The first ever Junior Men’s 10km race provided a dramatic finale to the first day of the IAAF World Race Walking Cup when the early leader, Vladimir Kanaykin of Russia, was disqualified just before starting the final lap, and the man who had taken his lead, Ecuador’s Osvaldo Ortega, was also disqualified just 400 metres from the finish, as he duelled with China’s Sun Chao, who went on to cross the line first in 40:38. 
Mexico’s Eder Sanchez, the current world leader this year with 40:33, confirmed his form in second place with another Sanchez, but this time Benjamin from Spain, finishing a delighted third in 41:19.
For most of the race, it seemed that Russia’s walking prodigy Kanaykin, the former World Youth champion, was aiming only to lower his personal best of 39:37 by the biggest margin possible. 
The reigning World Junior champion surged into the lead from the gun, and with just 5 minutes on the clock, there was already a lead group of four, consisting of Kanaykin’s team mate Ruzavin and two Mexicans Sanchez and Rojas, with Ortega and Sun just behind. 
With one lap complete, Kanyakin began to build up a gap, first 5 seconds but then steadily increased over the second lap of 2.5km. 
Moving fast, but relaxed, frequently checking his watch as well as the position of his rivals, the Russian was soon 20 metres ahead of the chasing group, but was determined to increase his lead, and with 2 laps left, and 19:40 on the clock at the 5km mark, he was more than 20 seconds (over 50 metres) clear of his pursuers, led by Ortega and Sanchez, with Rojas, Sun and the third Mexican David Mejia, seemingly fighting for the minor medals.
With the best mark of this year set to be ratified by the IAAF as the inaugural World Record on 1 January 2005, Kanaykin had an extra incentive to set an outstanding mark but by throwing caution to the wind, he also began to pick up warnings from the judge, and seemingly oblivious to the risk, he refused to back off and, less than 100m from the bell for the last lap, received his red card and a disqualification.
With the 2.5km left, it was now Osvaldo Ortega who looked like he might emulate the World Cup achievements of his fellow Ecuadorian Jefferson Perez, and he had a fair lead of 9 seconds on Sun, with Sanchez beginning to tire, and the next Mexican Mejia, disqualified from the race with about 1km left to go.
Ortega was hanging on but Sun – already on 2 warnings – was catching him fast and went past with just 400 metres to go. The Ecuadorian, who had only one warning at that stage, refused to give up, but in his enthusiasm to regain the lead, was flashed with the red card, less than 100 metres before the finish line.
Sun’s victory was now assured, and he was followed over the line 23 seconds later by Eder Sanchez (MEX) with Benjamin Sanchez (ESP), who had run a clean, technical race, earning a worthy bronze. In the team competition, Mexico finished first, with Russian second and China third. 
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The first ever Junior Men’s 10km race provided a dramatic finale to the first day of the IAAF World Race Walking Cup when the early leader, Vladimir Kanaykin of Russia, was disqualified just before starting the final lap, and the man who had taken his lead, Ecuador’s Osvaldo Ortega, was also disqualified just 400 metres from the finish, as he duelled

Sun shines as Kanaykin pays price for record bid

The man who held centre stage at the opening press conference, the three time Olympic gold medallist Robert Korweniowzski made it clear he still had plenty of motivation left for the shorter race distance of 20 km here at Naumburg.
Taking full advantage of his positions as the star name in the event of race walking, he also announced that his focus remains on retaining just his 50km title in Athens and, after that, representing the well-being of his fellow athletes.
The three time Olympic Gold medallist, who is a national hero in Poland, declared his intention, after attempting to defend his 50km walk title at Athens, to stand for election as the IOC athletes' representative after he retires.
"Athens will be my fourth and final Games which is the fulfilment of my competitive dreams. I want to move on to the next stage which is working within the Olympic movement to help future athletes achieve their dreams."
Despite the abundance of Olympic and European titles Robert still has something of a gap in his collection of medals - he's yet to win a medal at World Cups.
"I came fourth twice in 1993 in Monterrey, Mexico and in 1999 in Mézidon in France so I want to have a good race. But I greatly admire my competitors such as Jefferson Pérez and 20km is very tough for me."
"You know my 20km win at Sydney was a bigger achievement for me than winning the 50km", said the 36 year old Pole. “The shorter distance is a big challenge, but I'm here to race and I want to shock the opposition, that's all I can do."
Robert may or may not have the pace to beat Jefferson and some of the fast young Russian walkers on Sunday, but part of the secret of his success is being aware of his limitations.
When asked if he'd consider changing his mind about doing just the 50km at the Olympics to defend his double success at the previous games he was sure his cautious approach was the right one.
"As well as for my competitors, I have respect for the Greek climate. When I won the IAAF World Championship 50km in Athens 7 years ago the temperature got up to 44C. Because of the likely conditions I know I won't be able to recover and be able to focus 100% on the 50km."
Sitting on the same stage as IAAF President Lamine Diack and some of his rivals, Robert spelt out his plans for after the Athens Olympics. 
"I coach my sister Sylwia and advise some French athletes but I want to devote myself to Polish sport after I retire. I also currently represent athletes as the European representative and want to do a lot to increase the educational opportunities for all athletes on behalf of the International Olympic Committee."
According to Robert, whose professional background is in education, "My reason for standing for&nbsp;election is simple - I have 20 years experience at the top level of athletics and I'd like to be able to share my experiences as an athlete and Olympian. I want to apply myself to public work and I feel there is a shortage of younger people in these positions. Also, I would like to be able to follow the example of Sergey Bubka who is one of my heroes."
Judging by the reception he received from athletes and fans at mixed events such as the Irish Indoor championship in Belfast earlier this year, Robert's achievements, and his charm, make people view him as a natural leader.
"Athletes are the main actors on the Olympic stage, although we express ourselves without words. I think I can make the voice of my fellow athletes, across all events, be heard."
Robert is the ultimate competitor, but also a master of the possible. He therefore seems confident in facing the heat in Athens, and beyond.
Tim Watt for the IAAF
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The man who held centre stage at the opening press conference, the three time Olympic gold medallist Robert Korweniowzski made it clear he still had plenty of motivation left for the shorter race distance of 20 km here at Naumburg.

Korzeniowski has eyes set on Naumburg 20km success

IAAF President Lamine Diack hosted the traditional pre-event press conference in the Naumburg Haus this afternoon. 
Three-time Olympic and reigning 50km World champion and World Record holder Robert Korzeniowski (POL), 20km World champion and defending World Race Walking Cup champion Jefferson Perez (ECU), World silver medallist Gillian O’Sullivan (IRL), 2004 World Race Walking Challenge leader Elisa Rigaudo (ITA) and 2003 World Championships’ 50km bronze medallist Andreas Erm (GER) were present.
Robert Korzeniowski
“The World Race Walking Cup is indeed the one event I have never won. Not only did I never win but I have never even medalled as I finished fourth twice. Therefore I have a very strong motivation to do well on Sunday. This will be my last World Race Walking Cup and I really want to perform well. 
I have a lot of respect for all my opponents, especially Jefferson Perez and Andreas Erm, but this will be my last chance of winning a medal in this competition so I don’t want to miss it.
Also, I want to say that the 20km (the race he will contest on Sunday) is a very big challenge for me. I am considered as a 50km specialist but I don’t want to be just that. I want to show everyone what I can do on the 20km which is definitely a very difficult challenge for me and was the much harder part of my double in Paris last year.
I don’t think I will double in Athens. I will only focus on the 50km. I am a very reasonable pre-retired athlete now! I don’t think I will be able to recover from the 20km race in time to be 100% for the 50km. And also the climate will play a big role. I remember running the Athens World Championships in 1997 with a temperature of 44 degrees. And I think this says it all.”
Jefferson Perez
“People say that my win in Turin 2002 was a surprise but I had won the Olympic Games (in 1996) so maybe the surprise was that I won it after I had retired for 12 months. What happened is that although I had decided to retire after finishing 4th at the Sydney Olympics too many things in my head were not right. For 12 months I didn’t do anything and I just started four to five months before the Turin World Cup to realise that I wanted to try once again. 
I realised that Race Walking is not just about medals and records, race walking gives me a big opportunity to represent my family, my country and my people. 
And the day after the Turin race I decided I wanted to continue and compete in Athens 2004. I remember I began Track and Field in 1998 and at the time I remember watching a commercial for the Olympics which said ‘You can be the best in the world’. And ever since I have been thinking about this: that I can be the best in the world. 
Things are clear in my head now. I want to compete because when I do I feel at peace. I know there are a lot of very good walkers like Robert Korzeniowski but I want to try and be the best in the world. I don’t know if I will be but for sure I will try. Race walking is a big family just like track and field and the IAAF and I feel blessed to be part of it. I will definitely try and continue for another 3 years and then I will focus on my business and social interests.”
 Gillian O’Sullivan
“I believe the IAAF World Race Walking Challenge is a great initiative. It’s a very good circuit with all the best athletes in the world. The standard of organisation and the competition is very good in all the competitions of the challenge and it makes the challenge the more valuable to us athletes. It’s an excellent way for race walking to be recognised world wide. 
It’s fantastic to read about the challenge regularly on the IAAF website and this definitely helps to promote race walking world wide.
I rate this World Cup very highly. It has the very best field ever in the IAAF circuit and I am really looking forward to this new challenge on Sunday. It will set me up well for the Games in Athens.”
Elisa Rigaudo
“2004 has definitely been great so far for me with two wins in two races in the IAAF World Race Walking Challenge. Although I have been training very hard I didn’t expect to win both events in Mexico and Portugal. Obviously this year is more important as it is an Olympic year.
I am very motivated to do well on Sunday but this event is important to me mostly as a way to gain experience in view of Athens. I am a young walker (23 years-old) and I need to walk a lot of kilometres in order to develop my full potential as an athlete.
I feel very fortunate to live in Italy and especially near Cuneo, an area where Race walking has a great tradition thanks to Maurizio and Giorgio Damilano and their brother Sandro who is also my coach.
I hope I will perform well on Sunday for myself but also to keep the Italian walking tradition alive.
Andreas Erm
It's four years since he set his best time of 1:18:42 for the distance.
"I'm unsure about whether I can beat that time, especially on this course. My training has been going well, but not quite as well as at that time. I'll try"
Andreas was also unsure about whether he will attempt to both the 50km and 20km races in Athens, but was clearly grateful for the renewed success achieved in his partnership with his relatively new coach.
"I'm sorry my dad had to give up coaching me due to ill health - but I'm glad I now have Ron Weigel coaching me - he was a hero on TV for me as a boy!"
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IAAF President Lamine Diack hosted the traditional pre-event press conference in the Naumburg Haus this afternoon.

Transcript of the IAAF Press Conference for the 21st IAAF World Race Walking Cup in Naumburg, Germany

Women's Biographies

Men's Biographies

China is the leading nation in the women’s races at the World Cup of Race Walking having having won five individual titles since 1983 in the bi-annual event. 
Russian or Soviet Union women have won three gold medals in that time, and have had the upper hand of late although at the last World Cup in Turin Erica Alfredi of Italy seized a surprise victory at the line, with Russians taking the next three placings. 
The Chinese are back in force!
Now, after something of a gap, the Chinese walkers are back in strength, with a mixture of new and experienced talent.
Since winning her nation’s only athletics gold of the 2000 Olympics&nbsp;Wang Liping raced only in China, including taking the title at the World Student Games in 2001, the year in which she set her best time over 20km of 1:26:23. She also took a year out to have a child. 
The 27 year-old from Fengcheng, Liaoning Province, returned to overseas competition in unorthodox manner by winning the 110 km ‘Tour de Romandie’ - an 8 day stage walking race in Switzerland last August and September. A feat of endurance that obviously boosted Wang’s comeback as she recorded her best time since 1991 at the Chinese National Championships at Guangzhou on 21 March this year. 
"I feel I'm still in good form," said Wang after coming third in women's 20 kilometres, in 1:28:58, behind 19 year old Song Hongjuan (1:26:46 - the leading time walked this year) and and 18 year old Jiang Jing (1:28:51). 
These three, who hold first, fifth and sixth place respectively in this year’s ranking so far, together with Na Shi and Aihui Xu (13th at the Paris World Championships in 2003) make up an exceptionally strong Chinese team who will race on Sunday morning over 20km at Naumburg.
Song Hongjuan is the holder of the holder of the world junior best time of 1:27:16 and her latest win is by far the quickest time in the world so far this year. She competed in the Paris World Championships last season, but was disqualified so may choose a cautious approach in order to build up her oversees experience ahead of the Olympics. 
In truth, the Chinese women’s period of dominance - with first and second places at the 1999 IAAF World Championships in Seville and Wang’s victory at Sydney - relied upon prominent disqualifications ahead of them. The weight of Chinese expectations will mean there will be plenty of pressure not to make mistakes.
Tough Russian competition
At Paris last year it was Yelena Nikolayeva of Russia together with Ireland’s Gillian O’Sullivan who broke the field, but the competition this year may be tougher, not only because of the renewed Chinese challenge but also the sudden emergence at the age of 32 years old Yuliya Voyevodina (the wife of the current World Cup 50km title Alexei Voyevodin), who won the Russian Winter Championship in 1:28:30. 
Natalya Fedoskina is also in the Russian team having been second at Adler, in a time of 1:28:36. The 23 year old came third at the last edition of the IAAF World Cup of Race Walking, and was also runner-up back in the 1999 event. 
Although she hasn’t shown form so far this year, at the fine age of 38, Yelena Nikolayeva is back again for Russia and will be looking to maintain her consistency in World Cups following her third placing in 1993, second placing in 1995 and fourth placing in 2002. The current World champion may also have in mind the promise she made last year in Paris to be in condition to regain the Olympic title she won in Atlanta 1996.
Greek medal prospect
The fact that Olympic year will be uppermost in the thoughts of the Greek supporters and in Athiná Papayiánni, who dramatically improved her 20km best time earlier this month in winning the Balkan Cup in Romania to a new National Record of 1:28:58, it appears they have a prospect for a medal. Proven performers Gillian O'Sullivan, Maria Vasco of Spain and Susana Feitor of Portugal may have their own ideas about that, however.
It’s hard to imagine a race that could be as exciting as Erica Alfridi’s dramatic sprint for victory ahead of Olimpiada Ivanova in 2002 on the streets of Turin but the increased opportunities for competition presented by the IAAF Grand Prix Series can only help raise the level of competition. 
Riguado - propelled into contention
Gillian O’Sullivan emerged in the first year of the series as a championship contender and the second year may well propel 23 year old Elisa Riguado to the same level. Her time of 1:28:50 in winning in Tijuana in Mexico six weeks ago ranks the Italian as fourth fastest walker this year, and after continuing her winning-streak at the at the Rio Maior Grand Prix two weeks later Elisa will, no doubt, be dreaming of repeating Alfridi’s win for the ‘Azzurri’. 
Erica Alfridi will be at Naumburg to defend her title but will need to improve by more than four and a half minutes from her eleventh position in Tijuana to match the time she walked to achieve her emotional victory at the last World Cup.

China is the leading nation in the women’s races at the World Cup of Race Walking having having won five individual titles since 1983 in the bi-annual event.

World Race Walking Cup – Event Preview, Women's 20km

Ronald Weigel arrived just in time for Germany’s World Championship 50km race walking bronze medallist Andreas Erm.
Head coach - from Australia to Germany&nbsp; It was in 2002 when Erm’s father Siegfried had to step back from coaching his son for health reasons. He had successfully guided Andreas into world class level race walking. 
Over the years that the young German’s talent had been developed by his father, Weigel had watched the progress of his countryman from the other side of the world. In 1997, Weigel had taken&nbsp;the opportunity to become Australia’s national coach for race walking, having ended an outstanding career a year earlier in which he had won three Olympic medals, become the 1983 World 50km champion, and had twice established the fastest times ever for that distance.
Though successful as Australia’s race walking coach, Weigel in September 2002 decided it was time to come home. Since then the 44 year-old has been Germany’s national coach for race walking. Matters moved fast, as within another month he also took over as personal coach of Erm, and last summer was able to celebrate as Erm finished third in the 50km event at the World Championships in Paris.
First 20km for two years
The IAAF World Race Walking Cup in Naumburg this weekend (1- 2 May) will be the biggest event for Andreas Erm in between the World Championships in Paris last year and the Olympic Games in Athens in August. Making the same decision as the world’s number one walker Robert Korzeniowski of Poland, Erm has elected to contest the 20k event. 
However, though the World Cup will be on home soil Erm does not want expectations to rise too high.
“For me this is not the most important test for the Olympics. It would be nice to beat the national qualifying time for the Olympics of 1:21:00. But it is difficult to say what is possible for me.”
It will be the first time for nearly two years that Andreas Erm has race walked 20km, and so the first time he has set out under Weigel’s supervision. Erm’s best time of 1:18:42 is nearly four years old and has stood as national record since then.
Faster than the coach, and more to come
Meanwhile the athlete from Berlin who starts for Sport-Club Potsdam holds the 50km record as well, and in the process of winning a medal in Paris last August Erm beat the German record of his coach. It was back in 1986 when Ronald Weigel clocked 3:38:17 in Potsdam which had stood as a world best for three years. In winning the World bronze medal in Paris Erm covered the distance in 3:37:46, and Weigel is convinced that there is more to come from his 28 year-old athlete.
“Already now Andreas should be able to achieve a result around 3:35 hours in a perfect race”, Ronald Weigel says. This would be about one minute faster than Robert Korzeniowski’s world record for the distance (3:36:03). But of course Weigel stresses that one cannot expect such a time of Erm in a big championship. “Going for a world record would be interesting, but you have to find a quiet year for such an attempt.” Clearly this is the wrong year for this. “But looking towards the Olympics you have to reach a level at which it would be possible to race walk 3:36 for 50 k. Otherwise I believe that there is no chance for a medal,”confirmed Weigel. 
Both distances in Athens?
“I don’t think too much yet about what could be possible for me in Athens. I simply hope to stay healthy and go there possibly in an even better form than last year,” said a cautious Andreas Erm says. If everything is fine he might even try something special and tackle both distances at the Olympics. “I intended to try this since a couple of others have done so in the past. The timetable would allow to double, because the 20 k event will be on the 21st of August with the 50km to follow six days later. But we will decide this on short notice.”
Career beginnings 
It was at about the age of ten when Andreas Erm started doing athletics. “I was not bad at running but in the end I lacked the ability of sprinting”, Erm recalled. So he tried walking which went well. “And I had fun doing it.”&nbsp; He remembers being very ambitious already as a youngster. He qualified for the sports’ school of TSC Berlin and thus profited from the GDR’s sports system for youngsters. 
But when things changed after the wall came down (he was 13 in 1989) and care was no longer as intensive, he changed clubs and went for his local club Fortuna Marzahn. It is a small club in an outer eastern district of Berlin, dominated by towering houses with thousands of flats built by the former GDR government. It is not a place you would go to when visiting Berlin but nonetheless Erm still trains there regularly. He has meanwhile moved into the centre of Berlin.
European Junior champion but some bad luck too
At the age of 19 (1995) Andreas Erm became European Junior Champion at 10,000 m walking. But there were difficult years to come when he had no luck. Being just 21 years he finished 15th at the 20km event of the 1997 World Championships in Athens – only later on to learn of his disqualification. 
Though finishing fourth a year later at the European Championships in Budapest he was again unlucky in the next year, as during the 20km final of the World Championships he was pushed and fell right onto a refreshment table. The rhythm was lost, nothing worked out and he dropped out. 
First 50km 
“Despite all this I gained some experience”, Erm had said before the Olympics 2000, where he then showed his best performance on senior level during the period his father coached him. Andreas Erm finished 5th at the 20k event and said at that time: “At present I can not imagine doing a 50k walk.” However, two years later he did just that, clocking 3:45:28.
“I wanted to prove that I can do it and I intended to do both walks at the 2002 European Championships in Munich.” But in the end he did none. Being injured he had to pull out of the German team. It was the second year in a row that injury had struck an unlucky blow to his championships hopes because in 2001 he had not finished the 20km event at the World Championships due to injury. 
Like father, like Weigel
Then came the change of coach. “They (his father and Weigel) are different characters”, Erm confirms but he stresses that the changes in training that took place were not really planned. “They were necessary to avoid new injuries. So we did less speed-work and therefore slightly increased the mileage. Ronald has a very sensitive touch when he is working with me. He did the right things at the right time. But saying this I have to add that it was very similar with my father. There really is not much difference. This time in Paris I simply was lucky as well.” 
Weigel also speaks very openly about how it became possible to win the bronze medal for Andreas: “Clearly it is the work of his father Siegfried in the past that laid the foundation of this medal. He had developed the potential of Andreas successfully for many years.” 
Mexican High Altitude base
Though he has a sensitive approach, Weigel is a coach who favours hard training, especially when it comes to high altitude. Never before has Andreas Erm trained in such high surroundings. It is just two weeks ago that they returned from a training camp in Toluca (Mexico). Weigel knew the place from former times as an athlete.
“You live 2500 metres above sea level and you can train in regions up to 3800 metres. It is really hard to train there – but that is what is needed if you want to be successful,” Weigel explains and adds: “If your training camp is like a paradise you will not be able to go through hell in competition. It does not help to train in the shade under palm trees when you will have heat and dust in the Olympic final.” 
Erm was doing 200 kilometres on average per week in Toluca. Being a soldier and a member of the elite sports division of the Bundeswehr at Potsdam he has very good conditions for life as a full time athlete. Five days a week he does two training sessions each, on the remaining two days there will be one session each. “On these two days it is often running not walking.”&nbsp; 
Passing on his knowledge
“If you work with world class athletes like Andreas you have to have a certain feeling. You must know what is needed at which time and you have to find a personal touch”, Weigel stresses. “When I had finished my career I had thought of opening an antiques’ business. But then I decided that this could wait until some time in the future. First I wanted to pass on my knowledge to the athletes and work as a coach.” 
Saville’s loss was Erm’s gain
When Weigel was a national coach in Australia Kerry Saxby won a bronze medal at the World championships in Seville 1999 and Nathan Deakes progressed into world-class becoming double Commonwealth Games Champion in 2002. The biggest blow had come two years earlier. Jane Saville was so close to winning the Olympic gold medal when she was disqualified just before entering the Olympic Stadium in Sydney. Had Saville won gold that day Weigel might still be in Australia today. He himself is not sure what would have happened. At least in this case Andreas Erm was lucky.

Ronald Weigel arrived just in time for Germany’s World Championship 50km race walking bronze medallist Andreas Erm.

Under Weigel’s wing, Erm is on target for more success

For the first time in it's history dating back to 1961, the IAAF World Race Walking Cup is to include junior&nbsp;men and women's races at Naumburg, Germany.
The younger athletes will gather this Saturday (1 May) with just the IAAF World Junior Championships in Grosseto, Italy, in July with higher priority for the season.
In Naumburg, however, there will be the added spice of team keenly fought team competition - although for both 10 km junior races it's difficult to look beyond victories for Russian and, possibly, Chinese walkers.
Russian trainers are known for developing race walkers at an exceptionally early age and indeed the overwhelming majority of the fastest times walked so far this year were achieved in the Russian Winter Championships in the Black Sea resort of Adler in early February.
World records on the cards?
With no men's junior 10km mark yet established and the women's record of Hongmiao Gao (41:57) looking approachable, we have the prospect of a World record weekend in Naumburg. Junior Men's 10 km
The Russians develop early as their coaches aren't afraid of pushing their youngest talent into the toughest of competition. Their juniors are therefore already hardened competitors, with the team made up of the first two finishers in the junior 10 km races at the their winter championships in February, plus one who contested their senior 20 km and one extra 'wild card' who raced 35 km and looks set to be the future hope of Russian race walking.
Astonishingly, the World Junior champion of 2002 Vladimir Kanaykin, not only beat Alexei Voyovodin (the 2002 World Cup winner over 50 km) and German Skurygin (silver medallist at the 2003 IAAF World Championships 50 km) but also set a World Best performance of 2:23:17, at just 18 years of age!
This staggering pace for the in-between distance averages at 40:56 per 10 km, and in actual fact his split time from 15 to 25 km in this race was as fast as 40:10.
With Vladimir's best official time for the distance, of last year, being 39:37 he looks set to be a class above the juniors at Naumburg if he chooses to line up for the race; having now reached the the age of nineteen he's entered in the senior 20 km as well. He obviously has the potential to do extraordinarily well in both, but with less than 24 hours recovery after the 10 km it will be a tough decision as to whether to again take on the superstars of walking.
Another factor that may come into play is that Kanaykin was disqualified at the European Junior Championship last July in Tampere, Finland, with another Vladimir from Russia - Vladimir Parvatkin (who moves up to their senior 20 km team at Naumburg) - taking advantage to grab the gold medal that day.
The other members of the Russian team for Naumburg are Aleksandr Prokhorov, who won the Adler junior 10 km race in 40:55 and is the 2003 IAAF World Youth Champion from Sherbrook in Canada, Aleksandr Bibayev (who was second in Adler), plus Andrey Ruzavin who finished 20th in the senior 20 km at that meeting in 1:25:58.
Others who may attempt to challange the Russians include the silver medallist at the European Juniors last year Michal Blazek of Slovakia (the son of Pavol Blazek - the former holder of the World Best time for the 20 km road walk), Alejandro Rojas of Mexico who has walked 41:53 this year, Jirí Chaloupka who won the Czech junior championship in 42:04 and the Belorussians Aliaksandr Kazakov and Aliaksandr Tsivanchuk who defeated Russian opposition indoors over 5 km in Minsk two months ago.
Although he achieved only fifth place at Tampere and tenth in the junior 10 km competition at the European Cup of Race Walking in Cheboksary in Russia last year, a walker who has really grown in stature in his final year as a junior is Benjamin Sánchez of Spain. The native of the southern city of Murcia, who has set regional and national age records in walking since the age of six, greatly impressed spectators during his win at Leamington Grand Prix Junior 10 km in Great Britain - particular for his strong, stylish and rock-solid walking action.
With a recent new personal best time of 40:55 set at the 'Trofeo Manuel Alcalde' in Guadix, on 10 April, the Spaniard seems the man most likely to challenge the Russians.
 Junior Women's' 10 km
Based on times walked this year, and on past championships, it seems the junior women's race will be a Sino-Russian match.
Russians dominate the rankings at 10km and such is the level of domestic competition that the European Cup winner and European Junior Champion of 2003 Irina Petrova came only sixth at Adler, so hasn't made the team for Naumburg.
The winner in that race, and top ranked junior woman this year, is 16 year old Vera Sokolova who was runner up to Petrova at Cheboksary and is the 2003 World Youth Champion from Sherbrook at 5000m. This year she improved her best 10 km to 44:04 and looks the favourite to take the World Cup title ahead of fellow Russians Anna Bragina (44:51 this year) and Svetlana Vasilyeva (45:51).
Outside contenders include Brigita Virbalyté of Lithuania who finished ahead of Vasilyeva in the European Junior championships last year, albeit at over 48 minutes for 10 km, and Aliona Rusak of Belarus was runner-up to Vasilyeva in indoors over 5 km this February.
Agnese Ragonesi of Italy may also feel inspired following Erica Alfridi win in the senior women's World Cup last time in Turin and with Elisa Riguado currently leading the IAAF Grand Prix series.
Chinese teams often pose an uncertain challenge - but with the Beijing Olympics only just over 4 years away they are now building for the near future. They have selected a strong junior women's team made up of the second, third and fourth junior finishers at their national championships in March over 20km, led by 18 year old Xiaoyan Liu, the fastest at 1:32:39, plus Xingtong He and Nan Zhang who clocked 1:33:01 and 1:33:32 respectively.
This shows the great benefit of including junior races in the World Cup - the chance to see the potential future stars of race walking from all nations brought together in open competition.

For the first time in it's history dating back to 1961, the IAAF World Race Walking Cup is to include junior men and women's races at Naumburg, Germany.

World Race Walking Cup – Event Preview, Junior races

Walking 20km and recovering for the Olympics is one thing - going full steam for a further 30km is quite another. 
Therefore, it’s no surprise that Athens’ favourite Robert Korzeniowski is giving the longer distance at Naumburg a miss.
So is the fastest man this year, Yucheng Han, who has elected to race 20km in the former DDR town with a long history of walking.
However, Han has paved the way for second ranked Shucai Xing to become the third Chinese man to lift a World Walking Cup title following Li Ziwen’s 20km and Zhao Yongshen’s 50km triumphs in Beijing nine years ago.
Xing’s 3:40:22 at just 20, clearly displayed the depth of talent in the country of a billion people. But Chinese teams have a hit-and-miss history in the World Cup, and if their latest protégés falter, the defending champion is also on the start list.
Aleksey Voyevodin never faltered from first to last through the heart of Turin, although German Skurygin, also part of a strong Russian team, was never more than two minutes behind throughout.
Both were in excellent form at the Russian walks at Adler in February at the shorter 35km distance, where precocious talent Vladimir Kanaykin established a world best. Incidentally, if it does all go wrong for Voyevodin, there’s a second chance for a medal in the house as his wife, Yuliya, is entered in the women’s 20km.
The openness of the event, apart from those already mentioned, is underlined by the absence of the entire Mexican team who qualified for the Olympics in Tijuana in March. The strong walking nation has sent a largely inexperienced squad to Naumburg.
Anybody who has walked 50km in the last two months may yet be feeling it in the legs, so it leaves the door open for somebody with experience, but one yet to go the full distance this year.
Aigar Fadejevs has already got an Olympic silver when he finished behind Korzeniowski in 2000, and nobody in athletics could have felt anything but sympathy for the Latvian when Edgar Hernandez passed him for bronze in the World Championships in Edmonton in 2001, as both duelled the last 100 metres.
The 1999 World Cup winner Sergey Korepanov is also in good form, and there is an interesting step-up in distance from Julio Martinez.
The Guatemalan was the World record holder at 20km as recently as 2000, but has more than suffered his fair share of disqualifications at major meets.
If he can harness his undoubted speed to a technique which satisfies the judges, he may yet make the transition in the same way that Korzeniowski has.
The real unknown is the weather.
Walking 50km in heat or unlikely cold, can be a determining factor, and if the elements intervene in a race without too many favourites, the finish podium in Naumburg is set to see more new names on the 43 year-old roll of honour.

Walking 20km and recovering for the Olympics is one thing - going full steam for a further 30km is quite another.

World Race Walking Cup – Event Preview Men’s 50km

If ever there was a time for Robert Korzeniowski to claim his first World Walking Cup title, it will be on Sunday at the small former East German town of Naumburg, 50km south of Leipzig – an appropriate distance for the superman of walking.
The only fly in the treble Olympic gold medallist’s ointment could be a rampant Jefferson Perez snapping at his heels.
There was no quarter given at the IAAF Grand Prix in Tijuana in March when the Ecuadorian inched ahead to win in 79:33 to Korzeniowski’s 79:41 – just eight seconds ahead.
Now, by his own admission, this is the Pole’s last chance to claim a first since he debuted in the competition 13 years ago, having previously setting his sights on an alternative diet of World Championships and Olympic Games.
This will also be the last major 20km for the 35-year-old, especially as he will defend only his 50km title in Athens.
But the truth is that Perez has blistering speed over the last 2 kilometres as he amply demonstrated when lifting the World Championships in Paris last August. If it comes to a final sprint, Perez will almost certainly retain the title he won in Turin 18 months ago.
If anybody is likely to upset their apple-cart it could come from the traditionally strong Russia and China teams.
Apart from Tijuana, there are only two other races that have featured in the top 11 best times for 2004.
At Guangzhou province on the same day as Perez and Korzeniowski were doing battle in Mexico, an almost unknown Chinese, Yucheng Han was re-writing the Asian record with a super fast 79:30. But the highlight of the 25-year-old’s weekend came when he was the first Chinese to go under 3:40:00 for 50km, just two days later.
Provided he has recovered from his stunning double-act, Han’s confidence will be high enough to take on the best in the world and spring a surprise.
The Russian seaside town of Adler on the Black Sea, has also been host to some pretty pacy times in the past, and this February’s edition was no different. Vladimir Stankin’s 77:23 winning effort was the fastest this year by nearly a minute, but second place, both in the rankings and at Adler, was teammate Vladimir Parvatkin.
Former World Champion Roman Rasskazov was third in 78:35, although he suffered the chief judge’s red disc as things hotted up in Turin when Perez turned up the gas.
The intriguing entry sees junior walker Vladimir Kanaykin entered for both the 20km and the inaugural 10km. Considering Kanaykin won the 35km senior title at Adler in a world best time, there’s a fair bet he could finish in the shake-up for both races in Naumburg.
As far as outsiders are concerned, Ivano Brugnetti is back in form after five relatively lean years since he&nbsp;won gold&nbsp;at the 1999 World Championships.
The Italian was third in Tijuana, and has the pedigree to mix it with the front group.
Such is the appeal of the Walking Cup, Liberia makes its debut in the shape of a single entrant, Friday Kollie.
It’s a fair bet that with the race likely to be won in under 80:00, Friday is going to find Sunday a stiff debut along the Naumburg streets.

If ever there was a time for Robert Korzeniowski to claim his first World Walking Cup title, it will be on Sunday at the small former East German town of Naumburg, 50km south of Leipzig – an appropriate distance for the superman of walking.

World Race Walking Cup – Event Preview Men’s 20km

Elisa Rigaudo, who won the first two legs of the 2004 IAAF Walking Challenge in Tijuana and Rio Major, leads the Italian team at the IAAF Walking World Cup in Naumburg on 1-2 May. 
These two victories in the prestigious IAAF Challenge did not come as a surprise to those who know the determination of this 23-year-old Italian who was born in Cuneo on 17 June 1980. She came to the fore in July 2001 when she won the European under 23 Championships in Amsterdam in the 20 km in 1:29:54. 
Military club backing
The turning point of her career came in November 2002 when she joined the strong italian military team Fiamme Gialle (Italian Customs Officers). In August 2003 she finished tenth at the World Championships in Paris in 1:30:34.
“If I had not joined the Fiamme Gialle team I would have probably given up. They provided me the financial support I need to train as a professional athlete.”
Olympic and World winning coaching connection
She also owes her recent wins in the IAAF Challenge to her coach Sandro Damilano, the older brother of Maurizio, who won the Olympic men’s 20km title in 1980 and two World gold medals in 1987 and 1991. She has been training in Saluzzo (in the Italian northern region of Piedmont) since she joined Damilano’s training group.
“I moved to Saluzzo in 2000 after finishing school. I began training full-time with Erica Alfridi and Betty Perrone. I have benefited from this training parnership, although they have changed the training group and are now coached by the former world-class walker Gianni Perricelli.”
”From Alfridi and Perrone I have learnt what it means to train professionally. Mr.Damilano is a very experienced coach who began his career training his younger twin brothers Maurizio and Giorgio and this made him one of the best Italian walking trainers. Sandro always tries to keep up to date his training methods learning from coaches from other countries.”
“Our relationship is based on mutual respect and trust. Although he could not come to Albuquerque, where I prepared my 2004 season this winter, he kept in touch with me on a daily basis to give me some useful advice. He has never stopped encouraging me even when I did not achieve the results I hoped.”
First major win
In Tijuana, Rigaudo finished first in her new PB of 1:28:50 ahead of some of the most prominent walkers like Maria Vasco from Spain, the Portuguese Susanna Feitor and the Irish Gillian O’Sullivan, world silver medallist in Paris last year.
“I will never forget the first important win of my career in Mexico. O’Sullivan set the early pace in the first half and reached the 10 km in 44:46. I managed to keep her pace and at 15 km. I tried to push the pace and managed to pull clear of her. This tactic paid off”, said a delighted Rigaudo.
The inaugural leg of this year’s Challenge in Mexico was scheduled to take place whenn she was in the midst of her training camp at 1800 metres of altitude in Albuquerque in New Mexico, where she spent three weeks with the rest of the italian walking team.
“I worked very hard at altitude and this training proved to be successful. I did not really expect these good results at the beginning of the year, although I knew I was in very good shape. A competitive test over the 3 km distance during the Italian Indoor Championships in Genova at the end of February where I clocked a fast 11:57:00 (second in the 2004 world indoor list) indicated that I was in the form of my life but a personal best at the end of March was a bit surprising, especially because I had not improved it for two year ”, commented Rigaudo about her achievement.
“I found ideal condititions in Albuquerque. Apart from the first week it was warm there. I soon benefited from these favourable conditions. We could train very well over a fascinating flat course along the Rio Grande river. We were accomodated near a training centre owned by a former marathon runner.”
Naumburg an important career step
Naumburg represents a very important step in the career of Elisa Rigaudo. “The selection for the three much-coveted Olympic spots for Athens is based on the results achieved during the IAAF Challenge and in the World Cup. According to what the selectors told me I just need to confirm my recent good results to secure the trip to Athens. I am ready for a good individual result, although I will face a very tough opposition led&nbsp; by Russians and chinese athletes who were not in Tijuana and Rio Major but prepared for the World Cup.”
“After Naumburg my schedule features other IAAF Challenge races in La Coruna and Sesto San Giovanni in preparation for the Olympic Games”, confirmed Rigaudo. 
“Unfortunately Betty Perrone is not in good shape at the moment. Her absence in Naumburg is a blow for our ambition to perform well in the team ranking. ” &nbsp; Rigaudo’ s teammates in the German town are defending champion Erica Alfridi, Rossella Giordano, a good sixth placer at the World Championships in Paris, and Gisella Orsini. 
The men’s squad features the comeback of Ivano Brugnetti, a former World champion in the 50 km in Seville 1999 at the age of 21. Brugnetti came in third in the 20 km race in Tijuana in his PB of 1:19:42 behind the 2003 World champions Jefferson Perez (20km) of Ecuador and the Polish legend Robert Korzeniowski (50km).
Also in the team are Brugnetti’s training partner Alessandro Gandellini, who completed the Italian Rio Major’s triumph on 3 April by winning in the 20 km race in 1:22:49, the 1995 20 km world champion Michele Didoni, Lorenzo Civallero (eleventh at the Paris World Championships), and Marco Giungi (eigth in the 50 km at the World Championships in Edmonton). For all five athletes, Naumburg will be a crucial selection race for Athens with three spots at stake for the Olympic Games.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
Italian team for the IAAF World Walking Cup in Naumburg: Men: 20 km race: Ivano Brugnetti Lorenzo Civallero Michele Didoni Alessandro Gandellini Marco Giungi
50 km race: Diego Cafagna Giovanni De Benedictis Enrico Lang Alessandro Mistretta Alex Schwarzer
Junior: Mirko Dolci Marco Nicoletti Giorgio Rubino
Women 20 km: Erica Alfridi Rossella Giordano Gisella Orsini Elisa Rigaudo
Junior: Martina Gabrielli Agnese Ragonesi Valentina Trapletti

Elisa Rigaudo, who won the first two legs of the 2004 IAAF Walking Challenge in Tijuana and Rio Major, leads the Italian team at the IAAF Walking World Cup in Naumburg on 1-2 May.

Determined Rigaudo looks to Naumburg to reaffirm form 

Quite possibly the greatest collection of Race Walking talent ever to be assembled at one event will contest the 21st IAAF World Race Walking Cup in Naumburg, Germany (1 – 2 May 2004) in one week’s time.
More than 350 athletes are set to compete in the Cup, the premier Race Walking event which, as usual, offers senior athletes competition over 20km (men &amp; women) and 50km (men only). For the first time in history, there will also be 10km competitions for juniors (men &amp; women).
Of the assembled senior elite, the men’s entries can boast six of the top eight athletes from the current IAAF World Ranking for the discipline, while the women have an even stronger line-up, as the top 12 in the world are entered.
Of course there is no better recommendation of the quality of the competitions we can look forward to in Naumburg, than the name of Poland’s Robert Korzeniowski, the reigning Olympic 20km and 50km champion, three-time World Champion at 50km – and World record holder. The 35 year-old will contest the 20km race.
All three winners from the last World Cup in Turin will also be on show – Ecuador’s World record holder Jefferson Perez (20km), Aleksey Voyevodin of Russia (50km), and Italy’s Erica Alfridi (women’s 20km).
Perez is, of course, also the 2003 World 20km champion and he and his female gold medal winning counterpart in Paris last summer, Yelena Nikolayeva of Russia, who also races in Naumburg, lead the current IAAF World Race Walking Ranking.
Nikolayeva was part of the Russian squad in Turin which won the team title;in fact, Russia took all three team golds in 2002. However, their task in defending their women’s senior title in Naumburg will be particularly difficult, as an Italian team of the highest quality will be led by Elisa Rigaudo. The 23 year-old leads the 2004 Race Walking Challenge - of which the Cup is a part - after victories in both the opening events in Tijuana and Rio Maior.
Ireland’s Gillian O’Sullivan, the World Championships silver medallist who won the inaugural Race Walking Challenge in 2003, will also compete in Naumburg. Incidentally, Korzeniowski was the inaugural men’s Challenge winner in 2003.
Finally, the 2000 Olympic women's 20km champion Liping Wang of China is also entered. She only returned to competition last month, having been on maternity leave most of last year.
To go with the top notch start list in Naumburg, there is an equally high level prize structure on offer, as follows:
Prize Money – Individual (Senior only): 1st US $30,000 2nd US $15,000 3rd US $10,000 4th US $ 7,000 5th US $ 5,000 6th US $ 3,000.
Team (Senior only): 1st US $15,000 2nd US $12,000 3rd US $ 9,000 4th US $ 7,500 5th US $ 6,000 6th US $ 3,000.
IAAF

Quite possibly the greatest collection of Race Walking talent ever to be assembled at one event will contest the 21st IAAF World Race Walking Cup in Naumburg, Germany (1 – 2 May 2004) in one week’s time.

WORLD ATHLETICS RACE WALKING TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS

Why is Russia such a strong race walking nation?

Despite Korzeniowski's challenge, Jefferson Perez secures third World Cup title in Naumburg 20km

World champion Yelena Nikolayeva adds Naumburg victory to her collection of titles

Voyevodin strikes again and retains World Cup 50km title in Naumburg

Unbeatable Sokolova outclasses rivals in Naumburg Junior race