Scenes of dismay marked the finish of the women's 20 kilometres walk after the Australian Jane Saville (right) had been disqualified as she prepared to enter the stadium in the lead.

Saville, twice previously warned, collapsed in tears when an official stepped out to wave the red disc signalling disqualification as the crowd inside prepared to celebrate an Australian success.

Earlier, they had been a similar incident when the Italian Elisabetta Perrone, looking all over the new champion, was also disqualified for a third lifting offence.

After remonstrating with the race referee, Perrone suddenly started walking again, joining Saville and unquestionably disrupting the Australian's rhythm. The Italian only bowed out after the intervention of officials.

However, just a couple of minutes later, the Australian suffered the same fate and she also departed the scene protesting her innocence.

Her exit left the Chinese athlete Liping Wang in an unexpected lead and, making absolutely certain that she stayed within the law, she protected her advantage diligenty to win by 28 seconds from the Norwegian Kjersti in one hour 29 minutes and five seconds.

Gillian O'Sullivan (right) from Killarney, finished a highly respectable 10th, the best placing by an Irish walker since Jimmy McDonald finished sixth at Barcelona in 1992. Olive Loughnane was placed 35th.

It capped a splendid season for O'Sullivan and afterwards she was suitably jubilant. "If I never do anything else in my career, I shall look back on this as a very special day," she said.

"I hoped to finish in the top 20 and, if I got lucky, to make it into the first 15. But to get 10th place was beyond my wildest dreams. Everybody ahead of me in the race was going for a medal. I was just looking for a high placing and to that extent I'm delighted.

"I went out strong and felt good throughout. I had figured on the winner setting a world record, but as it happened the time was surprisingly slow. Now I've really got something to work on next season."