Canadian Ben Thorne finishes fourth in Commonwealth Games 20-kilometre race walk
GOLD COAST, Australia — Olympic bronze medallist Dane Bird-Smith of Australia used a late surge to win gold in the men’s 20-kilometre race walk Saturday, the opening event of the track and field program at the Commonwealth Games.
Canadian Ben Thorne led after 12 kilometres and was in the top three for much of the race but lost ground and finished fourth, 75 seconds behind Bird-Smith. The Australian, whose father was also an Olympic race-walker, won in one minute 19.34 seconds, erasing the games record of 1:22:18.
England’s Tom Bosworth, disqualified while leading at last year’s world championships in London, won silver four seconds back in a personal best 1:19:38, ahead of Kenyan bronze medallist Samuel Gathimba in 1:19:51. Thorne finished in a season-best 1:20:49.
Evan Dunfee of Richmond, B.C., whose signature race is the 50 kilometres which is not run here, was eighth in a season-best 1:23:26.