# Robert Heffernan

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Irish race walker

Robert Heffernan Heffernan wins the World Championships of 2013 in Moscow Personal information Born (1978-02-28) 28 February 1978 (age 48) Cork, Ireland Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) Weight 58 kg (128 lb) Spouse Marian Heffernan Sport Country Ireland Sport Racewalking Events 20 km race walk, 50 km race walk

**Robert Heffernan** (born 28 February 1978) is an Irish [race walker](/source/Race_walking).

## Career

At the [2000 Olympics](/source/2000_Olympics) he finished in 28th place in the [20 km walk](/source/Athletics_at_the_2008_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men's_20_kilometres_walk), and at the [2004 Olympics](/source/2004_Olympics) he was disqualified.[2]

At the [2008 Olympic Games](/source/2008_Olympic_Games) he improved, coming eighth in the 20 km walk. His wife Marian Andrews is also national women's 400 metres champion and was on the Irish women's team that finished 4th in the European indoors. On 27 July 2010, Heffernan won the bronze medal in the 2010 European Athletics Championships in the 20 kilometres walk, posting a time of 1:21:00 (achieved retrospectively in 2014 after Russian Stanislav Emelyanov was found to have committed an anti-doping violation). He also finished 4th in the [50km walk](/source/2010_European_Athletics_Championships_%E2%80%93_Men's_50_kilometres_walk) in a national record time of 3:45:30, a notable achievement just three days after the 20 km event.

At the [2012 Olympics](/source/2012_Summer_Olympics), Heffernan finished ninth in the [20km](/source/Athletics_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men's_20_kilometres_walk) race. A week later he finished fourth in the [50km](/source/Athletics_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men's_50_kilometres_walk), finishing seven minutes faster than the previous national record. His achievements in London were the top two performances for the Irish Athletics team at the 2012 Olympics.[3]

In early 2015, it was revealed that a number of Russian male and female champion racewalkers were under investigation for doping violations including the winner of the 50 km walk in London, Sergey Kirdyapkin. The athlete was retrospectively suspended during specific periods between 2009 and 2012 by his federation (RUSADA) and had most of his results annulled —including world titles, but not his Olympic title.

The IAAF were unhappy with the verdict made by the Russian Athletics federation and made it clear that they would be taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) believing that the ban should include his participation in the London Olympics. In a statement, the IAAF disagreed with the selective disqualification of results applied by RUSADA.

On 24 March 2016, the court of Arbitration for Sport favoured the IAAF and Heffernan was upgraded to Olympic Bronze.[4][5] He received his bronze medal in November 2016.[6]

### 2013 World championships

Main article: [2013 World Championships in Athletics](/source/2013_World_Championships_in_Athletics)

On 14 August 2013, Heffernan finished first in the [2013 World Championships in Athletics](/source/2013_World_Championships_in_Athletics_%E2%80%93_Men's_50_kilometres_walk) [50km event](/source/50_kilometres_race_walk) in [Moscow](/source/Moscow%2C_Russia), finishing over a minute clear of the silver medal position with a winning time of 3:37:56.[7][8][9] Speaking after the race Heffernan said "Its surreal, it's just a great feeling," he said. "When I came into the stadium it just felt like an out of body experience. It's hard to take it all in at the moment. I'm delighted."[10][11] The winning time was the fastest time in the world in 2013 by more than three minutes.[12][13]

## Other work

In November 2022, Heffernan was announced as performance coach of the [Cork senior footballers](/source/Cork_county_football_team), working under the management of [John Cleary](/source/John_Cleary_(Gaelic_footballer)).[14]

## Performance at major championships

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes Representing Ireland 1999 World Race Walking Cup Mézidon-Canon, France 70th 20 km 1:32:14 European U23 Championships Göteborg, Sweden 13th 20 km 1:36:26 2000 European Race Walking Cup Eisenhüttenstadt, Germany 18th 20 km 1:22:43 Olympic Games Sydney, Australia 28th 20 km 1:26:04 2001 European Race Walking Cup Dudince, Slovakia 17th 20 km 1:23:57 World Championships Edmonton, Canada 14th 20 km 1:25:02 2002 European Championships Munich, Germany 8th 20 km 1:21:10 2004 World Race Walking Cup Naumburg, Germany 27th 20 km 1:22:58 Olympic Games Athens, Greece — 20 km DSQ 2005 World Championships Helsinki, Finland — 20 km DSQ 2007 World Championships Osaka, Japan 6th 20 km 1:23:42 2008 World Race Walking Cup Cheboksary, Russia 9th 20 km 1:19:22 (PB) Olympic Games Beijing, China 8th 20 km 1:20:36 2009 European Race Walking Cup Metz, France 4th 20 km 1:25:21 World Championships Berlin, Germany 15th 20 km 1:22:09 2010 European Championships Barcelona, Spain 3rd 20 km 1:21:00 4th 50 km 3:45:30 2011 European Race Walking Cup Olhão, Portugal 9th 20 km 1:25:34 2012 World Race Walking Cup Saransk, Russia 11th 20 km 1:21:51 Olympic Games London, England 9th 20 km 1:20:18 3rd 50 km 3:37:54 (PB) 2013 European Race Walking Cup Dudince, Slovakia 9th 20 km 1:23:26 World Championships Moscow, Russia 1st 50 km 3:37:56 2014 World Race Walking Cup Taicang, China 23rd 20 km 1:21:00 2015 World Championships Beijing, China 5th 50 km 3:44:17 2016 Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 6th 50 km 3:43:55

## Personal life

Heffernan is married to [Marian Heffernan](/source/Marian_Heffernan), a 400M Olympian, and lives with his wife and family in Cork city. He has written an autobiography of his life called Walking Tall in 2016.[15] His son, [Cathal Heffernan](/source/Cathal_Heffernan), plays football for [Newcastle United's U21 squad](/source/Newcastle_United_F.C._Reserves_and_Academy) and has played for the Republic of Ireland u17 and u19 teams.[16][17] His daughter, Meghan Carr,[18] plays in the [LOI Women's Premier Division](/source/League_of_Ireland_Women's_Premier_Division) for [Waterford](/source/Waterford_F.C.).[19]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Robert Heffernan"](https://www.iaaf.org/athletes/ireland/robert-heffernan-139453). [World Athletics](/source/World_Athletics) – via worldathletics.org.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Robert Heffernan at sports-reference.com"](https://web.archive.org/web/20200418021245/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/he/robbie-heffernan-1.html). *www.sports-reference.com*. Archived from [the original](https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/he/robbie-heffernan-1.html) on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["London can spur Rob to medal in Moscow, says Loughnane"](http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/other-sports/london-can-spur-rob-to-medal-in-moscow-says-loughnane-239370.html). *Irish Examiner*. 9 August 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Olympic star Robert Heffernan finally receives bronze medal after doper is disqualified"](http://www.independent.ie/sport/olympic-star-robert-heffernan-finally-receives-bronze-medal-after-doper-is-disqualified-34569166.html). *Irish Independent*. 11 June 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Olive Loughnane and Robert Heffernan to receive major medals and justice"](https://www.rte.ie/sport/athletics/2016/0324/777122-heffernan-set-to-receive-olympic-bronze/). *RTÉ Sport*. 11 June 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Reallocation of Olympic Medals an Arduous Process"](https://www.infobae.com/aroundtherings/articles/2021/07/12/reallocation-of-olympic-medals-an-arduous-process/). *infobae* (in European Spanish). 12 July 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Ireland's Rob Heffernan strikes gold in 50km walk"](https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/other-sports/ireland-s-rob-heffernan-strikes-gold-in-50km-walk-1.1493924). *[The Irish Times](/source/The_Irish_Times)*. 14 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Rob Heffernan: It was a bonus that I destroyed everyone"](http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/rob-heffernan-it-was-a-bonus-that-i-destroyed-everyone-29498542.html). *Irish Independent*. 14 August 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["'Proud' Heffernan: We are as good as anybody"](http://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/other/proud-heffernan-we-are-as-good-as-anybody-603585.html). *Irish Examiner/BreakingNews.ie*. 14 August 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Robert Heffernan wins Ireland's first world gold for 18 years in 50km walk"](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/aug/14/robert-heffernan-gold-50km-walk). *Guardian*. 14 August 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Ireland's Rob Heffernan claims gold at World Track and Field Championships"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130816074548/http://www.thescore.ie/rob-hefferan-gold-50k-walk-moscow-2013-1036125-Aug2013/). *The Score*. 14 August 2013. Archived from [the original](http://www.thescore.ie/rob-hefferan-gold-50k-walk-moscow-2013-1036125-Aug2013/) on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["Leeside Legend Rob Gets His Just Reward"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140301232735/http://www.eveningecho.ie/2013/08/14/leeside-legend-rob-gets-his-just-reward/). *Evening Echo*. 14 August 2013. Archived from [the original](http://www.eveningecho.ie/2013/08/14/leeside-legend-rob-gets-his-just-reward/) on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["Rob Heffernan aiming for Rio after his 'Rocky' moment"](http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/rob-heffernan-aiming-for-rio-after-his-rocky-moment-29500999.html). *Irish Independent*. 15 August 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["Rob Heffernan joins Cork backroom team as performance coach"](https://www.rte.ie/sport/football/2022/1125/1338385-heffernan-joins-cork-backroom-team-as-performance-coach/). RTÉ. 25 November 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** Heffernan, Rob (2016). *Walking Tall*. Amazon.{{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_location_missing_publisher))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** McDonnell, Daniel (8 March 2021). ["15-year-old son of Olympians Rob and Marian Heffernan set to train with Juventus and AC Milan"](https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/international-soccer/15-year-old-son-of-olympians-rob-and-marian-heffernan-set-to-train-with-juventus-and-ac-milan-40171877.html). *[Irish Independent](/source/Irish_Independent)*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** ["Cathal Heffernan explains why he chose to sign for Newcastle United"](https://onefootball.com/en/news/cathal-heffernan-explains-why-he-chose-to-sign-for-newcastle-united-38094164). *OneFootball*. 16 February 2025. Retrieved 16 February 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** ["Like father, like daughter: Irish sportswomen and their Dads"](https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/healthandwellbeing/arid-41163112.html). *Irish Examiner*. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** ["Carr is a Blue!"](https://waterfordfc.ie/2025/02/09/carr-is-a-blue/). *Waterford FC*. 9 February 2025. Retrieved 16 February 2025.

## External links

- [Robert Heffernan](https://worldathletics.org/athletes/-/14198907) at [World Athletics](/source/World_Athletics)

- [Irish Times Olympic Profile](https://www.irishtimes.com/sports/olympics/irish/athletics-heffernan.htm)

v t e World champions in men's 35 km and 50 km race walk 50 km 1976: Veniamin Soldatenko (URS) 1983: Ronald Weigel (GDR) 1987: Hartwig Gauder (GDR) 1991: Aleksandr Potashov (URS) 1993: Jesús Ángel García (ESP) 1995: Valentin Kononen (FIN) 1997: Robert Korzeniowski (POL) 1999: Ivano Brugnetti (ITA) 2001: Robert Korzeniowski (POL) 2003: Robert Korzeniowski (POL) 2005: Sergey Kirdyapkin (RUS) 2007: Nathan Deakes (AUS) 2009: Trond Nymark (NOR) 2011: Denis Nizhegorodov (RUS) 2013: Robert Heffernan (IRL) 2015: Matej Tóth (SVK) 2017: Yohann Diniz (FRA) 2019: Yusuke Suzuki (JPN) 35 km 2022: Massimo Stano (ITA) 2023: Álvaro Martín (ESP) 2025: Evan Dunfee (CAN)

v t e World Best Year Performance in men's race walking 20 km walk 1980: Domingo Colín (MEX) 1981: Dave Smith (AUS) 1982: Willi Sawall (AUS) 1983: Jozef Pribilinec (TCH) 1984: Ernesto Canto (MEX) 1985: Dave Smith (AUS) 1986: Reima Salonen (FIN) 1987: Axel Noack (GDR) 1988: Mikhail Shchennikov (URS) 1989: Yevgeniy Misyulya (URS) 1990: Pavol Blažek (TCH) 1991: Aleksandr Pershin (URS) 1992: Stefan Johansson (SWE) 1993: Bernardo Segura (MEX) 1994: Bernardo Segura (MEX) 1995: Vladimir Andreyev (RUS) 1996: Yevgeniy Misyulya (BLR) 1997: Jefferson Pérez (ECU) 1998: Vladimir Andreyev (RUS) 1999: Julio René Martínez (GUA) 2000: Roman Rasskazov (RUS) 2001: Dmitriy Yesipchuk (RUS) 2002: Paquillo Fernández (ESP) 2003: Jefferson Pérez (ECU) 2004: Vladimir Stankin (RUS) 2005: Nathan Deakes (AUS) 2006: Li Gaobo (CHN) 2007: Vladimir Kanaykin (RUS) 2008: Sergey Morozov (RUS) 2009: Valeriy Borchin (RUS) 2010: Alex Schwazer (ITA) 2011: Wang Zhen (CHN) 2012: Alex Schwazer (ITA) 2013: Petr Trofimov (RUS) 2014: Yusuke Suzuki (JPN) 2015: Yusuke Suzuki (JPN) 2016: Eiki Takahashi (JPN) 2017: Wang Kaihua (CHN) 2018: Sergey Shirobokov (RUS) 2019: Toshikazu Yamanishi (JPN) 2020: Toshikazu Yamanishi (JPN) 2021: Wang Kaihua (CHN) 2022: Vasiliy Mizinov (ANA) 50 km walk 1980: José Marín (ESP) 1981: Uwe Dünkel (GDR) 1982: Ronald Weigel (GDR) 1983: José Marín (ESP) 1984: Ronald Weigel (GDR) 1985: Andrey Perlov (URS) 1986: Ronald Weigel (GDR) 1987: Andrey Perlov (URS) 1988: Vyacheslav Ivanenko (URS) 1989: Andrey Perlov (URS) 1990: Aleksandr Potashov (URS) 1991: Carlos Mercenario (MEX) 1992: Robert Korzeniowski (POL) 1993: Jesús Ángel García (ESP) 1994: Valentí Massana (ESP) 1995: Zhao Yongsheng (CHN) 1996: Thierry Toutain (FRA) 1997: Jesús Ángel García (ESP) 1998: Andrey Plotnikov (RUS) 1999: Sergey Korepanov (KAZ) 2000: Valeriy Spitsyn (RUS) 2001: Robert Korzeniowski (POL) 2002: Robert Korzeniowski (POL) 2003: Robert Korzeniowski (POL) 2004: Denis Nizhegorodov (RUS) 2005: Yu Chaohong (CHN) 2006: Nathan Deakes (AUS) 2007: Alex Schwazer (ITA) 2008: Denis Nizhegorodov (RUS) 2009: Sergey Kirdyapkin (RUS) 2010: Yohann Diniz (FRA) 2011: Sergey Bakulin (RUS) 2012: Sergey Kirdyapkin (RUS) 2013: Robert Heffernan (IRL) 2014: Yohann Diniz (FRA) 2015: Matej Tóth (SVK) 2016: Yohann Diniz (FRA) 2017: Yohann Diniz (FRA) 2018: Tomohiro Noda (JPN) 2019: Masatora Kawano (JPN) 2020: Matej Tóth (SVK) 2021: Satoshi Maruo (JPN) 2022: Resham Midhun (IND)

Authority control databases: People World Athletics

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Robert Heffernan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Heffernan) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Heffernan?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.