China's Liang Rui celebrates after winning the women's 50km race walking event at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha on Sunday. [Photo/Xinhua News Agency]
DOHA - Former world record holder Liang Rui competed for nearly four-and-a-half hours in sweltering heat to finish one point ahead of China in the women's 50-kilometer race walking event at the 2019 World Athletics Championships on Sunday.
Wearing a towel and ice wrapped around his neck, the 25-year-old took a commanding lead after 25 kilometers of the race and won in 4 hours, 23 minutes and 26 seconds. Her teammate Li Maocuo won the silver medal in 4:26:40, with Italy's Eleonora Anna Giorgi third in 4:29:13.