Heffernan is asking the right questions ahead of Cheboksary
Cheboksary, Russia - For a long time Robert (Robbie) Heffernan showed potential for honours at highest level - but injuries and disqualifications halted his progress for much of the time since his first IAAF Race Walking Cup in 1999. Now the guidance of Robert Korzeniowski and the environment of his training group seems to have turned round the career of the affable Cork man - meaning he is, perhaps, Ireland's top hope for an athletics medal in Beijing.iaaf.org, 9 May 2008
Schwazer is experienced yet young enough to believe “everything is possible”
Officially, the fastest competitor for this Sunday's IAAF World Race Walking Cup 50km (11 May) is Italy's Alex Schwazer, not that the double World Championship bronze medal winner is approaching this event expecting to secure a podium place.“I am sure that the Russians will dominate the race” he said, before departing for Cheboksary.
Schwazer also makes the hosts strong favourites for the team race in front of a likely massive home crowd of supporters.
“For the team competition they could even be placed with all their athletes in the top five places if everyone in their team does a good job.”
iaaf.org, 7 May 2008
Feitor cautiously optimistic for Cheboksary and Beijing
Approaching her fifth Olympic Games this summer Susana Feitor wants to believe she can finally “do something” in a World Race Walking Cup and Olympic year.“I’m enjoying my training and I think I can finally achieve a result”, said the 33 year old Portuguese race walker who in comparison has relatively thrived in IAAF World Champioships in Athletics (bronze in Helsinki, fourth in Seville and fifth last year in Osaka) yet did not finish in the last World Cup and has had an Olympic run of luck showing 13th as her best placing, back in the 1996 Atlanta Games.
iaaf.org, 8 April 2008
Coach Korzeniowski confident that Paquillo is on track to realise his Olympic dreams
Speaking after a day at the office, with his daughter bouncing on his knee, Robert Korzeniowski now lives a far more conventional lifestyle than that of the full-time athlete. But away from his job in Polish television, the four-time Olympic champion still has a strong foothold in the world of race walking - in coaching his former rival Francisco ‘Paquillo’ Fernández, as well as promoting the Krakow leg of the IAAF Race Walking challenge.iaaf.org, 3 March 2008
Luke Adams determined to walk his own path
A combination of Australian competitiveness, loving the journey and the friendships made (as well as sidestepping a bureaucrat or two) enabled Luke Adams to master the IAAF Race Walking Challenge of 2007.Ahead of a good hit out at the Australian 20km Olympic trials on 23 February, the popular 31-year-old looked back on last year’s events, and described what keeps him going through the hard work necessary for global success in walking.
iaaf.org, 27 February 2008