Zhang Yao added another global age-group title to his collection by winning the U20 men&rsquo;s 10km race walk at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018.
In an enthralling battle on the final lap, the world U18 champion led a Chinese 1-2 finish to win in a personal best of 40:07 from teammate Wang Zhaozhao (40:12).
A large pack of 13 athletes were together for the first half, passing through five kilometres in 20:32. Zhang, Wang and compatriot Sun Shuai were all in the lead group alongside the likes of David Kuster of France, David Hurtado of Ecuador, Declan Tingay of Australia and Jose Eduardo Ortiz of Guatemala. 
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David Kuster leads the U20 men's 10km at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018</div>
&nbsp;
The pace increased with each lap and Zhang tried to put in some surges to open a gap on his opponents. He broke free at one point, but was soon reeled back in by his two teammates, Ortiz and Hurtado.
Despite having been shown two red cards, Zhang picked up the pace once more on the final lap to forge a decisive lead. Behind him, the race for medals was heating up as Ortiz battled with Wang and Sun. Hurtado, meanwhile, had been disqualified while Tingay had to spend a minute in the pit lane, effectively ending his pursuit of an individual medal.
Zhang went on to cross the finish line in 40:07 while Wang followed him home five seconds later, securing the first ever 1-2 finish by a single country in the U20 men&rsquo;s race at these championships.
Ortiz was a further five seconds back, clocking a national U20 record of 40:17 and earning Guatemala&rsquo;s first medal in the history of the championships.
China duly won the team title while Japan took silver. Despite Tingay&rsquo;s time penalty, Australia earned the team bronze medal.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

Zhang Yao added another global age-group title to his collection by winning the U20 men’s 10km race walk at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018.

Zhang leads historic 1-2 for China in U20 men’s 10km at IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018

Japan had never won a gold medal in the history of the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships, or a medal of any colour in the 50km race walk, but history was rewritten in Taicang on Saturday (5).
Pre-competition favourite Hirooki Arai paced the race almost from gun to tape and held off a strong challenge from teammate Hayato Katsuki on the final two-kilometre lap to lead a sweep of the podium for Japan. Naturally, Japan wrapped up the team gold with the lowest possible points score.
Arai&rsquo;s winning mark of 3:44:25 may be more than four minutes shy of his personal best of 3:40:20 achieved three years ago, but he didn&rsquo;t need a lifetime best to win today. The 27-year-old Katsuki, meanwhile, bettered his career best by more than four minutes to take the silver in 3:44:31 in what was his international championships debut.
Satoshi Maruo lagged 21 seconds behind Katsuki to grab the bronze medal.
It is the fourth consecutive year in which Arai has improved his placement in global competitions. He finished fourth at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, took the bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio and silver at the World Championships in London last August.
Japan had sent arguably the strongest 50km team to Taicang with three out of their five entrants boasting a sub-3:45 lifetime best. And their dominance was quite clear from the gun.
The quintet, which also included world bronze medallist Kai Kobayashi and Yuki Ito, took the leading position soon after the race started in cloudy and windy weather conditions. Germany&rsquo;s Karl Junghannss was the only non-Japanese athlete in the early leading group, with Swedish record-holder Perseus Karlstrom as the sole chaser in front of a crowded following pack.
After the first two kilometres, Karlstrom managed to catch up, leaving Poland&rsquo;s Rafal Augustyn, Finland&rsquo;s Aleksi Ojala, New Zealander Quentin Rew and Canada&rsquo;s Evan Dunfee trailing 10 seconds in arrears.
Ito and Katsuki were the first leaders to slide off the back and the remaining five kept pushing the race to five kilometres in 22:53 and 10 kilometres in 45:27, before Junghannss was shown his second red card and started to drop back.
After the seventh lap, Dutchman Rob Tersteeg became the first athlete to visit the pit lane in the history of the event. The 41-year-old had to serve a five-minute time penalty before rejoining the race, but he was later disqualified for receiving a fourth red disc.
The 27-year-old Dunfee, the fourth-place finisher at the Olympic Games in Rio, managed to claw his way up to the lead pack. When he passed 15 kilometres in 1:08:00, the Canadian was only 11 seconds behind the leading four. He went on to overtake Kobayashi to seize the fourth position and finally reeled in the leading group after 19 kilometres.
But still, Japanese duo Arai and Maruo were taking the front row and controlling the rhythm of the pace. The four leaders remained together for another 10 kilometres and passed 30 kilometres in 2:14:56 while Katsuki and China&rsquo;s Wang Qin were 45 seconds behind as the chasers.
After 30 kilometres, rain started to fall. The in-form Arai launched a series of surges over the next few laps that Dunfee was unable to keep up with. He was overtaken by Katsuki and Wang, while the chasing duo were still trying to narrow the gap between them and the leading trio.
Arai finally seized a sole lead after 22 laps as Maruo and Karlstrom fell back one after the other.&nbsp; Katsuki climbed back to the second position with Maruo and Wang eight seconds further behind.
The culmination of the race came after Arai took the bell. Katsuki fought back to the front row once again after more than 40 kilometres of chasing. The two Japanese race walkers wanted to break away from the other in a see-saw battle, but Arai took the opportunity when Katsuki walked aside to grab a sponge. Arai walked straight passed the water stations and never looked back before breaking the tape.
&ldquo;I am very happy,&rdquo; said Arai. &ldquo;Some of the top 50km race walkers weren't here, so I had been hoping to win the gold medal.
&ldquo;Apart from the individual races, there is also the team standings. Before the race, we all believed that as long as we all gave it our best, we will be able to win a medal.&rdquo;
After covering the final 10 kilometres in 43:39 &ndash; by far the fastest 10-kilometre split of any athlete at any point in the race &ndash; surprise package Marian Zakalnytstyi of Ukraine cut nearly nine minutes off his PB to take fourth place in 3:44:59 and also help his country to take the team silver. The team bronze went to Poland, who narrowly edged out China.
Vincent Wu for the IAAF

Japan had never won a gold medal in the history of the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships, or a medal of any colour in the 50km race walk, but history was rewritten in Taicang on Saturday (5).

Arai leads Japanese 50km sweep at IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018

Despite having never raced beyond 35km before, China&rsquo;s Liang Rui upstaged the world gold and silver medallists to win the women&rsquo;s 50km race walk in a world record* of 4:04:36 at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018.
Much of the pre-race focus had been on world champion and world record-holder Ines Henriques of Portugal and China&rsquo;s world silver medallist and Asian record-holder Yin Hang.
But Liang had hinted at her potential earlier this year when winning a 35km race in Huangshan in 2:49:23, finishing almost a minute ahead of Yin. Liang also had one of the fastest 20km PBs of the field with her 1:28:43 clocking from 2016 and had finished third at that distance at the Chinese National Games last year.
She may have been untested at 50km before today, but Liang was without doubt one of the top prospects in Taicang.
The 23-year-old was part of a six-woman lead pack during the early stages along with compatriots Yin, Li Maocuo and Zhou Khang as well as Henriques and Australia&rsquo;s Claire Tallent. With Romania&rsquo;s Marius Cocioran and Ecuador&rsquo;s Darwin Leon from the men&rsquo;s race walking alongside them, the lead women passed 10 kilometres in 49:04. 
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Ines Henriques in the women's 50km race walk at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018</div>
&nbsp;
After reaching 15 kilometres in 1:13:36, Zhou received a second warning and dropped back, reducing the lead pack to five women. They passed 20 kilometres in 1:38:12, after which Tallent had to pause for a comfort break, but she rejoined the pack just after half way, which was reached in 2:02:51.
The first big drama of the race came when Henriques dropped out at about 29 kilometres, leaving four women in the lead pack: Liang, Li, Yin and Tallent. Having been inside world record schedule, the pace dropped slightly over the next few laps and the chances of a world record appeared to be slipping away.
With 2:38 on the clock, Tallent tried to make a break but was soon reeled back in by the Chinese trio. A surge of pace from the host nation&rsquo;s athletes gave them a 41-second lead over Tallent by 40 kilometres, reached in 2:52:53.
Liang then decided to make a break. After covering the penultimate five-kilometre section in 23:36 &ndash; by far the quickest split of the race &ndash; she had opened up a lead of nearly two minutes over Li and was back on track to break the world record. 
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Liang Rui in the women's 50km race walk at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018</div>
&nbsp;
Cheered on by the home crowd, the drizzle didn&rsquo;t dampen Liang&rsquo;s spirits as she maintained her tempo until the end, crossing the finish line in 4:04:36 to take 80 seconds off the world record set by Henriques at last year&rsquo;s IAAF World Championships.
&ldquo;I chose to follow the others at the start to save my energy and then waited for the right moment to break away,&rdquo; said Liang. &ldquo;It was after passing 40km that I realised I could break the world record. At that time I felt I still had energy in reserve and could speed up further.&rdquo;
Li faded in the closing stages as Yin recovered from a slight stumble in the final 200 metres to take silver in 4:09:09, just 11 seconds shy of the PB she set when finishing second at the World Championships last year. It was China's first 1-2 finish in a women's event at the World Race Walking Team Championships since 1985.
Tallent, who was also making her 50km debut, came through for third place in an Oceanian record of 4:09:33. Ecuador&rsquo;s Paola Perez finished fourth in a South American record of 4:12:56.
With four athletes finishing in the top seven, China comfortably won the team title. Ecuador picked up the silver medal &ndash; their first ever medal in a women's event at these championships &ndash; while Ukraine edged out Spain by one point to take team bronze.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF
*Subject to the usual ratification procedures

On her debut at the distance, China’s Liang Rui won the women’s 50km race walk in a world record* of 4:04:36 at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018.

Liang breaks world 50km race walk record at IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018

When Cai Zelin returns to the Chinese city of Taicang for the men&rsquo;s 20km event at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018 on Sunday (6), his goal is simple and clear: improve on his runner-up finishes from the previous two editions of this event and take his first individual victory in a global competition.
The 27-year-old is familiar with the completely flat and traffic-free two-kilometre loop course in the centre of Taicang, which has been used for the annual IAAF Race Walking Challenge event and for the 2014 IAAF World Race Walking Cup.
In fact, even Cai himself cannot remember clearly how many times he has competed in the eastern Chinese coastal city. But his most profound memory in Taicang is his second-place finish at the World Cup event four years ago. Cai went on to finish second behind teammate Wang Zhen in the same event in Rome two years later and he is looking to make it third time lucky on Sunday.
&ldquo;I would like to say that Taicang is one of my lucky places,&rdquo; Cai said at the pre-event press conference on Friday. &ldquo;I took a silver medal here four year ago. It was the first medal in a senior race I won in major championships. Now I am more mature mentally and I hope I can make the final breakthrough this time.&rdquo;
<h3>Breaking the jinx</h3>
Since starting to compete internationally in 2010, the athlete from Yunnan Province has been bothered by a &lsquo;runner-up jinx&rsquo;. Apart from his back-to-back silver medals at this event, he also finished second at the 2010 World U20 Championships, the 2012 World Race Walking Challenge final, the 2014 Asian Games and the 2016 Olympic Games. 
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Cai Zelin finishes second in the men's 20km at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Rome 2016</div>
&nbsp;
He made the decision to retire after the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. But after nine months of rest without a single day of training, the thirst for an individual world title lured him back to the track.
&ldquo;The process of coming back is very tough,&rdquo; he recalled. &ldquo;I needed to first overcome the weight problem and then try to get my form back. After three months of training, I competed in the National Games last September. But it was not a happy ending for me as I was disqualified with only two kilometres to go.&rdquo;
Cai will be facing a new pit lane system in Taicang this time as the athletes who receive three red cards will not be disqualified directly, but instead forced to stay in a pit lane area for the relevant period of time (two minutes for the 20km race).
&ldquo;This will not affect me much,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The pit lane can give the athletes with three cards an extra chance to finish the race, but still the time penalty will ruin your hope of a good result.&rdquo;
Cai will be hoping for another good result in Taicang as it is where he has recorded the three fastest times of his career, all of them within 1:19.
&ldquo;I trained hard with my coach in Italy this winter and have been striving to prepare for this race,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;I am definitely in better shape than when I was in Huangshan (where he finished third in 1:20:38 at the National Race Walking Grand Prix).
&ldquo;On Sunday, the biggest opponent for me is just myself.&rdquo;
Vincent Wu for the IAAF

When Cai Zelin returns to the Chinese city of Taicang for the men’s 20km event at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships on Sunday (6), his goal is simple and clear: improve on his runner-up finishes from the previous two editions of this event and take his first individual victory in a global competition.

Cai targets individual title in Taicang

Nearly 400 athletes have descended upon the Jiangsu province of China for the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018 on 5-6 May.
Here are some of the ways you can follow the action from Taicang.
<h3>Television</h3>
As part of the IAAF's broadcasting partnerships and agreements, media rights for the championships were distributed by EBU and ESPN for Europe and Africa and Dentsu Inc. for the rest of the world. <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/news/news/world-race-walk-champs-2018-broadcast-intenti" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Here's a list of broadcasters per territory</a> where fans can tune in watch.
<h3>Live stream</h3>
Action from Taicang will also be available to watch via a geo-blocked live stream in one of two ways: via the IAAF's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/IAAFathletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YouTube channel</a> or <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WorldAthleticsClub" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook page</a>. Here's <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/news/news/world-race-walk-champs-2018-live-stream-acces" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a complete list of the territories with access to the live stream</a>.
<h3>Live action</h3>
- <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-race-walking-team-championships/iaaf-world-race-walking-team-championships-6264/timetable" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Timetable and results</a> - <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-race-walking-team-championships/iaaf-world-race-walking-team-championships-6264/live" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Live blog</a> (active during competition sessions) - <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/radio/broadcast-schedule/iaaf-world-race-walking-team-championships-6264" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Live radio</a> (active during competition sessions) - IAAF app:&nbsp;<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/it/app/iaaf.org/id681225974?l=en&amp;mt=8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">App Store</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.iaaf.applications.IAAF&amp;hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Google Play</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/IAAF-IAAF-org/dp/B00ECCJL66/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1393595528&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=iaaf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Amazon appstore</a> If you already have the app, be sure to download the latest update to benefit from all the features.
<h3>More coverage</h3>
- <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-race-walking-team-championships/iaaf-world-race-walking-team-championships-6264/news/preview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Previews</a> - <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-race-walking-team-championships/iaaf-world-race-walking-team-championships-6264/news/report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Race reports </a>- <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-race-walking-team-championships/iaaf-world-race-walking-team-championships-6264/news/feature" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Athlete features</a> - <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-race-walking-team-championships/iaaf-world-race-walking-team-championships-6264/multimedia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Media gallery</a> - <a href="https://spikes.iaaf.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spikes</a>
<h3>Statistics</h3>
- <a href="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/competitioninfo/c1267c8d-1008-4c7d-a946-da2a2547ca49.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facts and figures</a> - <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-race-walking-team-championships/iaaf-world-race-walking-team-championships-6264/athletes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Profiles of entered athletes</a> - World lists: <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/records/toplists/race-walks/20-kilometres-race-walk/outdoor/men/senior/2018?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=false" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2018</a> | <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/records/all-time-toplists/race-walks/20-kilometres-race-walk/outdoor/men/senior?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=false&amp;firstDay=1900-01-01&amp;lastDay=2018-05-04" target="_blank" rel="noopener">all time</a> - <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-race-walking-team-championships/history" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Past results</a>
<h3>Social media</h3>
- Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/iaaforg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@iaaforg</a> - Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WorldAthleticsClub" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IAAF World Athletics Club</a> - Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/iaaf_athletics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">iaaf_athletics</a>
IAAF

Nearly 400 athletes have descended upon the Jiangsu province of China for the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018 on 5-6 May.

How to follow the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018

Many top athletes have represented Japan at previous editions of the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships, but the only hardware they have ever won in a senior event is a team bronze medal in 2014.
Based purely on times achieved during the course of the year, Japan is without doubt one of the strongest nations in the world in the men&rsquo;s 20km. But while they regularly pick up championship medals over 50km and in junior races, there is a notable absence of medals for Japan at 20km.
Their team for Taicang is as strong as it has ever been; they boast three men who have bettered 1:18 this year, while only two other men in the field have bettered 1:19 in 2018. Not only is the leading Japanese trio the fastest on season&rsquo;s bests, their personal bests are also faster than any other athlete who&rsquo;ll be lining up for the 20km in Taicang.
Eiki Takahashi heads to Taicang as the world leader following his 1:17:26 PB to win the Japanese title in Kobe earlier this year. But the 25-year-old is yet to master the art of peaking and often records fast times earlier in the year without being able to replicate them when it really matters.
In his favour, though, his best performance to date on the global stage was his ninth-place finish at the 2014 World Race Walking Cup, which was held in Taicang, so perhaps he will find the streets of the Chinese city to his liking once more.
Toshikazu Yamanishi finished second to Takahashi in Kobe in a big PB of 1:17:41. The 22-year-old is a proven championship performer, too, having won the world U18 title in 2013 and the World University Games title in 2017.
Daisuke Matsunaga, who booked his spot on the team with a 1:17:46 PB in Kobe, also has international medals to his name. He finished second in the U20 race at the 2014 World Race Walking Cup in Taicang, won the world U20 title later that year, and picked up bronze at the 2015 World University Games.
Koki Ikeda and Isamu Fujisawa, who clocked 1:19:13 and 1:19:15 respectively in Kobe, add further strength to the Japanese team.
Colombia&rsquo;s Eider Arevalo may not be the fastest on the entry list, but the world champion is a man for the big occasion. The 25-year-old is a 1:18:53 man at best, so can be expected to significantly improve on his season&rsquo;s best of 1:22:13.
The host nation&rsquo;s 20km quintet combines youth with experience. 1:17:54 performer Wang Kaihua and Olympic silver medallist Cai Zelin are joined by youngsters Gao Yingchao, Jin Xiangqian and Niu Wenchao.
Australia&rsquo;s Olympic bronze medallist Dane Bird-Smith will be high in confidence following his victory at the Common wealth Games. So too will Britain&rsquo;s Tom Bosworth, who finished just four seconds behind Bird-Smith to take the silver medal in a national record of 1:19:38.
Led by 2015 world champion Miguel Angel Lopez and 2016 World Race Walking Team Championships bronze medallist Alvaro Martin, Spain has a good chance of a team medal, perhaps even another individual podium place.
Other athletes with the potential to challenge for a podium position include Germany&rsquo;s Christopher Linke and Canada&rsquo;s 2015 world bronze medallist Ben Thorne.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

Many top athletes have represented Japan at previous editions of the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships, but the only hardware they have ever won in a senior event is a team bronze medal in 2014.

Preview: men’s 20km race walk – IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018

Maria Guadalupe Gonzalez will return to Taicang, the Chinese city where the Mexican made her global championships debut four years ago, to defend her title in the 20km at the 2018 IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships on Saturday.
Since setting a national record of 1:28:48 at the 2014 edition of this event, Gonzalez has managed to step on to the podium in all of the 20km race walking races she has contested, including earning silver medals at the 2016 Olympic Games and the 2017 World Championships in London.
Her winning mark of 1:26:17 at the last edition of the World Race Walking Team Championships in Rome two years ago has stood as the continental record ever since. The 29-year-old maintained her consistency this year and opened the season with an overwhelming victory at the IAAF Race Walking Challenge meeting in Monterrey in February with a course record of 1:27:46, the third-fastest time of her career.
Gonzalez will once again face a tough challenge from a clutch of high-level Chinese race walkers in Taicang, including the local favourite Yang Jiayu, who powered past the Mexican in the home stretch to win the world title in London last August.
As one of the ambassadors for the event in Taicang, Yang is keen to land China&rsquo;s first women&rsquo;s 20km individual gold since 1999.
The 22-year-old thrives on the big stage. She cut 17 seconds off her personal best to take the victory in what was her World Championships debut last year and went on to claim the gold medal at the Chinese National Games three weeks later amid a deep field that contained 2015 world silver medallist Lu Xiuzhi and 2012 Olympic silver medallist Qieyang Shijie.
In March, Yang suffered her first defeat since last May at the National Race Walking Grand Prix, which also served as the qualification event for Taicang. Yang clocked the same time as Qieyang but had to settle for second place after a photo finish separated them. Their clocking of 1:27:36 puts them in third place on the 2018 world list but also makes them the fastest 20km entrants for Taicang.
The 27-year-old Qieyang is still in pursuit of her first major title, following her silver medals at the 2012 Olympics Games and the previous edition of this event in Rome, as well as a fourth-place finish at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu and a fifth-place finish at the 2016 Olympics.
Qieyang&rsquo;s PB of 1:25:16 makes her the quickest entrant for Taicang. She is also unbeaten in 2018, having enjoyed a convincing win at the Race Walking Challenge meeting in Rio Maior last month and a 10km triumph at the Genova Frigerio Trophy in February.
In China&rsquo;s defence of their team title, Yang and Qieyang will be joined by Wang Na, the eighth-place finisher at last year&rsquo;s World Championships with a PB of 1:26:29, Wang Yingliu, winner at the Race Walking Challenge meeting in Taicang over the past two years, and 19-year-old championship rookie Yang Liujing.
Italian duo Antonella Palmisano and Eleonora Giorgi also have the ability to challenge for the gold medals in both the individual and team battles.
The 26-year-old Palmisano earned the bronze medal last year in London, where she set her career best of 1:26:36. She clocked 1:28:41 to finish second behind Qieyang in Rio Maior and won the Italian indoor 3000m title in February.
Giorgi, who set the national record of 1:26:17 three years ago at the European Cup, has been enjoying an unbeaten run since finishing a disappointing 14th in London last year. She has collected three victories this season, including a 1:28:49 victory in the Czech city of Podebrady last month, and will want to make up for her performance in Rome two years ago when she was disqualified just as she entered the stadium.
The field has two other sub-1:27 athletes. Brazil&rsquo;s Erica De Sena, who celebrates her 33rd birthday on Thursday, set an area record of 1:26:59 en route to finishing fourth at the 2016 Olympic Games, while 2014 world U20 champion Anezka Drahotova of the Czech Republic registered the national record of 1:26:53 in 2015.
In fact, apart from the powerful hosts China and Italy, Australia and Colombia, who ranked second and third respectively in the team standings two years ago, as well as Portugal, Spain and Japan all stand a chance of a podium finish in the team contest.
Vincent Wu for the IAAF

Maria Guadalupe Gonzalez will return to Taicang, the Chinese city where the Mexican made her global championships debut four years ago, to defend her title in the 20km at the 2018 IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships on Saturday.

Preview: women’s 20km race walk – IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018

In the absence of defending champion Jared Tallent, world champion Yohann Diniz and Olympic champion Matej Toth, the men&rsquo;s 50km at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018 is wide open.
Japan has never won a gold medal in the history of this event or a medal of any colour in the 50km race. But spearheaded by world silver and Olympic bronze medallist Hirooki Arai, the Japanese team looks to have assembled their strongest possible squad with three out of their five entrants boasting a sub-3:45 lifetime best.
The 29-year-old Arai, who will turn 30 in three weeks, registered his personal best of 3:40:34 back in 2014, the third fastest time ever achieved by a Japanese athlete. He went on to establish himself as one of the best 50km race walkers in the world when he clocked 3:43:44 to finish fourth at the World Championhips in Beijing in 2015.
He cruised to a podium finish for the first time in a major international competition by earning the bronze medal in 3:41:24 at the Rio Olympic Games one year later, and proved his consistency in 2017 as he took the silver at the World Championships in London with a clocking of 3:41:17.
Arai has yet to compete in any 50km event this year, but a 20km personal best of 1:19:19 set in Kobe three months ago shows he is in good form.
Teammate Kai Kobayashi, who trailed two seconds behind Arai to take the bronze medal in London with a career best time last year, is another candidate for the individual gold in Taicang. The 25-year-old, a former 20km specialist, debuted over 50km in 2016 when he won the national title in Takahata in 3:42:08.
The Japanese quintet also includes Sitoshi Maruo, the fifth-place finisher at last year&rsquo;s World Championships with a PB of 3:43:03, as well as Yuki Ito and Hayato Katsuki.
Canada&rsquo;s Evan Dunfee could be the biggest threat to the Japanese. The 27-year-old set a national record of 3:41:38 to finish fourth at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio after being overtaken by Arai in the closing stages.
Having taken team silver at 20km in Rome two years ago &ndash; Canada&rsquo;s first ever medal in a men&rsquo;s event at these championships &ndash; the Pan-American 20km champion is now looking to make his mark at the longer event.
Rafal Augustyn of Poland achieved his career best of 3:43:22 when taking a record third win in the Slovak city of Dudince in 2016, suggesting the 33-year-old should be considered as another serious contender in the individual rank.
Backed up by two teammates with sub-3:48 PBs at the distance, Augustyn will also be leading Poland&rsquo;s charge for a medal in the team competition.
Perseus Karlstrom shattered a 29-year-old Swedish record to win in Melbourne last year in 3:44:35. In Taicang he will be shouldering the country&rsquo;s hope of the first medal in the event since 1963.
The field also includes Spain&rsquo;s evergreen veteran Jesus Angel Garcia, who will be making a record 13th appearance at the championships.
The 48-year-old owns the fastest PB in the field with his 3:39:54 clocking set when winning the 1997 edition of this event, then known as the IAAF World Race Walking Cup. He has collected three medals and eight top-six finishes from his previous appearances since 1993, the same year when he claimed the world title in Stuttgart.
With some of his rivals just half of his age, Garcia still maintains his competitiveness with an impressive mark of 3:58:37 just achieved in February. He will be joined on the Spanish team by Jose Ignacio Diaz, Pablo Oliva, Benjamin Sanchez and Marc Tur, who is the world leader of the year, in their pursuit of the team honours.
Hosts China have fielded five young race walkers in the event with the quickest being 23-year-old Wang Qin whose PB is 3:50:16. In spite of the lack the experience in international arenas, the home support alongside the course could be of great help in the 25-lap race, especially after three hours of race walking in humid conditions as the forecast calls for cloudy weather with occasional drizzles on Saturday.
Vincent Wu for the IAAF

In the absence of defending champion Jared Tallent, world champion Yohann Diniz and Olympic champion Matej Toth, the men’s 50km at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018 is wide open.

Preview: men’s 50km race walk – IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018

The women&rsquo;s 50km race walk at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018 will be the deepest and highest quality competition in the young history of the event.
In Rome two years ago, women were allowed to compete in the 50km for the first time, but it was held as part of the men&rsquo;s race and just one woman took part. At the IAAF World Championships London 2017, there was a standalone women&rsquo;s 50km race, but as it was a late addition to the competition programme, just seven women ended up competing.
In Taicang, though, the women&rsquo;s 50km has been on the programme from the outset and will be offering the same medals and prize money as the other senior disciplines. As a result, it has attracted 33 competitors.
World champion Inez Henriques will start as the favourite. The Portuguese veteran was close to retiring at the end of 2016, but reconsidered her options when the 50km became an accepted event. A few months later she established the first official world record for the distance with a clocking of 4:08:26. She improved on that to win the world title in London in a time of 4:05:56.
Henriques hasn&rsquo;t contested a 50km race this year, but has shown promising form at other distances, clocking 1:29:15 for 20km and 2:45:51 for 35km. And with the added confidence that comes from winning a world title, Henriques will be tough to beat in Taicang.
China&rsquo;s Yin Hang finished second to Henriques in London in an Asian record of 4:08:58. Three weeks after that performance, she set a 20km PB of 1:31:23, while more recently she recorded a 35km PB of 2:50:14 in Huangshan.
But Yin&rsquo;s teammate Liang Rui, despite never having raced over 50km before, could be the biggest threat to Henriques. The 23-year-old won the 35km race in Huangshan in a personal best of 2:49:23 and has the fastest 20km PB (1:28:43) of all the Chinese 50km entrants.
Claire Tallent is another 50km debutante worth keeping an eye on. The gutsy Australian competed in the 20km at last year&rsquo;s World Championships just 11 weeks after giving birth to her son Harvey. More recently she was disqualified at the Commonwealth Games while in a medal position, so she will be keen to atone for that.
Many other leading race walkers have tried out the 50km over the past 12 months. Julia Takacs won the Spanish title in 4:13:04 with Ainhoa Pinedo finishing second in 4:18:56. If both women are able to replicate that form, Spain would have a great chance of a team medal.
Ecuador could also pick up medals &ndash; individually and as a team &ndash; through Magaly Bonilla and Johana Ordonez.
Other athletes expected to be in contention include Guatemala&rsquo;s Mayra Carolina Herrera, Ecuador&rsquo;s Paola Perez, Nastassia Yatsevich of Belarus and USA's Kathleen Burnett.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

The women’s 50km race walk at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018 will be the deepest and highest quality competition in the young history of the event.

Preview: women’s 50km race walk – IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018

Japan may have the three fastest U20 race walkers in the world this year, but the teenage trio will be making their major championships debut at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018.
More importantly, they&rsquo;ll be up against three similarly matched Chinese race walkers, including world U18 champion Zhang Yao.
Before he won the world U18 title in 2017, Zhang won the Asian U20 title in 2016. But despite those major successes, he isn&rsquo;t unbeatable. After winning in Nairobi last year, he was beaten twice on home soil by fellow Chinese U20 race walkers.
He appears to be back to his best, though, and clocked a big PB of 40:32 in Huangshan in March. He is joined on the Chinese team by Wang Zhaozhao, who has a PB of 40:42, and Sun Shuai, who set a PB of 40:41 last year. The formidable trio will have both individual and team honours on their minds when they take to the start line on Saturday afternoon.
But Japan also boasts three sub-41-minute race walkers. Hiroto Jusho &ndash; born on exactly the same day as Zhang &ndash; smashed his PB by more than two minutes to win the Japanese U20 title in 40:14, the fastest time in the world this year.
Takumi Suzuki finished second in that race in 40:21, while Sho Sakazaki clocked a PB of 40:30 in Wajima last month. Japan certainly has the strength to challenge for individual and team honours, provided the young talents can cope with all the pressure that comes with their first major international championship.
Ecuador&rsquo;s David Hurtado has every reason to feel confident as he heads to Taicang. Following his disqualification at the 2016 World U20 Championships, he has been undefeated at 5km and 10km, both on the roads and on the track.
His streak has included victories at the South American Youth Championships, the Pan-American U20 Championships and the Pan-American Cup. He also set a South American U20 record of 39:41 last year, giving him the fastest PB of all the U20 entrants in Taicang.
Following an eighth-place finish at the World U18 Championships and a runner-up finish at the European Race Walking Cup last year, Mikita Kaliada has taken a big step up this year. The 17-year-old Belarusian clocked a PB of 40:39 last month, making him the fastest European in the field.
Spain&rsquo;s European U20 silver medallist Jose Manuel Perez will also have high hopes in Taicang, as will Korea&rsquo;s Kim Mingyu, Ethiopia&rsquo;s African U20 champion Yohanis Algaw and Australian U20 champion Declan Tingay.
Mexico won team gold in Rome two years ago. They might struggle to retain that title in Taicang, but their leading entrant, 15-year-old Cesar Cordoba, appears to be a promising future prospect and will still be young enough to take part in the 2020 edition in Minsk.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

Japan may have the three fastest U20 race walkers in the world this year, but the teenage trio will be making their major championships debut at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018.

Preview: U20 men’s 10km race walk – IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018

When Ma Li lines up for the U20 women&rsquo;s 10km at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships on Sunday (6), the Chinese 18-year-old will be aiming to improve on her second-place finish two years ago and take the top honours for the host country in Taicang.
The U20 women&rsquo;s 10km race at the last edition of the biennial tournament in Rome witnessed a thrilling duel in the final 300 metres between Ma Li and her compatriot Ma Zhenxia, who was the world U18 champion and Youth Olympic champion.
As the youngest athlete in the field, Ma Li just missed out on delivering a surprising victory and had to concede a narrow defeat by only six thousandths of a second.
Both of the Chinese finished with a 45:25 clocking in Rome, which marked the first time any race at any World Cup had seen leading race walkers finish on the same second.
In spite of the close defeat, the silver medal gave a huge boost to her confidence and Ma Li started to forge her dominance among her peers in China. She has won a series of junior titles nationwide over the past two years, including the 10km gold medal at the Chinese National Games last year and the victory in the qualification event for the World Team Championships two months ago in Huangshan, where she bettered her personal best to 44:15.
Ma is currently second on the 2018 world U20 list but is the fastest of the athletes toeing the line in Taicang, which makes her the top favourite for the individual gold.
In their defence of the team title, Ma will be joined on the Chinese team by Li Wenxiu, who trailed half a minute behind to finish second in Huangshan, and Yang Weiwei, who owns a PB of 44:21.
Turkey&rsquo;s Meryem Bekmez is another sub-45-minute raace walker in the field. She set her PB of 44:58 last year in Antalya and has enjoyed a flying start to this season, winning all four of her races so far, including two at 5000m and two over 10km. She clocked a season&rsquo;s best of 45:09 in February.
More importantly, Bekmez has significant experience in international competitions. She is the European U18 champion and world U18 silver medallist.
As Bekmez&rsquo;s compatriots Ayse Tekdal and Kader Dost both have improved their 10km career bests in 2018, Turkey could be the biggest threat to the hosts in the team event and Bekmez stands a good chance of earning two medals in Taicang.
Alegna Gonzalez of Mexico and Japan&rsquo;s Nanako Fujii are also serious contenders in the individual event.
Gonzalez won the 10,000m race walk gold at the 2017 Pan American U20 Championships in 44:43:89 and scored a 10km victory this February in Monterrey in 45:20, three seconds shy of her PB set in Lima last year. Fujii also bettered her PB to 45:42 last month.
On the track so far in 2018, Australia&rsquo;s Katie Hayward boasts the top three quickest times with a season&rsquo;s best of 45:48.45. She also claimed the 10km title at the 2018 Adelaide Race Walking Meet in 45:57.
Ecuador&rsquo;s world U18 champion Glenda Morejon also has the potential to make it on to the podium, but the 17-year-old has yet to prove her form in 2018. Her most recent performance dates back to last October when she clocked a PB of 45:16 to win the 10km event at the Hauppauge Race Walking Championships in the USA.
Vincent Wu for the IAAF

When Ma Li lines up for the U20 women’s 10km at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships on Sunday (6), the Chinese 18-year-old will be aiming to improve on her second-place finish two years ago and take the top honours for the host country in Taicang.

Preview: U20 women’s 10km race walk – IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018

China is ready to welcome nearly 400 athletes from 49 countries at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018 on 5-6 May.
<h3>Course</h3>
Located in the centre of Taicang, the two-kilometre loop course is the same one that is used for the annual IAAF Race Walking Challenge event and for the 2014 IAAF World Race Walking Cup. It is completely flat, traffic-free and with wide turning points at each end. The start and finish line is situated near to the City Museum and Library.
<h3>Pit lane</h3>
For the first time at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships, all events will be conducted using a pit lane area. If an athlete receives three red cards, they will be required to enter the pit lane and remain in there for the relevant time period: one minute for the 10km races, two minutes for the 20km races and five minutes for the 50km races. They will then be able to re-join the race. If the athlete receives another red card, they will be disqualified.
<h3>Scoring</h3>
Each race is scored separately. The first three finishers in the senior races shall score for the team, while the first two finishers in the U20 races shall score for the team.
The team results are decided by the aggregate of places recorded by the scoring athletes of each team. The team with the lowest aggregate of points will be judged the winner. In the event of a tie, it shall be resolved in favour of the team whose last scoring member finishes nearer to first place.
<h3>Prize money</h3>
Prizes will be awarded to the top six individuals and the top six teams in each of the senior races. The prize money is as follows:
Individuals 1st US$30,000 2nd $15,000 3rd $10,000 4th $7000 5th $5000 6th $3000
Teams 1st US$15,000 2nd $12,000 3rd $9000 4th $7500 5th $6000 6th $3000
In the event that an athlete breaks a world record in one of the senior events, a prize of US$50,000 will be awarded.
Further background information and complete coverage of the championships can be found on <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-race-walking-team-championships" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our dedicated competition mini-site</a>.
IAAF

China is ready to welcome nearly 400 athletes from 49 countries at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018 on 5-6 May.

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