PORTUGUESE TO ENGLISH, “Bonfim” translates to “good end” or “good outcome.” Caio Bonfim’s surname tells you the story.
The huge smile on the 34-year-old Brazilian’s face, the finishline tape and gold medal draped around his neck are all the explanation you’ll need.
Good end? Good outcome? For sure.
Bonfim’s 1:18:35 gold in the men’s 20K came on top of the 35K silver he’d earned on opening day, and along with Alison dos Santos’s 400H silver, lifted his nation to 13th on the medal table.
All smiles after holding off China’s Zhaozhao Wang in the race to the National Stadium wire, he also revealed a loss. His wedding ring had slipped off somewhere around the 3K mark, down Gingko Tree Lane, but he soon smiled, “I believe my wife will be OK because I won today.”
He asked a cameraman to relay this message to his children, back home: “Your father is a world champion.”
This was the 20th and last Worlds 20K – the event will be extended to 21.1K (half-marathon) in Beijing. Eight of the 20s have gone to Latin Americans, but this was the first to Brazil.
Bonfim has been knocking on the golden global door for years. He had taken the ’23 Worlds 20K bronze, the ’24 Olympic 20K silver and the Tokyo 35K silver.
He battled past four top rivals, Wang (2nd in 1:18:43), Spain ‘s Paul McGrath (3rd, 1:18:45) and the French pair of Aurélien Quinion (1:18.49) and Gabriel Bordier (1:19:23) for the gold.
“This is my first big international medal, so I couldn’t be happier about the result,” said silver winner Wang.
“It was a dream come true,” said bronze medalist McGrath, who has a Spanish mother, Scottish father, Irish grandparents and trinational heritage.
Tashikazu Yamanishi came in as both WR holder and world leader with his 1:16:10 from February. Japan’s great golden hope, he was buoyed by the throngs lining the course, leading or right with the leader for K after K only to see the dreaded red paddle for technique violation late in the race. Sat down with 2:00 of penalty time, he was never again a factor and finished a saddened 28th in 1:22:39.
“I don’t know what to do now,” he lamented. “To win in Tokyo was one of my big goals. I need to think about my next steps.”
All but 5 of the 48 starters finished; 4 were DQed. Canada’s Evan Dunfee, the Tokyo 35K king, scratched out with a hamstring injury. Team USA, well represented in 47 of the 49 Worlds events, had no one in the two men’s walks.
MEN’S 20K WALK RESULTS
(September 20)
1. Caio Bonfim (Bra) 1:18:35
(20:27, 19:42 [40:09], 19:29 [59:38], 18:57) (40:09/38:26);
2. Zhaozhao Wang (Chn) 1:18:43
(40:09/38:34);
3. Paul McGrath (Spa) 1:18:45
(40:04/38:41);
4. Aurelien Quinion (Fra) 1:18:49 PR
(40:09/38:40);
5. Gabriel Bordier (Fra) 1:19:23
(40:04/39:19);
6. Haifeng Qian (Chn) 1:19:38
(40:04/39:34);
7. Kento Yoshikawa (Jpn) 1:19:46
(40:14/39:42);
8. Diego García (Spa) 1:20:05
(40:06/39:59);
9. Satoshi Maruo (Jpn) 1:20:09; 10. Christopher Linke (Ger) 1:20:11; 11. Leo Köpp (Ger) 1:20:35; 12. Ricardo Ortiz (Mex) 1:20:36; 13. Perseus Karlström (Swe) 1:20:37; 14. Maher Ben Hlima (Pol) 1:20:39; 15. Jordy Jiménez (Ecu) 1:20:43; 16. Francesco Fortunato (Ita) 1:21:00; 17. Matheus Gabriel Correa (Bra) 1:21:04; 18. Misganaw Wakuma (Eth) 1:21:17; 19. David Hurtado (Ecu) 1:21:18; 20. Rhydian Cowley (Aus) 1:21:18; 21. Álvaro López (Spa) 1:21:28; 22. Dominik Černý (Svk) 1:21:29;
23. Declan Tingay (Aus) 1:21:30; 24. Chenjie Li (Chn) 1:21:39; 25. Veli-Matti Partanen (Fin) 1:21:41; 26. Mykola Rushchak (Ukr) 1:21:57; 27. Serhiy Svitlychnyy (Ukr) 1:22:24; 28. Toshikazu Yamanishi (Jpn) 1:22:39; 29. Mateo Romero Blanco (Col) 1:22:44; 30. Byeong-kwang Choe (SK) 1:22:52; 31. Servin Sebastian (Ind) 1:23:03; 32. Bence Venyercsán (Hun) 1:23:06; 33. Noel Ali Chama (Mex) 1:23:41; 34. Gianluca Picchiottino (Ita) 1:23:50; 35. Mazlum Demir (Tur) 1:24:11;
36. Andrea Cosi (Ita) 1:24:18; 37. Jerry Jokinen (Fin) 1:24:37; 38. Erick Barrondo (Gua) 1:24:42; 39. Tim Fraser (Aus) 1:24:55; 40. César Alberto Herrera (Col) 1:25:01; 41. Raivo Saulgriezis (Lat) 1:27:25; 42. Max Batista Dos Santos (Bra) 1:27:34; 43. Wayne Snyman (SA) 1:30:12;… dq—José Luis Doctor (Mex), Luis Campos (Per), Hayrettin Yildiz (Tur), Ihor Hlavan (Ukr) (no U.S. entrants)
(5K leader splits: Černý 20:17; McGrath 40:04; Quinion 59:37)
