Athletics 20 kilometre race walk | |
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![]() The men's 20 km race walk at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics | |
World records | |
Men | ![]() |
Women | ![]() |
Olympic records | |
Men | ![]() |
Women | ![]() |
The 20 kilometre race walk is an Olympic athletics event that is competed by both men and women. The racewalking event is competed as a road race. Athletes must always keep in contact with the ground and the supporting leg must remain straight until the raised leg passes it.
The men's world record for the 20 km race walk is held by Yusuke Suzuki, who walked 1:16:36 at the Asian Race Walking Championships in his home town of Nomi, Japan. Suzuki's new World Record came exactly one week after Yohann Diniz's mark who walked a then record time of 1:17:02 in Arles at the 2015 French championships. The women's world record of 1:23:49 was set by Yang Jiayu of China in 2021. Russian Elena Lashmanova, has served a previous ban for doping, currently holds a quicker time of 1:23:39 which is also the European record, but it has never been ratified as a world record.
Tables show data for two definitions of "Top 25" - the top 25 20km walk times and the top 25 athletes: |
- denotes top performance for athletes in the top 25 20km walk times |
- denotes lesser performances, still in the top 25 20km walk times, by repeat athletes |
- denotes top performance (only) for other top 25 athletes who fall outside the top 25 20km walk times |
Ath.# | Perf.# | Time (s) | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref. |
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1 | 1 | 1:16:36 | Yusuke Suzuki | ![]() | 15 March 2015 | Nomi | |
2 | 2 | 1:16:43 | Sergey Morozov | ![]() | 8 June 2008 | Saransk | |
3 | 3 | 1:16:51 | Koki Ikeda | ![]() | 18 February 2024 | Kobe | [3] |
4 | 4 | 1:16:54 | Kaihua Wang | ![]() | 20 March 2021 | Huangshan | [4] |
5 | 5 | 1:17:02 | Yohann Diniz | ![]() | 8 March 2015 | Arles | |
6 | 6 | 1:17:15 | Toshikazu Yamanishi | ![]() | 17 March 2019 | Nomi | [5] |
7 | 7 | 1:17:16 | Vladimir Kanaykin | ![]() | 29 September 2007 | Saransk | |
8 | 1:17:20 | Yamanishi #2 | 21 February 2021 | Kobe | |||
8 | 9 | 1:17:21 | Jefferson Perez | ![]() | 22 August 2003 | Stade de France, Paris-St-Denis | |
9 | 10 | 1:17:22 | Francisco Javier Fernandez | ![]() | 28 April 2002 | Turku | |
10 | 11 | 1:17:23 | Vladimir Stankin | ![]() | 28 February 2004 | Adler, Sochi | |
12 | 1:17:24 | Diniz #2 | 15 March 2015 | Lugano | |||
11 | 12 | 1:17:24 | Masatora Kawano | ![]() | 17 March 2019 | Nomi | [6] |
12 | 14 | 1:17:25 | Sergey Shirobokov | ![]() | 9 June 2018 | Cheboksary | [7] |
14 | 1:17:25 | Ikeda#2 | ![]() | 17 March 2019 | Nomi | [8] | |
13 | 16 | 1:17:26 | Eiki Takahashi | ![]() | 18 February 2018 | Kobe | |
Massimo Stano | ![]() | 3 March 2024 | Taicang | [9] | |||
Jun Zhang | ![]() | 3 March 2024 | Taicang | [10] | |||
16 | 19 | 1:17:32 | Álvaro Martín | ![]() | 19 August 2023 | Budapest | [11] |
17 | 20 | 1:17:33 | Nathan Deakes | ![]() | 23 April 2005 | Cixi City | |
21 | 1:17:36 | Kanaykin #2 | 17 June 2007 | Cheboksary | |||
18 | 21 | 1:17:36 | Zhen Wang | ![]() | 30 March 2012 | Taicang | |
21 | 1:17:36 | Yamanishi #3 | 18 February 2018 | Kobe | |||
19 | 24 | 1:17:38 | Valeriy Borchin | ![]() | 28 February 2009 | Adler, Sochi | |
24 | 1:17:38 | Zhang #2 | 8 April 2023 | Taicang | |||
20 | 1:17:39 | Zelin Cai | ![]() | 20 March 2021 | Huangshan | [12] | |
21 | 1:17:39 | Perseus Karlström | ![]() | 19 August 2023 | Budapest | [13] | |
22 | 1:17:40 | Ding Chen | ![]() | 30 March 2012 | Taicang | ||
23 | 1:17:41 | Hongjun Zhu | ![]() | 23 April 2005 | Cixi City | ||
24 | 1:17:42 | Ryo Hamanishi | ![]() | 18 February 2024 | Kobe | [14] | |
25 | 1:17:44 | Caio Bonfim | ![]() | 3 March 2024 | Taicang | [15] |
Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 1:17:44:
Ath.# | Perf.# | Time (s) | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 1:23:39 | Yelena Lashmanova | ![]() | 9 June 2018 | Cheboksary | |
2 | 2 | 1:23:49 | Yang Jiayu | ![]() | 20 March 2021 | Huangshan | |
3 | 3 | 1:24:27 | Hong Liu | ![]() | 20 March 2021 | Huangshan | |
4 | 1:24:31 | Lashmanova #2 | 18 February 2019 | Sochi | |||
5 | 1:24:38 | Liu #2 | 6 June 2015 | La Coruna | |||
4 | 6 | 1:24:45 | Shijie Qieyang | ![]() | 20 March 2021 | Huangshan | |
5 | 7 | 1:24:47 | Elmira Alembekova | ![]() | 27 February 2015 | Sochi | |
6 | 8 | 1:24:50 | Olimpiada Ivanova | ![]() | 4 March 2001 | Adler, Sochi | |
7 | 9 | 1:24:56 | Olga Kaniskina | ![]() | 28 February 2009 | Adler, Sochi | |
10 | 1:24:58 | Lashmanova #3 | 25 June 2016 | Cheboksary | |||
8 | 11 | 1:25:03 | Marina Novikova | ![]() | 27 February 2015 | Sochi | |
9 | 12 | 1:25:04 | Svetlana Vasilyeva | ![]() | 27 February 2015 | Sochi | |
10 | 13 | 1:25:08 | Vera Sokolova | ![]() | 26 February 2011 | Sochi | |
14 | 1:25:11 | Kaniskina #2 | 23 February 2008 | Adler, Sochi | |||
11 | 14 | 1:25:11 | Anisiya Kornikova-Kirdyapkina | ![]() | 20 February 2010 | Sochi | |
12 | 16 | 1:25:12 | Xiuzhi Lyu | ![]() | 20 March 2015 | Beijing | |
17 | 1:25:16 | Qieyang #2 | 11 August 2012 | Olympic Stadium, London | |||
13 | 18 | 1:25:18 | Tatyana Gudkova | ![]() | 19 May 2000 | Moskva | |
18 | 1:25:18 | Lashmanova #4 | 18 February 2017 | Sochi | |||
14 | 20 | 1:25:20 | Olga Polyakova | ![]() | 19 May 2000 | Moskva | |
15 | 21 | 1:25:22 | Yekaterina Medvedeva | ![]() | 18 February 2017 | Sochi | |
22 | 1:25:26 | Sokolova #2 | 28 February 2009 | Adler, Sochi | |||
Kornikova-Kirdyapkina #2 | 28 February 2009 | Adler, Sochi | |||||
24 | 1:25:27 | Alembekova #2 | 18 February 2012 | Sochi | |||
16 | 25 | 1:25:29 | Irina Stankina | ![]() | 19 May 2000 | Moskva | |
Glenda Morejon | ![]() | 8 June 2019 | La Coruna | ||||
18 | 1:25:30 | Maria Perez | ![]() | 26 March 2023 | Córdoba | ||
19 | 1:25:32 | Yelena Shumkina | ![]() | 28 February 2009 | Adler, Sochi | ||
20 | 1:25:46 | Tatyana Shemyakina | ![]() | 23 February 2008 | Adler, Sochi | ||
21 | 1:25:52 | Larisa Yemelyanova | ![]() | 28 February 2009 | Adler, Sochi | ||
Tatyana Sibileva | ![]() | 20 February 2010 | Sochi | ||||
23 | 1:25:59 | Tamara Kovalenko | ![]() | 19 May 2000 | Moskva | ||
Liujing Yang | ![]() | 20 March 2021 | Huangshan | ||||
25 | 1:26:11 | Margarita Turava | ![]() | 15 April 2006 | Nesvizh |
Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 1:26:11:
The following athletes have had their performances (inside 1:26:11) annulled due to doping offence:
Time | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1:25:09 | Olga Kaniskina | ![]() | 11 August 2012 | London | |
1:25:59 | Liu Hong | ![]() | 7 May 2016 | Rome | [18] |
Men
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Olga Nikolayevna Kaniskina is a Russian coach and former race walker. She won the silver medal in the 20 km walk at the 2006 European Championships, the gold medal at the 2007 World Championships, and the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She also won the 20 km walk at the 2008 IAAF World Race Walking Cup, setting a Championship record of 1:25:42. She was disqualified from several years of competition due to doping.
Vladimir Alekseevich Kanaykin is a Russian race walker.
Liu Hong is a Chinese race walker. She is the world record holder over the Olympic 20km distance with a time of 1:24:38 hours, set in 2015.
The 2012 IAAF World Race Walking Cup was held in Saransk, Russia, on 12–13 May 2012. The track of the Cup runs in the central streets of the city. Detailed reports on the event and an appraisal of the results was given for the IAAF.
The 2011 IAAF Race Walking Challenge was the 9th edition of the annual international race walking competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Ten meetings were scheduled for the competition: the race walk events at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, five IAAF permit meetings, and four area permit meetings.
The women's 20 kilometres walk at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, was held on 11 August on a route along The Mall and Constitution Hill.
The Women's 20 kilometres race walk event at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics was held on a loop course starting and finishing at Gukchae - bosang Memorial Park on August 31.
Sergey Morozov is a Russian race walker who competes in the 20 kilometres walk. He was the 2005 World Youth and 2007 European Junior champion in the 10,000 m walk, then walked a world's fastest time of 1:16:43 hours to win the 2008 Russian 20 km title. He was banned that year after testing positive for EPO.
Tatyana Vasilyevna Kalmykova is a female Russian race walker. She represented Russia at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and competed in the women's 20 km race walk, along with her teammates Tatyana Sibileva and Olga Kaniskina, who eventually won the gold medal for this event. In spite of tumultuous rains, Kalmykova did not hinder her chances of racing around a 20 km walk; however, she received a final warning for not following the proper form during the 14 km lap, and was subsequently disqualified.
The Grande Prémio Internacional de Rio Maior em Marcha Atlética is an annual racewalking competition that takes place in April in Rio Maior in Portugal. It is an elite level event which features a men's and a women's race in the 20 kilometres race walk.
The Asian Race Walking Championships is an annual race walking competition for athletes representing countries from Asia, organized by the Asian Athletics Association (AAA). It was established in 2006 and has featured races for senior men and women (20 km). After the inaugural event 2006 in Wajima, Japan, the competition was split into two events: the 20 km were incorporated into the All-Japan Race Walking competitions held in mid March in Nomi, Japan. The 50 km event was held about a month later in mid April in Wajima, Japan. This is established until the year 2008. There are still annual national 50 km championships held in Wajima, but the further fate of the 50 km event within the Asian Race Walking Championships remains unknown.
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The IAAF Race Walking Challenge Final was an annual racewalking competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). It served as the culmination of the IAAF Race Walking Challenge series from 2007 to 2012. It featured a men's and a women's 20 kilometres race walk. Any athlete could compete at the final, though to be eligible for the series prize money pot of US$202,000 a minimum of four finishes at Race Walking Challenge meetings held that year was required. If the points winner of the Race Walking Challenge series did not compete at the final, their prize money was halved.
The Gran Premio Cantones de A Coruña de Marcha, also known as the Cantones De La Coruña or the Gran Premio de Marcha Cantones de la Coruña-Sergio Vazquez, is an annual Racewalking competition held in A Coruña, Spain. As of 2024, it is a World Athletics Race Walking Tour Gold level meeting – the highest-level circuit of international race walking competitions.