Schwazer Pulls Out of 20km Walk
Italy’s Alex Schwazer has had to give up on his quest to win both the 20km and 50km Race Walk titles
Schwazer has pulled out of the men’s 20km event in order to concentrate on defending his Olympic 50km title.
He made the decision after suffering from a bout of flu, which had prevented him from training for three days.
Italy’s technical director Francesco Uguagliati said: ‘There is no reason to worry. Alex just prefers not to expend too much energy.
‘After discussions with his coach, Michele Didoni, he has decided not to attempt the double and has pulled out of the 20km race, which is less suited to his talents.’
Schwazer won the Olympic 50km title at Beijing 2008 and claimed silver in the 20km walk at the 2010 European Championships in Barcelona.
He is also the fastest man in the world this year over the shorter championship distance after clocking a national record of 1:17:30 in Lugano, Switzerland on 18 March.
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