In the World Walk Championship that took place in Taicang, China, young walker Alegna González achieved the best result of her sporting career so far, becoming the champion in the youth category of the 10 kilometers.
Last year, the athlete from Chihuahua won gold in the Pan American Cup in Peru, and the same medal in the U-20 Pan American Championship held in the same country. These results have already begun to place the Mexican athlete on the international stage. With what she has achieved on the Chinese circuit, she becomes a global figure to follow for this Olympic cycle since she will have to make the transition to the 20 kilometers in 2019.
González, who is 19 years old, trusts in the work done with her coach, Ignacio Zamudio, to have a good finish in the youth stage of the Under-20 World Athletics Championship, which will take place from July 10th to 15th in Finland. The Mexican athlete will compete in the 10 kilometers despite achieving the qualifying time for the 20 kilometers this year in an event held in April in the Czech Republic.
It is worth mentioning that in Taicang, the Mexican walker had a spectacular finish to clinch the gold. Alegna held the leading position throughout the competition, and it was in the last lap when the Japanese athlete Nanako Fujii and the Ecuadorian Glenda Morejón made a move to secure the top spots. However, the Mexican athlete pushed herself and caught up with them. In the final curve of the circuit, she overtook Nanako and then caught up with Glenda to claim the victory.
"Have you already assimilated winning the gold in the Walk World Championship?"
"Yes, and until now it is the best result, despite having already won other gold medals in international competitions, but not in a World Championship. I am very happy with this triumph, in a competition where they put up a fight, but in the end, I won the gold."
"What was your strategy to win?"
"To stay in the leading group as long as it was a comfortable pace for me. Suddenly, they started to pick up the pace, and it became challenging for me, but I managed to secure first place. In the final lap, I thought that I could make another push to catch up with them and overtake them, but there was also a moment when I thought that I couldn't do it anymore. Therefore, it was more about my mindset and determination to reach the finishing line."
"Which competitions do you have left as a youth athlete?"
"This is my last year as a youth athlete, and I want to finish this stage in the best possible way at the World Athletics Championship in Finland, achieving first place, and closing this stage on a high note. In that Under-20 World Championship, I will face practically the same competitors, so there are many possibilities of achieving that objective."
"Have you already tried the 20 km distance?"
"I have already competed in a 20-kilometer race to gain experience, and I achieved a good result with a time of 1:33:43 hours, which qualified me for the World Championship in Finland in that distance. However, my specialty is the 10 kilometers. I know that making the leap to the senior level and maintaining a competitive pace is difficult. I am aware that it will take a few years as I need to mature physically. So, above all, it is about persevering and knowing that the results will come soon."
"Do you think this cycle is the right one to go to Tokyo 2020?"
"I do not rule out the possibility. I can achieve reaching the Olympics in Tokyo 2020, but I have to work hard to fulfill that dream. I know it is not easy, and I also want to achieve great things in the 20 kilometers."
"What is your opinion on women now stepping up for Mexican race walking?"
"Women are showing that we can also succeed, and seeing the results that the men used to achieve in the past is very satisfying. Now, we want to be strong competitors, and this has been demonstrated in recent years."