Sports
David Tomala wins men’s 50km race walk
Poland’s David Tomala won gold in the men’s 50km race walk at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in a time of 3:50:08 in only his second race over the distance.
The 31-year-old Polish race walker finished 36 seconds ahead of Germany’s Jonathan Hilbert, whose time was 3:50:44.
Canada’s Evan Dunfee, 30, won bronze in a season best time of 3:50:59.
“It was an amazing day for me. I can’t believe it,” said Tomala.
“I work for it my whole life since I was 15 when I thought for the first time during training I would like to be a (Olympic) gold medallist.
“At first I thought (I wanted to win Olympic gold in the) 20km, but this year changed everything.
“I competed over 50km in Dudince. This was only the second 50km in my life and I win it (the Olympic title). It is crazy, right?”
The Olympic record holder Jared Tallent of Australia, who medalled in the 50km walk at the Olympics in Beijing, London and Rio, didn’t make it to the start line in Sapporo Odori Park after injury forced him to announce his retirement at the age of 36.
The withdrawal of one of the favourites blew the race wide open for the field that included the world record holder Yohann Diniz of France.
LUO Yadong of People’s Republic of China was the early front-runner, leading for the majority of the first 20 kilometres of the race.
But, by the halfway point he was reeled in by the chasing pack and dropped to 17th place.
Tomala took the lead after the 30km mark and didn’t look back.
The Polish race walker’s injection of pace proved decisive. It took away from the rest of the field, building up a commanding lead more than three minutes with 10 kilometres to go.
At the 45km mark, Tomala was still comfortably ahead, but there was a battle on for the silver medal.
Germany’s Jonathan Hilbert and Spain’s Marc Tur had separated themselves from the rest of the chasing group and were shoulder to shoulder as the paced the streets.
But in the closing stages, Tur started to fade, and Hilbert moved away into second place.
Meanwhile, Dunfee, bronze medallist at the 2019 world championships, moved through the field from sixth to fourth.
And as the finish line approached, the Canadian reeled in Hilbert, passing him to take the bronze.
This is Canada’s first ever Olympic medal in the 50km race walk.
The bronze medal is redemption for Dunfee, who narrowly missed the podium in Rio in 2016.
In a move like the one he carried out in this race, Dunfee made a move for third place against Japanese race walker HIROOKI Arai. As the pair battled for the medal they bumped and Dunfee finished third, but he was demoted to fourth after an appeal by the Japanese team.
“My body gave me everything today. It is more than I could ever ask for,” said Dunfee explaining his surge into third place.
“My hamstring wasn’t happy with me that last six to eight k (kilometres). I kept asking for a little more, and it just kept saying, this is all you have.
“Coming around that last bend I asked for a little bit more. I just asked my body to give me everything it had and I was able to dig deep and get it.
“I don’t need a medal to validate myself. I’m proud of what I accomplished today, but I have been dreaming of this moment and winning this medal for 21 years. I am over the moon.”
“Hopefully, today means we can stop talking about Rio,” he added.
Oman have suffered three heavy defeats to Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, and Ireland at the 2026 T20 World Cup, and had been thumped by Australia the only other time these two teams met, at the 2024 edition. But captain Jatinder Singh says his team sees their final match of this tournament as an opportunity to surprise a wounded Australia team.
Australia have nothing to gain from the match against Oman in Pallekele on Friday, aside from preserving some pride. Perhaps the gloom around the Australia camp will give Oman an opening. In fact it might be “the best time to crush them”.
“One hundred percent this is an opportunity,” Jatinder said. “And our boys are looking forward to it. Because T20 is a game of momentum and the moments, and if you play those moments right, you can do anything on that particular day. Australia is not doing well at the moment… it is the best time to crush them.
“The boys are really positive. They are looking forward to the match against Australia to make their mark.”
On how to make Oman more competitive in the long term, Jatinder believed franchise cricket opportunities for Oman players could be one route. Oman did not have a heavy cricket schedule in 2025, playing only 15 T20Is that year in addition to eight ODIs.
“Well if I have to sum up how Oman can improve, it would be if we have the franchise cricket happening in the country or our guys get a chance to play franchise cricket elsewhere,” Jatinder said. “I think we can fill that gap and they can bring vast amount of experience for our national team.
“But if we don’t get to play competitive cricket, whereas other teams are getting to play the competitive cricket, we will need to fill that gap. There have been instances where we’ve been inviting the teams to come and play in Oman. The response has been really delayed, or we don’t get any response. So I think if we have the franchise cricket, that would really fill the gap.”
[Cricinfo]
Oman made a couple of changes in the last two fixtures without success. Shakeel Ahmed went in and out of the side in the three games, but picked three wickets against Ireland and should keep his place. Jatinder might look at giving top-order batter Karan Sonavale another go.
[Cricbuzz]
Zimbabwe marched into the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup with the swagger of a side that refuses to read the script, completing the group phase unbeaten after a polished six-wicket win over co-hosts Sri Lanka at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium on Thursday.
Ranked 11th in the world, the African side have been the tournament’s disruptors-in-chief. Having already sent former champions Australia packing last week, they now added 2014 winners Sri Lanka to their growing list of scalps, underlining that this is no flash in the pan but a team riding a serious wave of momentum.
Chasing 179 on a surface that demanded both muscle and method, Zimbabwe found themselves at crossroads when 65 were needed off the last 36 balls. Enter Sikandar Raza, sleeves rolled up and eyes locked in.
The all-rounder flipped the contest on its head in one decisive over from Dushan Hemantha, plundering 20 runs with two towering sixes and a rasping boundary. In the blink of an eye, the asking rate dipped and Sri Lanka’s shoulders sagged.
Raza and Brian Bennett stitched together a match-defining 69 off 40 deliveries for the third wicket, mixing clean ball-striking with smart running between the wickets. Zimbabwe crossed the line with three balls to spare.
While Raza provided the late fireworks with 45 off 26 balls, peppered with two fours and four sixes, opener Bennett was the glue that held the innings together. His composed 63 off 48 deliveries, studded with eight fours, ensured Zimbabwe never lost sight of the target.
Even when Raza departed with 13 still required from two overs, Sri Lanka sensed a sniff. But Tony Munyonga calmly clubbed Maheesh Theekshana’s first delivery of the final over into the stands, draining the tension from the contest. Fittingly, Bennett sealed the deal with the winning boundary. Raza was named Man of the Match.
It was Zimbabwe’s second-highest successful run chase in T20Is.
Earlier, after opting to bat, Sri Lanka were once again anchored by Pathum Nissanka. Fresh from becoming the tournament’s first centurion earlier in the week, Nissanka produced a polished 62 off 47 balls, bringing up his seventh T20 World Cup half-century, equalling Mahela Jayawardene’s record for the most by a Sri Lankan.
He and Kusal Perera gave the innings early impetus with a brisk 54 off 30 balls for the opening stand before Nissanka added a further 46 in 43 deliveries alongside Kusal Mendis.
Pavan Rathnayake provided the late thrust, clearing the ropes twice in a 44 off 25 balls as Sri Lanka posted a competitive 178.
Zimbabwe’s bowlers, however, ensured it was a chaseable target rather than a daunting one. Veteran leg-spinner Graeme Cremer led the way with 2-27, applying the squeeze in the middle overs, while the towering Blessing Muzarabani struck twice to finish with 2-38.
Sri Lanka now turn their attention to a Super Eight showdown against England in Kandy on Sunday, a contest that promises high stakes and little margin for error. Zimbabwe, brimming with belief, head to Bombay to face the West Indies on Monday, no longer the underdogs but a side that has earned its place at the top table.
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