20 kilometres race walk
| Athletics 20 kilometre race walk | |
|---|---|
|
The men's 20 km race walk at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics | |
| Men's records | |
| World |
 Yusuke Suzuki 1:16:36 (2015) |
| Women's records | |
| World |
 Liu Hong 1:24:38 (2015) |
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. (20 kilometres is 12.4274 miles)
World records
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 1:25:02 was set by Elena Lashmanova, who is currently serving a ban for doping, at the 2012 London Olympics. There are several performances superior to Lashmanova's official record that have never been ratified. On February 27, 2015, Elmira Alembekova bettered the time to 1:24:47 at the Russian Race Walking Championships in Sochi, Russia. That mark is currently pending.
Olympic medalists
Men
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Women
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Sydney |
Wang Liping (CHN) |
 Kjersti Plätzer (NOR) |
 María Vasco (ESP) |
| 2004 Athens |
 Athanasia Tsoumeleka (GRE) |
 Olimpiada Ivanova (RUS) |
 Jane Saville (AUS) |
| 2008 Beijing |
Olga Kaniskina (RUS) |
Kjersti Plätzer (NOR) |
 Elisa Rigaudo (ITA) |
| 2012 London |
Elena Lashmanova (RUS) |
Olga Kaniskina (RUS) |
Qieyang Shenjie (CHN) |
World Championships medalists
Men
Women
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Liu Hongyu (CHN) | Wang Yan (CHN) | Kerry Saxby-Junna (AUS) |
| 2001 | Olimpiada Ivanova (RUS) |  Valentina Tsybulskaya (BLR) | Elisabetta Perrone (ITA) |
| 2003 | Yelena Nikolayeva (RUS) |  Gillian O'Sullivan (IRL) | Valentina Tsybulskaya (BLR) |
| 2005 | Olimpiada Ivanova (RUS) | Ryta Turava (BLR) |  Susana Feitor (POR) |
| 2007 | Olga Kaniskina (RUS) | Tatyana Shemyakina (RUS) | María Vasco (ESP) |
| 2009 | Olga Kaniskina (RUS) | Olive Loughnane (IRL) | Liu Hong (CHN) |
| 2011 | Olga Kaniskina (RUS) | Liu Hong (CHN) | Anisya Kirdyapkina (RUS) |
| 2013 | Yelena Lashmanova (RUS) | Anisya Kirdyapkina (RUS) | Liu Hong (CHN) |
| 2015 | Liu Hong (CHN) | Xiuzhi Lu (CHN) |  Lyudmyla Olyanovska (UKR) |
References
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