Evan Dunfee of Richmond, British Columbia won the bronze medal on Saturday in the men’s 50 kilometre walk at the 2019 International Association of Athletics Federations World Championship in Doha, Qatar. The bronze medal came three years after his controversial fourth place finish in the men’s 50 kilometre walk at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
At the Olympic Games three years ago, Dunfee originally finished in fourth place but had his position upgraded to bronze when it was determined that bronze medalist Hirooki Arai of Japan had hip checked Dunfee and was disqualified. However after a Japanese appeal, Arai’s bronze medal was reinstated. In a heroic degree of sportsmanship and humanitarianism, Dunfee decided not to submit a counter appeal according to Kerry Gillespie of the Toronto Star.
Dunfee had a third place time in Doha of four hours, five minutes and two seconds. Yusuke Suzuki of Japan won the gold medal with a time of four hours, four minutes and 20 seconds and Joao Vieira of Portugal won the silver medal with a time of four hours, four minutes and 59 seconds. Dunfee reached the podium by 34 seconds over Wenbin Niu of China, who was in fourth place with a time of four hours, five minutes and 36 seconds.
This was Canada’s second medal on Saturday. Earlier, Andre De Grasse of Scarborough, Ontario won the bronze medal in the men’s 100 metres. The medals for De Grasse and Dunfee will give them confidence as they prepare for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
