20 kilometres race walk explained

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.

World records

See also: Men's 20 kilometres walk world record progression and Women's 20 kilometres walk world record progression. 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.

All-time top 25

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

Men

• Correct as of March 2024.^{[1] [2]}

		Time (s)	Athlete	Nation	Date	Place
1	1	1:16:36			15 March 2015
2	2	1:16:43			8 June 2008
3	3	1:16:51			18 February 2024		[3]
4	4	1:16:54			20 March 2021		[4]
5	5	1:17:02	Yohann Diniz		8 March 2015	Arles
6	6	1:17:15			17 March 2019		[5]
7	7	1:17:16			29 September 2007
	8	1:17:20	Yamanishi #2		21 February 2021
8	9	1:17:21			22 August 2003
9	10	1:17:22			28 April 2002
10	11	1:17:23			28 February 2004
	12	1:17:24	Diniz #2		15 March 2015
11	12	1:17:24			17 March 2019		[6]
12	14	1:17:25			9 June 2018		[7]
	14	1:17:25	Ikeda#2		17 March 2019		[8]
13	16	1:17:26			18 February 2018
		3 March 2024		[9]
		3 March 2024		[10]
16	19	1:17:32			19 August 2023		[11]
17	20	1:17:33			23 April 2005
	21	1:17:36	Kanaykin #2		17 June 2007
18	21	1:17:36			30 March 2012
	21	1:17:36	Yamanishi #3		18 February 2018
19	24	1:17:38			28 February 2009
	24	1:17:38	Zhang #2		8 April 2023
20		1:17:39			20 March 2021		[12]
21	1:17:39			19 August 2023		[13]
22	1:17:40			30 March 2012
23	1:17:41			23 April 2005
24	1:17:42			18 February 2024		[14]
25	1:17:44			3 March 2024		[15]

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 1:17:44:

• Toshikazu Yamanishi also walked 1:17:41 (2018, 2019).
• Yohann Diniz also walked 1:17:43 (2012).

Women

• Correct as of August 2023.^{[16] [17]}

		Time (s)	Athlete	Nation	Date	Place
1	1	1:23:39			9 June 2018
2	2	1:23:49			20 March 2021
3	3	1:24:27			20 March 2021
	4	1:24:31	Lashmanova #2		18 February 2019	Sochi
	5	1:24:38	Liu #2		6 June 2015
4	6	1:24:45			20 March 2021
5	7	1:24:47			27 February 2015
6	8	1:24:50			4 March 2001
7	9	1:24:56			28 February 2009
	10	1:24:58	Lashmanova #3		25 June 2016
8	11	1:25:03			27 February 2015
9	12	1:25:04			27 February 2015
10	13	1:25:08			26 February 2011
	14	1:25:11	Kaniskina #2		23 February 2008
11	14	1:25:11			20 February 2010
12	16	1:25:12			20 March 2015
	17	1:25:16	Qieyang #2		11 August 2012
13	18	1:25:18			19 May 2000
	18	1:25:18	Lashmanova #4		18 February 2017
14	20	1:25:20			19 May 2000
15	21	1:25:22			18 February 2017
	22	1:25:26	Sokolova #2		28 February 2009
	Kornikova-Kirdyapkina #2		28 February 2009
	24	1:25:27	Alembekova #2		18 February 2012
16	25	1:25:29			19 May 2000
		8 June 2019
18		1:25:30			26 March 2023
19		1:25:32			28 February 2009
20		1:25:46			23 February 2008
21		1:25:52			28 February 2009
			20 February 2010
23		1:25:59			19 May 2000
			20 March 2021
25		1:26:11			15 April 2006

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 1:26:11:

• Liu Hong also walked 1:25:46 (2012), 1:25:56 (2016, 2019), 1:26:00 (2012).
• Yelena Lashmanova also walked 1:25:41 (2021), 1:25:49 (2013).
• Olga Kaniskina also walked 1:25:42 (2008), 1:25:54 (2016), 1:26:02 (2006).
• Vera Sokolova also walked 1:25:35 (2010), 1:25:38 (2015), 1:26:00 (2013).
• Anisiya Kornikova-Kirdyapkina also walked 1:25:30 (2008), 1:25:59 (2013).
• Yang Jiayu also walked 1:25:34 (2019), 1:25:54 (2024).
• Shenjie Qieyang also walked 1:25:37 (2019).
• Olimpiada Ivanova also walked 1:25:41 (2005), 1:26:08 (2000).
• Lü Xiuzhi also walked 1:25:51 (2021).

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]

Olympic medalists

Women

World Championships medalists

Women

Season's bests

Men

Rank	Mark	Athlete	Place
2000	1:17:46		Moscow
2001	1:18:06		Adler
2002	1:17:22		Turku
2003	1:17:21		Paris
2004	1:17:23		Adler
2005	1:17:33		Cixi City
2006	1:18:17		Yangzhou
2007	1:17:16		Saransk
2008	1:16:43		Saransk
2009	1:17:38		Adler
2010	1:18:24		Lugano
2011	1:18:30		Taicang
2012	1:17:30		Lugano
2013	1:18:34		Nomi
2014	1:18:37		Kobe
2015	1:16:36		Nomi
2016	1:18:26		Kobe
2017	1:17:54		Huangshan
2018	1:17:25		Cheboksary
2019	1:17:15		Nomi
2020	1:17:36		Kobe

Women

Rank	Mark	Athlete	Place
2000	1:25:18		Moscow
2001	1:24:50		Adler
2002	1:26:42		Munich
2003	1:26:22		Cheboksary
2004	1:26:46		Guangzhou
2005	1:25:41		Helsinki
2006	1:26:02		Adler
2007	1:26:47		Saransk
2008	1:25:11		Adler
2009	1:24:56		Adler
2010	1:25:35		Sochi
2011	1:25:08		Sochi
2012	1:25:02		London
2013	1:25:49		Sochi
2014	1:26:31		Taicang
2015	1:24:38		A Coruña
2016	1:24:58		Cheboksary
2017	1:25:22		Sochi
2018	1:23:39		Cheboksary
2019	1:25:29		A Coruña
2020	1:26:43		Sochi

External links

• IAAF list of 20-kilometres-race-walk records in XML

Notes and References

1. Web site: 20 Kilometres Race Walk Men. World Athletics. 26 August 2023. 26 Aug 2023.
2. Web site: All-time men's best 20 km road walk. alltime-athletics.com. 26 August 2023.
3. Web site: Ikeda threatens world 20km race walk record in Kobe. World Athletics. Paul Warburton. 18 February 2024. 2 March 2024.
4. News: Yang smashes world 20km race walk record with 1:23:49. World Athletics. 20 March 2021. 21 March 2021.
5. News: Yamanishi and Ma prevail at Asian 20km Race Walking Championships. IAAF. Paul Warburton. 17 March 2019. 17 March 2019.
6. News: Yamanishi and Ma prevail at Asian 20km Race Walking Championships. IAAF. Paul Warburton. 17 March 2019. 17 March 2019.
7. Web site: Russian Race Walking Championships 2018 Complete Results. marciadalmondo.com. 9 June 2018. 28 June 2018.
8. News: Yamanishi and Ma prevail at Asian 20km Race Walking Championships. IAAF. Paul Warburton. 17 March 2019. 17 March 2019.
9. Web site: 20km Race Walk Results. World Athletics. 14 June 2024.
10. Web site: 20km Race Walk Results. World Athletics. 14 June 2024.
11. Web site: 20 km Race Walk Results. World Athletics. 19 August 2023. 19 August 2023.
12. News: Yang smashes world 20km race walk record with 1:23:49. World Athletics. 20 March 2021. 21 March 2021.
13. Web site: 20 km Race Walk Results. World Athletics. 19 August 2023. 19 August 2023.
14. Web site: Ikeda threatens world 20km race walk record in Kobe. World Athletics. Paul Warburton. 18 February 2024. 2 March 2024.
15. Web site: 20km Race Walk Results. World Athletics. 14 June 2024.
16. Web site: 20 Kilometres Race Walk Women. World Athletics. 26 August 2023. 26 Aug 2023.
17. Web site: All-time women's best 20 km road walk. alltime-athletics.com. 26 August 2023.
18. Web site: 20 Kilometers Race Walking Team Championships Results. IAAF. 7 May 2016. 19 October 2016.