2015 "Around Taihu" International Race Walking and Walking Multi-day Competition Closes; Wang Zhen Wins Champion in Terms of Total Score

SUZHOU, China, Sept. 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ – The Pioneer Wood Wuzhong (Suzhou) "Around Taihu" International Race Walking and Walking Multi-day Competition saw the completion of the last leg of the race on Jinting Island, Taihu in China'sJiangsu province, on September 29^th. Although China's Wang Zhen ranked fourth during the fourth and final leg of the event, he won the championship based on cumulatively running all the legs of the race six seconds faster than the silver medalist.

The four-day competition is comprised of four legs and is split into men's and women's individual competitions and group competitions. The championship is based on the total time to run the four legs.

After the first three legs, IAAF World Championships Beijing men's 20km racing walk silver medalist Wang Zhen lead in terms of cumulative time, 18 seconds ahead of Australia's Boarder Smith. During the last leg, Wang Zhen followed the Australian closely to maintain the lead already garnered. However, during the second half of the run, he was penalized and had to stay in a standing position for 30 seconds due to a second rule violation, widening the gap between himself and Smith. He was able to pick up his pace and catch up, maintaining first place in the cumulative score list with six seconds' advantage.

In the women's competitions, IAAF World Championships Beijing women's 20km racing walk copper medalist Lyudmyla Olyanovska from Ukraine took the lead with one hour, seven minutes and thirty-one seconds and also won the championship in terms of total score. Chinese Qieyang Shijie won second place with one hour, eight minutes and 45 seconds, hobbled by a similar penalty to Wang Zhen. She also ranked second in terms of the cumulative time.

In the group competition lists, the Chinese women's team came in second behind the Ukrainian for the fourth leg, winning second place. The Chinese men's team ranked fifth while the Australian team led by Boarder Smith took the championship.

This multi-day competition doesn't disqualify athletes with three red cards due to actions outside of the rules. The first red card acts as a warning, while the second, third and fourth require standing still for 30 seconds, one minute and two minutes, respectively, and the fifth disqualifies the athlete. Every leg has two penalty stations.