday, Russian pole vault queen Yelena Isinbayeva sent the home crowd into raptures when she ended a five-year title drought with a third World Championships gold in what could be her last career event.
Isinbayeva, 31, lit up the Luzhniki stadium when she soared 4.89 metres on her first attempt and the American Olympic champion Jennifer Suhr and Cubas Yarisley Silva failed to follow. Her sheer presence transformed the Worlds from a poorly attended and quiet meet to a true championship. The large crowd made a bigger roar than after Bolt’s 100m title when she merely entered the stadium.
Isinbayeva entered the event at 4.65m, just eight centimetres below her season best 4.73m, but 41cm below the world record she set in 2009. She got over on her second attempt, cleared 4.75m on her first, 4.82 on her second and 4.89 on her first again to send her competitors packing.
In other events, LaShawn Merritt regained the men’s 400m title; Ethiopian teenager Mohammed Aman won 800m gold; German Olympic champion Robert Harting a third discus title; Kenya’s Micah Chemos the 3,000m steeplechase and Ukraine’s Ganna Melnichenko the heptathlon. Merritt got his second 400m World title following 2009, to go with Olympic gold in 2008, with a strong run of 43.74 seconds in a US 1-2, ahead of Tony McQuay and Luguelin Santos of the Dominican Republic in bronze. Holder and 2012 Olympic champion Kirani James of Grenanda had to settle for seventh.
Trademark celebration
Harting ripped his shirt to threads again in his trademark celebration after giving himself a third straight and Germany a ninth men’s discus title with 69.11 m, ahead of Polish season leader Piotr Malachowski and former World and Olympic champion Gerd Kanter of Estonia.
