Battling performance by Wright on Olympic debut

Battling performance by Wright on Olympic debut

Alex Wright (Leevale) put in a battling performance on his Olympic debut to finish 46th in the men’s 20km race walk in 1:25:25 in Rio de Janeiro today (August 12).

The race was won by Zhen Wang of China in 1:19:14. Wright was slightly disappointed with his performance but all his training is geared towards the 50km next Friday (August 19).

“I’m slightly disappointed with the result but all my training is geared towards the 50km next week,” said Wright afterwards. “This was difficult today. I wasn’t fully in control but I ground it out. I’ve been quite nervous all week. I feel more confident for next week and know what’s to come for next week. I’ll take the positives out of today.”

The 1km circuit proved problematic but will be extended to 2km next week. “It was a bit of mayhem at the start but it’s going to be exciting next week competing alongside the boys (Robert Heffernan and Brendan Boyce).  

This was a good step forward for Wright who was disqualified at the World Championships in Beijing last summer. “It was important to post a good result and this will bring me on. I dreamed of being an Olympian since I was a kid so it’s a special moment.”