Vancouvers Inaki Gomez was among the first Canadians to claim a medal at the Summer Universidade last week in Kazan, Russia.
The race walker and University of B.C. graduate finished third in the 20-kilometre team competition July 9 with UBC teammates Evan Dunfee and Ben Thorne. Their combined time of four hours, 20 minutes and 35 seconds put them behind Russias winning time of 4:04:31.
Gomez, who attended Vancouver College and now studies law at the University of Calgary, finished fifth overall in 1:22:29. He finished 13th at the 2010 London Summer Games and was pushed at the Universidade to improve his Olympic time by nearly two minutes.
This was a very strong field, lots of Olympians, said Gomez in a statement from Russia. Its an honour to win Canadas first medal in Kazan. The team event is neat because it adds a whole other dynamic to the competition.
Thorne finished 16th with a personal best 1:26:59, while Dunfee came 21st in 1:31:07.
The trio will return to Russia next month for the world athletics championships in Moscow from Aug. 10 to 18. Gomez and Thorne will compete in the 20km, while Dunfee qualified for the 50km race.
The Summer Universidade is an international multi-sport event that takes place every two years and is open to athletes aged 17 to 28 years and full-time students or recent graduates from a post-secondary institution.
