The World Athletics Championships is set to commence in grand style with the women’s 20km race walk on Saturday, August 19. As one of the most anticipated events in the athletic calendar, all eyes will be on Budapest as elite race walkers from across the globe step onto the city’s iconic boulevards. This event not only showcases the phenomenal endurance and technique of the athletes but also sets the tone for the intense competition to follow throughout the championship. Fans and sports enthusiasts are eagerly awaiting this inaugural event, as the rhythmic cadence of race walkers will echo through the historic streets, signaling the start of a thrilling athletic spectacle.
Women’s 20 km walking race:
Kimberly Garcia from Peru won two world gold medals in the 20 and 35 km races at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene. Garcia finished fourth in Rio Major in 1:29:31 and won in La Coruna setting a national record in the 20 km with 1:26:40.
Maria Perez from Spain, European champion in the 20 km in Berlin 2018, set a world seasonal best time and a Spanish record with 1:25:30.
Yang Jiayu, world champion in London 2017 and world record holder over 20 km, won the 20 km in Rio Major in 1:29:10, set a seasonal best of 1:26:41 at the National Grand Prix in Huangshan and won the 10 km in Madrid in 43:20.
Liu Hong will make her eighth appearance at the World Championships. The Chinese walker won four titles in Daegu 2011, Moscow 2013, Beijing 2015 and Doha 2019 and the Olympic gold medal in Rio de Janeiro. She set a Chinese record over 35 km with 2:38:42 in Wajima last April, but she will compete only in the 20 km.
Olympic 20 km champion Antonella Palmisano made her come-back from injury with a second place at the European Team Championships in Podebrady in 1:29:19. She also clocked 45:05 in the 10 km in Madrid.
Antigoni Ntrismpioti from Greece, double European champion in the 20 and 35 km in Munich 2022, will be looking to add another international medal to her collection. The Greek walker set a national record of 1.28:12 in Melbourne and won at the European Team Championships in Podebrady in 1:29:17.
Another strong European contender for a medal is world silver medallist Katarzyna Zdzzieblo from Poland.
The best Latin American contenders are Alegna Gonzales from Mexico, who won in Dudince in 1:28:09 and finished third in La Coruna in 1:26:59, Sandra Lorena Arenas from Colombia, who improved her national record to 1:28:02 in Nomi, Glenda Morejon from Ecuador, world…
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