LAST UPDATE | 24 Aug 2023
BRENDAN BOYCE PRODUCED a season’s best performance to finish 24th in the 35km race walk in a sweltering Budapest this morning.
The Finn Valley AC man was competing in his sixth successive World Championships and finished in a time of 2:37.26.
“Very, very difficult would be my assessment,” Boyce laughed post-race. “My strategy was to try and get into a group, to try and let other people to do the rhythm and, if I was comfortable, to stay in there as long as possible.
“I was happy with the group I was in for the first — I think — about 12k, and then they made a little move, that group broke up, and I was completely out of my rhythm, then. I didn’t feel good in my technique or anything, like, so…”
Gold went to Spain’s Álvaro Martín (2:24.30), who already took first place in the 20km discipline last week, while Ecuador’s Brian Daniel Pintado finished in 2:24.34 for silver, with bronze going to Masatora Kawano of Japan (2:25.12).
🗣️ “I’m a fighter…24th is still good at a World Championships.”
— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics) August 24, 2023
Brendan Boyce reacts to his strong performance in the Men’s 35km Race Walk 👏🏻🎤#IrishAthletics #Budapest2023 @Ask123ie pic.twitter.com/qvCSz3l3lj
Boyce has been competing over the 35km distance since the 50km event was abolished after the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
“25k, I was just mentally like, ‘Do what you can, it’s not going to be easy but you can still be in control of your effort, so that’s what I did.
“The pace slowed down. I probably got passed by a few people but I was like, ‘No, it’s going to get hotter, people are going to come back. Just stick to the task.’
“I feel like I was five to seconds per K off where my expectations were and that’s frustrating, but I really fought hard in the last 10 and I didn’t even think I was going to finish 24th so the result is good, like, a little bit; one spot more than last year, so…
“24th is still good in a World Championships.”
– Updated at 10:48 with quotes from Brendan Boyce, via Athletics Ireland
