WALKERS DURING RACE; PEDRAZA AND REIMANN FINISHING; CROWDS.




Initials JBS/VS/BON/MN


SPORT: TOKIO OLYMPICS

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: JOSE PEDRAZA, OF MEXICO, GAINED THE HOST NATION ITS FIRST GOLD MEDAL IN THE "LITTLE OLYMPICS" IN MEXICO CITY ON SATURDAY. HE LED IN THE 20-KILOMETRE WALK FROM START TO FINISH, AND ARRIVED AT THE TAPE MORE THAN A MINUTE AHEAD OF MANS REIMANN OF EAST GERMANY.

ALTHOUGH HIS WAS A POPULAR VICTORY, PEDRAZA'S TIME WAS COMPARATIVELY SLOW - 1 HR 34 MINS 22 SECS - AND IT WAS THREE MINUTES OUTSIDE THE TIME GET LAST YEAR BY NICOLAY LINDER, OF THE SOVIET UNION. THIS YEAR, THE SOVIET UNION COULD MAKE ONLY THIRD PLACE, THROUGH GENNADI AGAPOV.

KAZUO SAITO, OF JAPAN, KEPT AMONG THE LEADERS ALL THE WAY AND FINISHED FIFTH, JUST AHEAD OF THE FAMOUS ITALIAN PAMICH, THE OLYMPIC 50-KILOMETRE WALK CHAMPION.

DIETER LINDER, RUNNER-UP TO BRITAIN'S KEN MATTHEWS IN THE TOKIO OLYMPICS, WAS IN THIRD PLACE UNTIL AFTER THE HALF-WAY MARK, AND THEN FADED TO FINISH EIGHTH.

1, PEDRAZA (MEXICO) 1 HR 34 MINS 22 SECS;
2, REINANN (EAST GERMANY) 1:35: 36.2;
3, AGAPOV (USSR) 1:36:02.4;
4, KISS (HUNGARY) 1:36:17.4;
5, SAITO (ITALY) 1:36:39:4;
6, PAMICH (ITALY) 1:36:39:4.