Naoto Roppongi had already done the hard part. He had earned a bronze medal, stood on the podium, and celebrated with the Japanese flag. Then came the news that changed everything for the young athlete and for Japan. In the end, the rules had the final say.

The Japanese race walker had initially finished third in the men’s 5000m race walk at the World U20 Championships in Eugene. But his podium moment did not last long. Officials later applied a 30-second penalty for a third red card, dropping Roppongi to fourth and handing Italy’s Nicolò Vidal the bronze.

In race walking, red cards are issued when judges believe an athlete has broken one of the event’s technical rules, usually by losing visible contact with the ground or failing to keep the advancing leg straight. Three red cards triggered the 30-second Penalty Zone sanction in the 5000m event.

For Roppongi, it was a brutal way to see a medal disappear after he had already stood on the podium…

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The drama came after an extraordinary race at the front. Australia’s Isaac Beacroft produced a stunning final lap to win in 18:40.37, setting a world U20 record in the process. China’s Huajia Pu followed in 18:43.70, an Asian U20 record, while Vidal moved into third after Roppongi’s penalty was added to his time. The Japanese teenager eventually finished fourth in 19:24.43.

But it wasn’t the only tough moment of the championships as Roppongi was not the only race walker whose result was changed by the judging system in Eugene. In the women’s 5000m race walk, Italy’s Beatrice Palmonari also received a 30-second Penalty Zone sanction. She eventually finished sixth in 21:59.41.

Tunisia’s Imen Saii experienced an even harsher outcome. After receiving her third red card, officials repeatedly attempted to direct her into the Penalty Zone for the required 30-second stop, but she continued racing. Saii eventually crossed the finish line in third place, but was disqualified under TR 54.7.3 for failing to enter the Penalty Zone and TR 7.1 for unsporting conduct.

But the race walk was not the only event where a technical violation changed an athlete’s fortunes. Earlier, Kenya’s Nancy Jepngetich crossed the line first in her 800m heat in 2:01.25 and appeared to have booked her place in the semifinals. Instead, a lane infringement brought a disqualification and ended her campaign. Athletics Kenya later said it accepted the referee’s decision after reviewing the footage.

Amir Thompson suffered a similar fate in the men’s 200m. He crossed the semifinal finish line second in 20.40 but was disqualified for a lane violation, ending his hopes of reaching the final.

While heartbreak continued to follow some athletes, Beacroft was busy writing his own chapter…

What was Isaac Beacroft’s initial reaction after winning the race?

The Australian entered the race as the fifth seed and was hardly the obvious favorite. Pu had beaten him at the World Race Walking Team Championships earlier this year, while India’s Nitin Gupta arrived with the fastest seed time.

But as the race unfolded, the challengers began to disappear from the picture. Beacroft and Pu remained locked together, trading the lead as the kilometers ticked away.

Then came the bell… With less than 400 meters remaining, Beacroft made his move. Pu had no answer.

The Australian crossed the line in 18:40.37, three seconds ahead of his Chinese rival. The performance smashed Beacroft’s previous personal best of 19:23.96 and surpassed the 18:50.00 benchmark set for a world U20 record. More importantly, it gave Australia its first-ever race-walk gold at the World U20 Championships.

Beacroft had expected something special before he even took his first steps. “Coming into the race, I thought that it was going to take a world record performance to win and it did,” he said.

He had prepared himself for exactly that kind of battle. “I knew that I was capable; I have seen it in my training,” Beacroft added. And his biggest rival was someone he clearly expects to see again. “Pu Huajia is a lovely man; he is very good to compete against,” Beacroft added. “So, I think that is going to be a very long rivalry. I am super excited to continue to do it.”

The victory was Beacroft’s second major title in little more than a week. After winning the 10,000m race walk at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on July 31, he arrived in Eugene carrying plenty of momentum… and left with another piece of history.
He is now Australia’s 16th gold medalist at the World U20 Championships, the first Australian to win a race-walking title at the event.

For Roppongi, however, the memory of Eugene will be far less joyful. One moment he was celebrating bronze with his flag. The next, the medal belonged to someone else.

In a championship where fractions of a second and tiny technical mistakes can decide everything, his podium celebration became one of the event’s most painful twists.