Tallent claims first win

BEIJING: Australian Jared Tallent won the first ever race staged in Beijing’s eye-catching new Olympic “Bird’s Nest” Stadium on Friday, claiming victory in a men’s 20-kilometre race-walk. The $500 million arena will be the centrepiece of the Beijing Games, staging the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the athletics competition. Tallent set a personal best of 1hr 20min and 11sec in the IAAF event. Next came China’s Wang Hao in a time of 1:20:25, with Mexico’s Eder Sanchez third in 1:20:57. On Sunday, the stadium will host the finish to the Beijing Marathon, another test event. — AFP