World Athletics Championships: Ireland's Robert Heffernan wins gold in 50k walk
Ireland's Robert Heffernan wins gold in the 50 kilometres race walk in Moscow.
Last Updated: 14/08/13 2:19pm
Robert Heffernan: Claimed World Championships gold
The 35-year-old, who finished an agonising fourth at London 2012, left Russian home favourite Mikhail Ryzhov behind in the closing kilometres to win in a world-leading three hours 37 minutes 56 seconds.
Ryzhov finished more than a minute behind in second place while double Olympic silver medallist Jared Talent won bronze for Australia.
Heffernan follows in the footsteps of Sonia O'Sullivan's who won the 5000m in Gothenburg in 1995, and Eamonn Coghlan who took gold in the 5000m in Helsinki in 1983.
"Its surreal, it's just a great feeling," he said. "When I came into the stadium it just felt like an out of body experience. It's hard to take it all in at the moment. I'm delighted."
