Walker Lopez adds 35km gold to European collection

MUNICH • Spain's Miguel Angel Lopez yesterday triumphed in the men's 35km race walk at the European Athletics Championships in Munich.

The 34-year-old Lopez, world 20km champion in 2015 and winner of the European title over the same distance in 2014, timed 2hr 26min 49sec for gold in dominant fashion. Germany's Christopher Linke took silver, 2min 41sec off the pace, with Italy's Matteo Giupponi claiming bronze, 3min 45sec behind.

The women's race walk went the way of Greece as Antigoni Ntrismpioti raced home in a winning 2:47:00.

Spain's Raquel Gonzalez claimed silver, 2:11 off the pace, with Hungary's Viktoria Madarasz rounding out the podium, a further 48sec adrift.

On Monday, Yasemin Can beat Britain's Eilish McColgan to win the women's 10,000m gold, denying the Birmingham Commonwealth Games champion a second victory this month.

McColgan, 31, had followed in her mother's footsteps by winning the Commonwealth Games 10,000m title barely two weeks ago, while she also won the silver in the 5,000m.

She looked well set for the gold when she took the lead early in the race as she battled with Can, but the 25-year-old Turk pulled away after the 7,000m mark.

Can was too fast for McColgan and won by more than eight seconds in 30:32.57. Israel's Lonah Chemtai Salpeter finished third.

"It is a very important result for me also because I did not start at the World Athletics Championships so I feel hungry for competing," Can, the 2016 European champion in the 5,000m and 1,000m, said.

"At 3,000m, I was starting the kick. I was a bit worried they will get over me but I had a good feeling and I managed it. This year is really good for me. We will see what is coming up for me."

Dutchwoman Jessica Schilder also added to her shot put bronzes at the world championships and the world indoor championships by grabbing her first gold at elite level.

The 23-year-old threw 20.24m to beat Portuguese world indoor champion Auriol Dongmo, whose 19.82m was enough for silver, and compatriot Jorinde van Klinken (18.94m).

"This is really like a dream," said Schilder. "I did not expect this to happen at the end of the season. I did not expect it tonight because the qualification in the morning did not go so well."

In the men's shot put, Croatia's Filip Mihaljevic won the gold with a career-best effort of 21.88m.

Serbia's Armin Sinancevic took silver with 21.39m and Czech Tomas Stanek, the European indoor champion, got the bronze with 21.26m.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS