At Last, a Medal for Guatemala

 


LONDON — History was made in the 20-kilometer racewalk Saturday: Guatemala finally won a medal.

Erick Barrondo finished second in the race, which was held on a two-kilometer (1.2-mile) loop near Buckingham Palace. Guatemala had not won a medal before, having first participated in the Olympic Games in 1952.

With Barrondo’s silver, the list of nations without an Olympic medal fell to 79.

The race was hotly contested, with walkers from Japan, Russia and eventually China taking the lead. Barrondo, who won the Pan American Games title at this distance last year, broke from the pack in the last third of the race.

As The New York Times reported on Saturday, racewalking is popular in Latin America and is seen by athletic federations as an inexpensive way to compete for international medals.