Russia sweeps walk titles in Daegu with Bakulin's 50km

Sergey Bakulin led Russia to a 1-2 finish in the world men's 50km race walk title on Saturday to further confirm the country's top ranking in the gruelling discipline. Bakulin, the world leader this season, clocked 3hr 41min 24sec around the street circuit in downtown Daegu, with fellow Russian Denis Nizhegorodov taking silver (3:42.45) and Australian Jared Tallent claiming bronze (3:43.36). Bakulin, 24, capitalised on the early red carding of Frenchman Yohann Diniz, the 2007 world silver medallist, and the withdrawal of pacesetter Nathan Deakes of Australia, who pulled up with cramp in his left hamstring. As soon as the Russian overtook Deakes, the 2007 world champion, after 35km the race was effectively his, with Tallent losing silver to world record holder Nizhegorodov in the closing stages. Defending champion Sergey Kirdyapkin of Russia pulled up at the 30km mark. "We had a plan to have an even pace.... In the end, my tactics paid off," Bakulin said, adding that a tough pre-worlds training camp had paid dividends. "We spent one month up in the Caucasus mountains at a renovated training camp built for the 1980 Olympics," he said. "It was very tough for us but we survived." Bakulin, who like all Russian race walkers is coached by Viktor Chegin, said he had not been concerned by Deakes' early pace-setting. "I was not paying too much attention to positions but to the times we agreed on in advance," he said. "I'm still not too aware at the moment of what happened around me today, but I'm very happy. It's very special for me to win a world championships for the first time in my career." Silver medallist Nizhegorodov, who won bronze at the Beijing Olympics and silver at the 2004 Athens Games, said the best man had won. "I'm very happy Sergey was the winner. I competed at my best but that was not good enough today," he said. Tallent was left ruing a lapse in concentration that saw him abandon his conservative tactics in a shot for gold. "I'm quite pleased. I went out quite conservative with the aim of feeling comfortable at 40km," said the reigning Olympic 50km silver and 20km bronze medallist. "But I pushed too hard after that chasing Sergey and that cost me the silver. "It's very tough," he added of the quality of Russian race walkers. "They have so many walkers training together and feeding off each other. If someone's unfit, there's always people who can take their place." Bakulin's success followed teammate Valeriy Borchin's retention of his 20km race walking title on Sunday in a similar 1-2 for Russia, Vladimir Kanaykin taking silver. Russia also claimed the other race walking medal on offer at these worlds, Olympic champion Olga Kaniskina powering to an unprecedented third consecutive women's 20km race walk crown. Bronze in that race for Anisya Kirdyapkina means that of the nine medals up for grabs in race walking, Russia has claimed six, including three gold, two silver and one bronze.