12 Aug 2012

Personal best for walker

4:31 am on 12 August 2012

New Zealander Quentin Rew has posted a personal best time in the men's 50km walk at the London Olympics.

Rew, 28, finished in 30th place out of a field of 63 athletes.

He collapsed at the end of the race and was helped into a wheelchair.

His time of 3 hours 55.03 beat the 28-year-old's previous best for the distance by nearly four minutes.

The gold medal was won by Russia's Sergey Kirdyapkin in an Olympic record time of 3 hours 35.59.

Australia's Jared Tallent won silver and Tianfeng Si from China won bronze.

Rew was a middle-distance runner for about 10 years before an ankle injury forced him to retire in 2007.

He took up walking, following a year off, as his best chance of competing at an Olympics.