The Balkan Race Walking Championships is an annual racewalking competition between athletes from member nations of Balkan Athletics. The championships features six individual races: senior men's and women's 20 kilometres race walks, men's and women's under-20 10 kilometres race walks, an under-18 boys' 10 km walk, and an under-18 girls' 5 kilometres race walk. [1] Each individual race also has a national team component with points awarded based on finishing time, which are then totalled to form an overall team score for the championships. [2]
Balkan racewalking competitions originated in the main Balkan Athletics Championships. A men's 20 km walk was first held in 1961 and a women's 10 km walk was introduced in 1988 (later increased to a 20 km race in 2001). [3] One-off indoor walks were also held at the Balkan Indoor Athletics Championships in 1994. [4] The Balkan championships for racewalking were first held separately from the main championships in 2000, [3] though Balkan Athletics starting their official numbering of a discrete Balkan Race Walking Championships from 2002 onwards. [5]
Edition | Year | Venue | Country | Date | Senior men's winner | Time | Senior women's winner | Time | Team winner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | 2002 | Vlasotince | Yugoslavia | Silviu Casandra (ROM) | 1:22:06 | Nevena Mineva-Dimitrova (BUL) | 1:32:16 | — | |
2nd | 2003 | Ruse | Bulgaria | Predrag Filipović (SCG) | 1:22:40 | Veronica Budileanu (ROM) | 1:35:12 | — | |
3rd | 2004 | Reșița | Romania | Costică Bălan (ROM) | 1:21:51 | Athina Papayianni (GRE) | 1:28:58 | — | |
4th | 2005 | Preveza | Greece | Silviu Casandra (ROM) | 1:25:48 | Evangelia Xinou (GRE) | 1:35:35 | — | |
5th | 2006 | Istanbul | Turkey | Predrag Filipović (SCG) | 1:22:31 | Ana Maria Groza (ROM) | 1:30:46 | — | |
6th | 2007 | Galați | Romania | Recep Çelik (TUR) | 1:23:10 | Alina Olaru (ROM) | 1:33:14 | — | |
7th | 2008 | Bucharest | Romania | 12 April [6] | Predrag Filipović (SRB) | 1:26:59 | Veronica Budileanu (ROM) | 1:34:37 | — |
8th | 2009 | Bucharest | Romania | Dragoș Neacșu (ROM) | 1:23:21.20 | Ana Maria Groza (ROM) | 1:29:56.30 | — | |
9th | 2010 | Bucharest | Romania | Silviu Casandra (ROM) | 1:23:29.30 | Ana Veronica Rodean (ROM) | 1:37.26 | — | |
10th | 2011 | Bucharest | Romania | Recep Çelik (TUR) | 1:22:31 | Claudia Ștef (ROM) | 1:33:38 | — | |
11th | 2012 | Bucharest | Romania | Predrag Filipović (SRB) | 1:28:50 | Ana Veronica Rodean (ROM) | 1:35:17 | — | |
12th | 2013 | Ayvalık | Turkey | Vladimir Savanović (SRB) | 1:28:42 | Adriana Georgiana Enache (ROM) | 1:39:17 | Turkey | |
13th | 2014 | Balchik | Bulgaria | Vladimir Savanović (SRB) | 1:26.31 | Despina Zapounidou (GRE) | 1:34.56 | Romania | |
14th | 2015 | Ayvalık | Turkey | Şahin Şenoduncu (TUR) | 1:27:30 | Andreea Arsine (ROM) | 1:39:36 | Turkey | |
15th | 2016 | Florina | Greece | Adrian Dragomir (ROM) | 1:31:32 | Panayiota Tsinopoulou (GRE) | 1:38:29 | Turkey | |
16th | 2017 | Florina | Greece | Alexandros Papamichail (GRE) | 1:26:40 | Antigoni Drisbioti (GRE) | 1:34:00 | Romania | |
17th | 2018 | Zrenjanin | Serbia | Dmytro Sobchuk (UKR) | 1:26:27 | Panayiota Tsinopoulou (GRE) | 1:39:01 | Turkey | |
18th | 2019 | Alexandroupoli | Greece | Alexandros Papamichail (GRE) | 1:24:40 | Panayiota Tsinopoulou (GRE) | 1:34:55 | Greece | |
19th | 2020 | Ivano-Frankivsk | Ukraine | 14 March [7] | Eduard Zabuzhenko (UKR) | 1:20:46 | Mariia Sakharuk (UKR) | 1:30:22 | Greece |
20th | 2021 | Antalya | Turkey | 27 March [8] | Sahin Senoduncu (TUR) | 1:24:20 | Ayşe Tekdal (TUR) | 1:30:12 | Turkey |
21st | 2022 | Athens | Greece | 3 April [9] | Narcis Mihăilă (ROU) | 1:30:24 | Ayşe Tekdal (TUR) | 1:38:01 | Turkey |
22nd | 2023 | Antalya | Turkey | 9 April [10] | Mazlum Demir (TUR) | 1:25:38 | Antigoni Drisbioti (GRE) | 1:29:56 | Greece |
Race walking, or racewalking, is a long-distance discipline within the sport of athletics. Although a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times. Race judges carefully assess that this is maintained throughout the race. Typically held on either roads or running tracks, common distances range from 3,000 metres (1.9 mi) up to 100 kilometres (62.1 mi).
Cristian Andrés Chocho León is an Ecuadorian race walker who competes in both the 20 km and 50 km walk events. He is the South American record holder in the 50 km and 20,000 metres walking events.
The Oceania Race Walking Championships is an annual race walking competition not only for athletes representing countries from Oceania, organized by the Oceania Athletics Association (OAA). It was established in 2011 and has featured races for senior men and women (20 km), and for junior athletes (10 km). Until 2014, all events were held together with the Australian Race Walking Championships, and the senior 20 km events were part of the IAAF World Race Walking Challenge.
Race walking events at the Summer Olympics have been contested over a variety of distances at the multi-sport event. There were three race walking events in the 2020 Summer Olympics: a men's and a women's 20 kilometres walk, and a men's 50 kilometres walk. The races were held in a final-only format.
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The 5000 metres race walk is a racewalking event. The event is competed as a track race and was part of the athletics programme for men at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics until 1993. It is also an event in the World Masters Athletics Championships, and is a World record event.
The 10,000 metres race walk is a racewalking event. The event is competed as a track race. Athletes must always keep in contact with the ground and the supporting leg must remain straight until the raised leg passes it. 10,000 meters is 6.21 miles.
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Sue Cook is an Australian former racewalking athlete. She is a former world record holder in the 10 kilometres race walk and the 20 kilometres race walk. She competed six times at the IAAF World Race Walking Cup, taking bronze in 1983, and was selected for Australia for the 1987 World Championships in Athletics.
Margareta Simu is a Swedish former racewalking athlete. She competed three times at the IAAF World Race Walking Cup and was the winner in 1975 and bronze medallist in 1977. On her last appearance in 1979 she placed eighth.
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Ann Jansson is a Swedish former racewalking athlete.
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Monica Gunnarsson is a Swedish female former racewalking athlete. She was a seven-time participant at the IAAF World Race Walking Cup, racing at every edition from 1983 to 1995. Her best finish at the competition was 14th, achieved in 1991. She also represented her country at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics, where she was sixth overall, and was eighth at the European Athletics Championships in 1986 and 1990. She was a bronze medallist at the 1987 European Athletics Indoor Championships.
Vitaliy Popovich was a Ukrainian male former racewalking athlete who competed in the 50 kilometres race walk. He competed in the men's 50 kilometres walk at the 1988 Summer Olympics, representing the Soviet Union, and in the same event at the 1996 Summer Olympics, representing Ukraine. He was a three-time participant at the World Championships in Athletics, with a best of fourth at the 1991 event. He also competed at five straight editions of the IAAF World Race Walking Cup from 1989 to 1997. He set a personal best of 3:43:57 hours for the distance in 1989.
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