China claimed its third individual gold medal of the day (4), but this time it didn&rsquo;t quite go to form in the women&rsquo;s 20km at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22.
It was expected that world record-holder Yang Jiayu would dominate the race - and she did for the first 3km. In fact, she shot away from the gun on a blistering pace close to that breathtaking 1:23:49 she set just a year ago.
But in the heat of a Middle East afternoon, that dominance proved illusory.
Yang soon had to be content to form part of a trio that included Ma Zhenxia and Peru&rsquo;s&nbsp;Kimberly Garcia&nbsp;for much of the next 15km. And with Garcia already feeling the pace in the final quarter, it was Yang&rsquo;s turn.
Ma continued to keep her nose in front, as she had done for a considerable time, and heading towards 16km she was pushing for all her worth to put distance between herself and the world record-holder. 
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fn6-SSZ-yZI" width="100%" height="475" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
 The tell-tale signs of Yang&rsquo;s rolling head showed she was suffering.
All the way up the hill heading towards 16km she looked pained, and for Ma it seemed crossing the finish line for the eighth time was an incentive as she creviced a gap on her more illustrious teammate.
That decided the medals.
In fact, for a brief few moments it looked as if Yang was tiring so drastically over the final 2km that she might be reduced to a stagger and caught for second. She rallied, and collected a silver in 1:31:54 behind Ma&rsquo;s finishing time of 1:30:22, with a distant Garcia winning Peru&rsquo;s first ever medal of any sort at the World Race Walking Team Championships. Her 1:32:27 was only 3:31 behind her PB, which was astonishing in the conditions.&nbsp;
Behind the leading trio, Mexico&rsquo;s Alegna Gonzalez and Nanako Fujii from Japan walked tandem for all but the first 5km, but over the final lap Gonzalez&nbsp;found another gear to ease away and claim a comfortable fourth.
For all that, Fujii&rsquo;s walk was an unexpected bonus for a country whose men have thus far garnered all the attention.
Right from the start, there was two away with seven in attendance, and everyone else strung out over 100m in just the first two minutes. At the front, world record-holder Yang was accompanied by a brave Emily Ngii from Kenya living well outside her comfort zone.
It was 4:12 for 1km and 8:45 for a full 2km lap, showing how that uphill drag was already taking it out of the leading pair even in the early stages. The other three Chinese athletes were in touch, as was Garcia, but the third group on the road was already well out of contention.
Ngii paid the penalty for that fast start approaching 3km to quickly drop away.&nbsp;The next lap showed that even world record-holders are vulnerable.
Yang was caught by two of her teammates and Garcia just as they crossed 4km, 15 seconds slower than the first circuit.
That group lost Yang Liujing, to leave Yang Jiayu, Garcia and Ma battling up front. It was noticeable at the drinks station that Garcia was swapping caps, with presumably cooling qualities in each new headgear. She was certainly holding her own.
To the sounds of a djembe drum, flute and accompaniment, the leading trio beat out a steady rhythm to pass half way in 44:57, considerably slower than the initial pace. Then, just after 11km and striding up the hill, the Chinese pair put the hammer down.
Garcia couldn&rsquo;t respond and was soon left hanging on to bronze in splendid isolation. By 13km, she was 16 seconds in arrears, but a long way ahead of Gonzalez and Japan&rsquo;s Fujii.&nbsp;
Ma continued to push, and the cold water in her pink towel tucked around her neck seemed to have magical properties as she walked solo to the finish. The 23-year-old with a PB of 1:27:46, set last year in the same race as Yang&rsquo;s world record, has won U18 and U20 world titles, but this was easily her best performance as a senior athlete.
Likewise, Garcia didn&rsquo;t finish at the Olympic Games in Sapporo, but this time the 28-year-old Peruvian finished with aplomb.
The team prize comfortably went to China with three in the first seven.
Paul Warburton for World Athletics 
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center;" colspan="3">LEADING RESULTS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">1</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968;">Ma Zhenxia 🇨🇳 CHN</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968;">1:30:22</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">2</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9;">Yang Jiayu 🇨🇳 CHN</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9;">1:31:54</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">3</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Kimberly Garcia Leon 🇵🇪 PER</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">1:32:27</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-race-walking-team-championshi/muscat22/results/women/20-kilometres-race-walk/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships

Ma Zhenxia dominates women's 20km to win in 1:30:22

Age-group star Ma comes of age with 20km victory in Muscat

Wang Hongren clocks 44:06

Wang takes U20 men’s 10km title in Muscat

A swift ninth kilometre proved decisive for Jiang Yunyan as she strode to victory in the U20 women's 10km on Friday (4) at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22.
A few minutes before the race got under way, the competitors observed a &lsquo;Moment for Ukraine&rsquo; with athletes from several nations holding up the Ukrainian flag, while World Athletics President Sebastian Coe laid down a bouquet of blue and gold flowers. Valeriya Sholomitska, the sole Ukrainian entrant in Muscat, shed a few tears but maintained her composure as she took to the start line.
With temperatures hovering around 21C, the race set off at a steady pace with the first kilometre covered in 5:07 as athletes tried to get a feel for the course. The two-kilometre loop, one of the more challenging circuits used at the World Race Walking Team Championships, has a 27-metre difference between the highest and lowest points. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/622191398e391bcfd7260397.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
Sholomitska took the lead in the second kilometre, which was covered in 4:50, then China&rsquo;s Jiang Jinyan, the fastest U20 race walker in the world this year, took over in pole position, thanks to a 4:45 third kilometre.
That pace was maintained in the fourth kilometre as the lead pack of 12 was reduced to seven. At half way, reached in 24:10, Sholomitska fronted a lead pack of five that included Jiang Jinyan, Jiang Yunyan, Finland&rsquo;s Heta Veikkola and Australia&rsquo;s Olivia Sandery.
They remained together for another lap, then Jiang and Jiang put in a 4:39 kilometre which broke up the lead group. Veikkola coped best with the Chinese duo&rsquo;s pace while Sandery and Sholomitska trailed further back. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6221c442077db3a4814dafc4.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 On the final lap, Jiang Yunyan ramped up the pace and broke away from her teammate, thanks to a 4:22 eighth kilometre. Veikkola edged into second place for a brief moment, but Jiang Jinyan came back in the closing stages to regain the runner-up spot. Jiang Yunyan was away and clear in the lead, though, and crossed the finish line in 47:48.
Jiang Jinyan took second place in 48:03 and Veikkola placed third in 48:11. Sholomitska came through to take fourth place in 48:53, eight seconds ahead of Sandery.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really thankful for the opportunity to compete at these championships,&rdquo; said Jiang, who is the third Chinese athlete in a row to win the U20 women&rsquo;s race at this event. &ldquo;The weather is hot and the course was tough, but I&rsquo;m pleased to finish the race with my teammates.&rdquo; 
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gThIRJDtwz0" width="100%" height="475" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
 With three athletes in the top six, China won the team title. Australia took second place in the team standings, while Spain earned bronze.
Sholomitska may have finished outside the top three, but simply reaching the startline was a huge accomplishment for all involved.
"I&rsquo;m very happy to make it to this championship," said the 17-year-old Ukrainian. "The situation in my home country at the moment is very difficult and many people have died. We just want peace." Olena Borysyuk, the team coach for Ukraine, echoed Sholomitska's sentiments.
"Coming here is a moment of glory for our country," said Borysyuk, who travelled with Sholomitska via Antalya. "Ukrainians are nice and great people; we have good hearts. We are not bad people. All we want is peace. What&rsquo;s happening at the moment is not normal. My mother is from Russia, my father is from Ukraine. I just want peace, I don&rsquo;t want war. We&rsquo;re very thankful to make it to these championships."
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics 
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center;" colspan="3">LEADING RESULTS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">1</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968;">Jiang Yunyan 🇨🇳 CHN</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968;">47:48 SB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">2</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9;">Jiang Jinyan 🇨🇳 CHN</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9;">48:03 SB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">3</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Heta Veikkola 🇫🇮 FIN</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">48:11 SB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-race-walking-team-championshi/muscat22/results/women/10-kilometres-race-walk/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

Jiang Yunyan wins in 47:48

Jiang leads Chinese 1-2 in U20 women’s 10km in Muscat

&nbsp;
<h2>Women's 20km</h2>
Ma Zhenxia (CHN) 1st I am really delighted to win my first gold medal in this competition. I was training so hard for this race. We worked very well as a team. The weather was hot, but I did my best to win.
<h2>U20 men's 10km</h2>
Wang Hongren (CHN) 1st Our main tactic was to follow the leading athletes during the first half of the race and keep an eye on their form, then decide if we will catch up or keep following.
Diego Giampaolo (ITA) 2nd The course was extremely hard. It was very hot. I needed two bottles of water per lap to stay cool and hydrated. When I saw two athletes getting red cards, my coach told me not to give up, and keep pushing til the end, because you may have a chance. So, as soon as the two athletes went into the penalty zone, I sprinted as much as I can. The Chinese athletes looked very tired at this stage, so I managed to get between them and finish second. I am very proud for myself and my team.
Zeng Yu (CHN) 3rd It was not an easy course. Walking uphill was ok for me, I just needed to put in more effort. The downhills were the challenging part, but I managed to deal with them carefully.
Sajan Irincheev (FIN) 9th I knew that I was probably stronger than the rest in walking downhill, so at the beginning, when no one was really pushing the pace, except for a few other guys, I thought I can push it a little bit, but then I fell back when we went uphill, so I decided to reserve my strength for the final stages of the competition. Unfortunately, I got a red card. I could have finished the race in fourth, but my technique didn't allow me to hold up till the end. Still, it is my first international race ever, and it was really tough walking downhill and uphill. Despite the fact that it was my first disqualification ever, I am really happy with what I achieved.
Khalid Al Siyaby (OMA) 29th It was my first participation in an event as big as this, but I think it was a good start for me. My timing was great and I am glad that I achieved a national U20 record. I hope we can bring more attention to this sport. The course was very good. You need to put more effort going uphill, then relax going downhill. I will keep training hard and hopefully one day compete for top places with international athletes. Meanwhile, I will also be aiming to win titles at Gulf and Arab championships.
<h2>U20 women's 10km</h2>
Jiang Yunyan (CHN) 1st I am really thankful for having the opportunity to take part in this race and represent my country. The course was not easy because of the hot weather, but I gave my best to finish in top position with the team.
Jiang Jinyan (CHN) 2nd We did what we have been training for, to run together and just keep following the leading athlete, before pushing for the top places.
Heta Veikkola (FIN) 3rd The race was a little bit challenging because there was a lot of downhills, so you have to be really careful, and you have to relax your body. It was also a very hot race. My race sisters have done a very good job by reaching the finish line. It was -20 degrees back home in Finland. It was really extraordinary for me to be here and achieve this result. I have never raced on this type of course before, but I managed to finish it and take third place.
Valeriya Sholomitska (UKR) 4th I really wanted to win this race to bring the world's attention to what is happening in my home country. I am devastated because of the war and the people who are dying. My family is in Ukraine, and it was very difficult to focus today. I am training in Antalya. My next target is the World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali. I hope peace will return to Ukraine, so that I can go back home.

Flash quotes - World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22

<h3>&bull; Athletes mark World Wildlife Day by <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-race-walking-team-championshi/muscat22/news/news/muscat-beach-clean-up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joining beach clean-up in Muscat</a></h3>
The Oman Athletic Association (OAA) today joined World Athletics as a signatory of the United Nations Climate Change Sports for Climate Action Framework, underscoring the sport&rsquo;s commitment to the fight against climate change.
OAA President Sheikh Salim bin Al Amri made the commitment at a ceremony at Al Haid North Beach in Muscat where athletes from several countries competing at this weekend's World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22 participated in a beach clean-up to mark World Wildlife Day and World Athletics&rsquo; commitment to the UN Clean Seas pledge.
This action by Oman&rsquo;s athletics governing body comes just three days after the release of the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report</a> that warned that the impacts of climate change are dangerously outpacing the world's ability to adapt to those impacts. West Asian countries like Oman, the report said, are especially vulnerable to rising temperatures, drought and increased water scarcity. Any further delay in global action on adaptation and mitigation, the report&rsquo;s authors concluded, &ldquo;will miss a brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all.&rdquo;
As a coastal state, the Sultanate of Oman is especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including sea level rise, precipitation variabilities and extremes and desertification which directly affect the health of its population, its infrastructure and water resources. The OAA's commitment to the Sport for Climate Action Framework is in line with Oman's Vision 2040, which includes a strong focus on environmental sustainability.
&ldquo;I would like to personally thank local and international athletes coming together today to raise awareness on the importance of protecting the environment," said OAA President Sheikh Salim bin Al Amri. "This beach clean is the first of many initiatives to demonstrate OAA's commitment to the Framework and the association&rsquo;s dedication to the environmental pillar set out within Oman&rsquo;s Vision 2040. Leave only your footprints when you visit the beach.&rdquo;
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: &ldquo;We are witnessing all too frequently the impact that climate change is having on our lives and on our sport. We must do whatever is within our power to help reverse these effects. We must use the influence we have to advocate for a better and more sustainable future.
&ldquo;But it&rsquo;s also critical to acknowledge that we, as an organiser of events, are also contributing to that impact and must take action to reduce our imprint on the earth. So I&rsquo;m especially proud that Sheik Salim and the Oman Athletic Association, after stepping in to host this event at a very late stage, have committed to the principles outlined in the framework.&rdquo;
To commemorate the occasion, Coe presented Al Amri with a relay baton made of recycled aluminium and produced by World Athletics supplier Mondo noting the Oman Athletic Association's commitment to the framework.
The OAA is the second member federation of World Athletics to sign on. Athletics Kenya was the first, joining in August 2021. More than 300 clubs, leagues and federations have committed to the framework since its launch in 2018.
The signing ceremony is one of several sustainability activities and initiatives set to take place around the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships.
After the ceremony, Al Amri and Coe joined athletes, volunteers and World Athletics staff to participate in the clean-up which coincided with the 10th World Wildlife Day.
All participants, including some event volunteers and World Athletics staff who joined the clean-up effort, were asked to take the <a href="https://www.cleanseas.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UN Clean Seas Pledge</a>, a commitment to reduce or eliminate single-use plastics from their daily lives.
World Athletics joined the Clean Seas campaign in 2018.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s important to think about what our impact is and take actions to address that,&rdquo; said Rhydian Cowley, who is part of the Australian squad competing in the 20km race on Saturday. &ldquo;Cleaning up the beach here isn&rsquo;t going to solve the plastic pollution problem on its own, but it's certainly galvanizing people to think about it and address the root causes.&rdquo;
Evan Dunfee of Canada, the reigning Olympic and world bronze medallist in the 50km race walk who competes this weekend in Saturday&rsquo;s 35km, added: &ldquo;I think one of the valuable parts of it was being able to have these conversations and talk about what sustainability means to each of us and what we do in our own lives and share ideas.&rdquo;
This year&rsquo;s World Wildlife Day theme, &lsquo;Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration&rsquo;, is particularly apt for Oman, whose government, in cooperation with local NGOs, is doing important work to preserve the habitats of five native species of turtles. To help support that critical work and to contribute to the legacy of these championships, one of those NGOs, the Environment Society of Oman, has been selected as a beneficiary of the weekend&rsquo;s event.
Athletes, guests, volunteers and staff will also be invited to participate in a tree-planting activity on Sunday 6 March at the race venue to contribute to the event&rsquo;s legacy and help offset the event&rsquo;s carbon footprint. 
<h3>About the Sports for Climate Action Framework</h3>
The Sports for Climate Action Framework was launched in Katowice, Poland in 2018 with an aim to encourage sport organisations to take collective action to limit global warming to a 1.5C degrees rise, the levels agreed in Paris during the 2015 Climate Change Conference.
The United Nations has recognised that the global carbon reductions required to meet the targets agreed to in Paris - a net zero emission economy by 2050 - cannot be met by governments alone. Meeting the scale of the immense challenge requires action from all sectors, including sport. With a global reach that includes a fan base in the billions and a unique power to inspire, sport is well positioned to help drive global climate action.
The framework has two overarching objectives: achieving a clear trajectory for the global sports community to combat climate change through commitments and partnerships in congress with verified standards and using sports as a unifying tool to drive climate awareness and action among global citizens. Signatories must pledge to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and to reach net zero by 2040.
By signing on, signatories will agree to commit to the framework&rsquo;s five principles:
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li style="margin-left: 36px;">Undertake systemic efforts to promote greater environmental responsibility;</li>
<li style="margin-left: 36px;">Reduce overall climate impact;</li>
<li style="margin-left: 36px;">Educate for climate action;</li>
<li style="margin-left: 36px;">Promote sustainable and responsible consumption; and</li>
<li style="margin-left: 36px;">Advocate for climate action through communication.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
Sports organisations are invited to sign on regardless of the current stage of their environmental endeavours and to work collaboratively with other signatories to identify and spotlight solutions.
Commitment to the framework requires a demonstration of ongoing progress, meaning organisations need to set targets, measure their carbon impact and take action to reduce as well as compensate for those remaining emissions.
World Athletics signed on to the framework on Earth Day 2021, demonstrating the global governing body&rsquo;s broader approach as outlined in the <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/athletics-better-world/sustainability" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics Sustainability Strategy</a>, a 10-year road map unveiled in April 2020 whose goals include transitioning to carbon neutrality across all of its operations and events by 2030.
World Athletics urges all of its member federations, event organisers and other stake holders to learn more about the framework and commit to its principles. World Athletics will provide its member federations with any guidance and assistance needed to ensure that our sport is positively contributing to the framework.
World Athletics

Athletes mark World Wildlife Day by joining beach clean-up in Muscat

Oman Athletic Association joins global framework to combat climate change

The World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22 will see many of the world's best race walkers compete on Friday and Saturday (4-5 March) around the pristine landscaped gardens of the Oman Convention &amp; Exhibition Centre (OCEC) in the Omani capital.
Here&rsquo;s how you can follow all the action. 
<h2>Follow and watch</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-race-walking-team-championshi/muscat22/timetable" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Timetable and results</a> | <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-race-walking-team-championshi/muscat22/athletes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entered athletes</a> | <a href="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/621f9b27d96802d541b402fb.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facts and figures</a> 
Streams of every session will be available in a number of territories via the World Athletics YouTube channel.
<a href="https://youtu.be/8ReUrRjlTtI" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Day 1 morning</a> - 7:50-10:15 local time (3:50-6:15 GMT) <a href="https://youtu.be/iI98gBVOZ1Q" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Day 1 afternoon</a> - 15:50-18:00 local time (11:50-14:00 GMT) <a href="https://youtu.be/l_R1hDfo3v8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Day 2 morning</a> - 6:50-10:10 local time (2:50-6:10 GMT) <a href="https://youtu.be/EEi0vaisRrQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Day 2 afternoon</a> - 15:50-18:00 local time (11:50-14:00 GMT)
 The YouTube stream will be geoblocked in the following territories: Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Bahrain, Belarus, Benin, Bosnia &amp; Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Comoros, Congo - Brazzaville, Congo - Kinshasa, Croatia, C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, Denmark, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Faroe Islands, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Greenland, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Oman, Palestine, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Rwanda, R&eacute;union, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, St Helena, St Pierre &amp; Miquelon, Sudan, Syria, S&atilde;o Tom&eacute; &amp; Pr&iacute;ncipe, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, US Virgin Islands, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United States, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
 Coverage of the event will be available in the territories listed below. Be sure to check local listings - some broadcasts may be live while others will consist of highlights.
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">Pan Sub-Saharan Africa</td>
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">South Africa</td>
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">Argentina &amp; South America</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">TyC Sports</td>
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">Brazil </td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">Globo</td>
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">Canada</td>
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">Jamaica</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">Television Jamaica</td>
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">Pan Caribbean</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">ESPN Caribbean</td>
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">USA, etc.</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">NBC Universal / Peacock</td>
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">Japan</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">TBS</td>
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">Malaysia and Brunei</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">ASTRO</td>
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">Balkans</td>
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">Belarus</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">BTRC</td>
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">Denmark</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">TV2</td>
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">Israel</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 50%; height: 22px;" valign="top">The Sports Channel</td>
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Catch all the action from Muscat

How to follow and watch the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22

Nearly three dozen athletes, volunteers and World Athletics staff kicked off their day at El Hail North Beach in Oman on Thursday to help out with a beach clean-up and show their support to the UN Clean Seas campaign.
The clean-up was one of several sustainability initiatives planned around the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22 that kick off tomorrow morning in the Omani capital. But that didn&rsquo;t keep several athletes from taking part, including Olympic 50km race walk bronze medallist Evan Dunfee, Australia&rsquo;s Rhydian Cowley, Quentin Rew of New Zealand, and Dunfee&rsquo;s teammate Ben Thorne. 
&ldquo;It was part of World Athletics wanting to do the smallest thing we possibly could do to have a positive impact and I can get behind that for sure,&rdquo; Dunfee said. &ldquo;I was happy to do that and rally some of my teammates to come out. It literally is the smallest possible thing we can do to have a positive impact but you have to start somewhere.&rdquo;
Indeed, the morning&rsquo;s activity, a joint initiative between World Athletics, Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22 LOC partner Oman Sail and the Environment Society of Oman, may have been just a drop in the proverbial bucket in the battle against plastic pollution, but it did make a noticeable impact. In just under an hour, participants collected more than 30 bags of trash, most of it plastic, along with two tyres and five large discarded fishing nets from the beach. 
But perhaps the biggest impact were the discussions that resulted among the group as they combed through the sand.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6220be52f25666f6ab2223d3.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
&ldquo;I think one of the valuable parts of it was being able to have these conversations and talk about what sustainability means to each of us and what we do in our own lives and share ideas,&rdquo; Dunfee added. &ldquo;I think race walkers in general are already on the lower end of carbon footprint so it was fun to share ideas.&rdquo;
Cowley, who is part of the Australian squad competing in the 20km race on Saturday, agreed.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s important for athletes to use the platforms we have to show things we care about,&rdquo; Cowley said. &ldquo;Climate change and pollution are really big issues facing the entire planet &ndash; so it&rsquo;s important to think about what our impact is and take actions to address that. Cleaning up the beach here isn&rsquo;t going to solve the plastic pollution problem on its own, but it's certainly galvanizing people to think about it and address the root causes.&rdquo;
Rew, a seven-time national champion, concurred, but said he also revelled in the morning get-together&rsquo;s camaraderie.
&ldquo;You do the stuff that your friends are doing, so I was happy to come down,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If we could make a beach clean-up cool again, if we can make sustainability great again, then that&rsquo;s great. In some ways sustainability is kind of worse than ever and in some ways people are making a bit of a change. So things like this are good things to support.&rdquo;
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6220cdd385750098edb47fd6.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
Barakat Al-Harthi is a sprinter, a three-time Olympian and Oman's fastest man, so he won't be taking to the start line this weekend. But he was eager to join about a dozen of his national team colleagues at the beach.
&ldquo;We are very proud and feel so good when we&rsquo;re cleaning our country,&rdquo; Al-Harthi said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s so appreciated that we have athletes from other countries here helping us. I feel so happy today. It&rsquo;s a very good morning.&rdquo;
The clean-up took on an added significance, coming the day after 175 nations endorsed <a href="https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/historic-day-campaign-beat-plastic-pollution-nations-commit-develop">a historic resolution</a> at the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi to end plastic pollution and forge an international legally binding agreement by 2024. The resolution addresses the full lifecycle of plastic, including its production, design and disposal.
The Clean Seas campaign, which World Athletics joined in 2018, asks participants to take the <a href="https://www.cleanseas.org/">UN Clean Seas Pledge</a>, a commitment to reduce or eliminate single-use plastics from their daily lives.
Bob Ramsak for World Athletics

Nearly three dozen athletes, volunteers and World Athletics staff kicked off their day at El Hail North Beach in Oman on Thursday to help out with a beach clean-up and show their support to the UN Clean Seas campaign.

Athletes, volunteers and World Athletics staff in Oman hit the beach to support the UN Clean Seas campaign

The World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22 will mark a turning point in the 61-year history of the competition.
The 35km will make its debut at the event, attracting a strong international field of the world&rsquo;s best race walkers. It will also be the first time that Oman, the host of this year&rsquo;s event, will take part.
South American record-holder Glenda Morejon is one of a number of athletes who&rsquo;ll be making their debut over 35km this weekend.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m doing the 35km here because Ecuador has a strong team and I want to be a part of that,&rdquo; says Morejon, who will team up with the likes of Paola Perez and Magaly Bonilla &ndash; top-10 finishers over 50km at the 2019 World Championships &ndash; in the longer event on Saturday (5). &ldquo;It&rsquo;s my first time racing this distance, so I just want to enjoy it and see what it&rsquo;s going to take to finish the race. It&rsquo;s something new, so I want to try it out. But I&rsquo;m doing it for my country and for my team first and foremost. In future one day I&rsquo;d like to double up in the 20km and 35km at a major event.&rdquo;
Despite still being relatively young, 21-year-old Morejon has already achieved much within the sport. After winning the world U18 title in 2017 and world U20 bronze in 2018, she made her 20km debut in 2019 with a South American record of 1:25:29 &ndash; the fastest ever time by an U20 athlete.
She finished 25th at the World Championships later that year, and did not finish at the Tokyo Olympics, but she rebounded earlier this year by winning the South American 20km title. She is now relishing competing in Muscat and at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 as she continues her journey in the sport.
&ldquo;I began race walking at age 13, but I started in athletics when I was five years old alongside my dad, who was my first coach,&rdquo; she explained. &ldquo;I lost interest in athletics so I quit for a bit, but I returned to it when I was 12 and a coach called John Delgado introduced me to race walking. Never would I have imagined back then that race walking would become my life and my passion. Since winning my first major medal in 2015, I&rsquo;ve never looked back.&rdquo;
Perseus Karlstrom has been one of the world&rsquo;s leading race walkers for the best part of a decade. The 31-year-old from Sweden has competed at the past four World Championships, earning bronze over 20km at the 2019 edition in Doha. &nbsp;
He is using this weekend&rsquo;s competition in Muscat as part of his preparation for this year&rsquo;s World Championships in Oregon, where he hopes to double in the 20km and 35km.
&ldquo;I did a 35km in December, and it&rsquo;s a new distance so I want to use this as a stepping stone towards performing my best in Oregon,&rdquo; said Karlstrom, who started training under the guidance of 2013 world 50km champion Robert Heffernan a few months ago.
&ldquo;In recent weeks I&rsquo;ve been having five or six days a week where things feel hard, and one day a week that feels good,&rdquo; says Karlstrom, who in recent months has battled nagging knee problems as well as Covid. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m hoping that the day of the race here will be my good day this week.&rdquo;
Aiman Al Hashemi will make history this week as one of the first race walkers to represent Oman at these championships.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy and honoured to be a member of the national team participating in this global event,&rdquo; said the 28-year-old, who used to be a distance runner and represented Oman in the half marathon at the 2015 World University Games in Gwangju.
&ldquo;This technical discipline of athletics requires a lot of training, consistency and experience,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Our team only started training last year, but thankfully we have worked hard and have gained a lot of knowledge to ensure we give our best at this event. Our participation here will also be an opportunity to mingle with experienced race walkers from around the world. We will give it our best.
&ldquo;Race walking is, of course, completely different to any sport I&rsquo;d done before,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;A lot more technique is required, which is quite hard and tiring, but at the same time it&rsquo;s also exciting.&rdquo;
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

The World Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22 will mark a turning point in the 61-year history of the competition.

Muscat provides opportunities for race walkers old and new

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe has welcomed the return of the World Race Walking Team Championships in Muscat this week, after the event was postponed in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking at the pre-event press conference, Coe said this was a key event for the elite race walkers of the world and it was important that it returned to the schedule this year, after it was first postponed in 2020 and then moved from Minsk last year.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been four years since we last delivered a World Race Walking Team Championships, so we&rsquo;re delighted that Oman was able to step up and host this event, and I&rsquo;d like to thank the organising committee,&rdquo; said Coe, adding that the bidding race for the 2024 and 2026 editions of this event was currently open.
The competition in Muscat starts on Friday (4) with the U20 men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s 10km races in the morning, followed by the women&rsquo;s 20km in the afternoon. It continues on Saturday (5) with the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s 35km races in morning and the men&rsquo;s 20km in the afternoon.
Coe said the event could be a great launching pad for Oman, both in terms of its capacity to host sporting events and for the development of athletics in the country.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s an opportunity that will stand the sport of track and field athletics in Oman in good stead for many years. I know this nation is ambitious to stage other championships, and creating a track record of delivering events is very important.
&ldquo;Race walking is at that inflexion point at the moment in the global agenda. Sustainability is a crucial aspect and is one that we take very seriously at World Athletics,&rdquo; added Coe. &ldquo;A couple of years ago we created our 10-year sustainability strategy, and it&rsquo;s something we want to live by as an organisation. Race walking is not only one of the more sustainable sports &ndash; athletes in this discipline tend not to leave too much of a carbon footprint &ndash; but it is also one of the more accessible sports, as it doesn&rsquo;t require heavy or expensive equipment to take part. The accessibility of this sport is one that is really important to us.&rdquo;
Muscat will see the debut of the 35km as a championship event, after the new distance was included in the programme for this year&rsquo;s World Athletics Championships Oregon22 (July 15-24), replacing the 50km.
&ldquo;We welcome the 35km discipline to the competition programme for this event,&rdquo; Coe said. &ldquo;I know it had a complicated birth, but I genuinely do believe that this is the right way to go.&rdquo;
Sheikh Salim Al Amri, President of the Oman Athletics Association, spoke with pride about hosting the event.
&ldquo;Oman acquired the hosting of this event just last year, and I&rsquo;d like to thank everyone involved for all of their efforts to make this event possible,&rdquo; he said.
&ldquo;We will have about 350 athletes from 46 teams attending these championships. We have selected an Omani team, and it&rsquo;s the first time our country has participated at this event.
&ldquo;The event will be broadcasted by more than 50 TV stations around the world, which will shine a light on Oman. By organising this event we hope to achieve economic, social and tourism benefits, and we hope this will open the door to hosting other sporting events in future.&rdquo;
Spanish race walking legend Jesus Angel Garcia hung up his racing shoes last year after a long and illustrious career which ended at his eighth Olympic Games in Tokyo, but he was delighted to make a &ldquo;comeback&rdquo; at this event, this time as the official ambassador.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to personally thank the city of Muscat and the Sultanate of Oman for stepping in to host this event,&rdquo; said the 1993 world 50km champion. &ldquo;For us race walkers it&rsquo;s hugely important that the World Race Walking Team Championships continues and survives. After all the difficult years we&rsquo;ve had, it was very important for us to be here in person, so thank you to everyone for making this possible and for hosting us.
&ldquo;When World Athletics contacted me a few weeks ago to be an ambassador in Oman, I had already been asked to do live commentary for this event for Spanish TV, but I so desperately wanted to be here that I did everything I could to change my plans and make it possible.
&ldquo;This is why I&rsquo;m here; race walking has given me everything,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;It has been 30 years of my life. It has given me a family. It has given me a job, financial stability. It&rsquo;s the reason why I&rsquo;m happy. It&rsquo;s my passion; I&rsquo;ve always wanted to compete as an athlete. It&rsquo;s given me the opportunity to attend eight Olympic Games and 13 World Championships. This is where I belong.&rdquo;
At the other end of the career spectrum, South American record-holder and global rising star Glenda Morejon is one of a number of athletes who&rsquo;ll be making their debut over 35km this weekend.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m doing the 35km here because Ecuador has a strong team and I want to be a part of that,&rdquo; said 21-year-old Morejon, who will team up with the likes of Paola Perez and Magaly Bonilla &ndash; top-10 finishers over 50km at the 2019 World Championships &ndash; in the longer event on Saturday (5).
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s my first time racing this distance, so I just want to enjoy it and see what it&rsquo;s going to take to finish the race. It&rsquo;s something new, so I want to try it out. But I&rsquo;m doing it for my country and for my team first and foremost. In future one day I&rsquo;d like to double up in the 20km and 35km at a major event.&rdquo;
A 'how to follow' guide to the championships will be published on the World Athletics website tomorrow.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe has welcomed the return of the World Race Walking Team Championships in Muscat this week

World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships returns after four years

Just three athletes in the U20 men&rsquo;s 10km field for the&nbsp;World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22 on 4-5 March&nbsp;have broken 40 minutes on the roads, and all three of them are from China.
Kong Xianglong, Wang Hongren and Zeng Yu will aim to maintain their nation&rsquo;s strong run of form in this event. Since the U20 races were introduced in 2004, Chinese athletes have won four of the eight gold medals awarded in the U20 men&rsquo;s race, including the past three editions.
Kong has the fastest 10km road PB of the field at 39:42. He also beat Wang and Zeng on two occasions last year: first in Huangshan in March, then in Taicang in May. But at the National Games later in the year, Yu finished 41 seconds ahead of Kong.
All three of the Chinese entrants will be making their season debut in Muscat, but they can still be expected to feature in the lead pack.
While China has been a race walking super power for quite some time, two athletes from countries with less of a strong race walking tradition will also be in contention in Muscat.
Heristone Wanyonyi was one of the host nation&rsquo;s success stories at the World Athletics U20 Championships Nairobi 21. The Kenyan race walker was victorious in the 10,000m race walk on the track, winning by seven seconds from India&rsquo;s Amit Khatri. It wasn&rsquo;t a weak field either, as they finished comfortably ahead of Spain&rsquo;s Paul McGrath, who earlier in the year had won the European U20 title.
Wanyonyi and Khatri will renew their rivalry in Muscat. Their times in Nairobi (42:10.84 and 42:17.94) would have been hampered by the altitude, so it will be interesting to see how much quicker they go on the roads at sea level. Khatri already has one of the fastest PBs of the field with his 40:28 clocking from two years ago.
Guatemala&rsquo;s Brian Matias, one of the youngest in the field, will head to Muscat full of confidence. In late February the 16-year-old won the U18 title at the Central American Race Walking Championships in San Salvador. His winning time (43:04) was faster than the winning time in the U20 race. Earlier in the year, he clocked a PB of 41:18, putting him third on the North American U18 all-time list.
Italy, as you would expect for a nation that boasts the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s Olympic 20km champions, fields a strong trio in the form of Nicola Lomuscio, Diego Giampaolo and Pietro Pio Notaristefano. Lomusco has the fastest 10km PB of the three Italians (41:40), while Notaristefano has the leading indoor 5000m performance by any U20 athlete in the world this year.
Turkey&rsquo;s Mazlum Demir, who finished fourth at last year&rsquo;s European U20 Championships and sixth at the World U20 Championships, should also be among the contenders.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

A look at the contenders in the U20 men's 10km at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22.

Preview: U20 men's 10km – World Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22

There&rsquo;s a strong chance that China could sweep the medals in the U20 women&rsquo;s 10km at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22 on 4-5 March, such is the strength of their team.
Jiang Jinyan was the fastest U20 race walker in the world last year, clocking 43:20 to win the national U20 title in Huangshan. Later in the year, however, at the National Games, she was beaten by namesake Jiang Yunyan, 44:25 to 44:33. Gangla Meiduo is the other Chinese entrant, and her 44:10 PB suggests that she too will be a factor in Muscat.
Jiang Jinyan is the only one of the three to have raced this year. She made her 20km debut in Nanjing earlier this year and recorded an impressive 1:30:52.
Valeriya Sholomitska, the sole Ukrainian entrant in Muscat, placed highly at both of the major events she contested last year, finishing fourth at the World U20 Championships in Nairobi and sixth at the European U20 Championships in Tallinn. Her recent preparations will, of course, have been affected by the situation in her home country, but she has the talent to be among the top contenders again in Muscat.
Olivia Sandery has dominated the Australian U20 race walking scene this year, clocking 45:24.1 on the track and 46:35 on the roads. She&rsquo;ll be hoping to make an impact in what will be her first race outside of Australia.
Other contenders include Finland&rsquo;s Heta Veikkola, Elvina Carre of France, Yaquelin Teletor Jeronimo of Guatemala, and Lucia Redondo of Spain.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

A look at the contenders in the U20 women's 10km at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22.

Preview: U20 women's 10km – World Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22

There are more on the start list to yet register a 35km result in 2022 than those with marks next to their name. One who already has, is a favourite to add glory to his glittering CV at the&nbsp;World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22 on 4-5 March.
Miguel Angel Lopez clocked a world-leading 2:27:53 while winning the Spanish Championships in Lepe on 30 January. A multi-medallist with 20km honours that include the 2015 world title and 2014 European gold, Lopez&nbsp;has moved up to the fledgling event with impressive ease.
He is world ranked No.1, but second on the list is Alvaro Martin, who recorded 2:29:59 behind Lopez in Lepe.
Martin is the current European champion at 20km, while Manuel Bermudez, fifth-fastest this year with 2:32:06 in Lepe, and Alvaro Lopez, right behind on 2:32:44, underscores another strong Spanish tilt at team success.
If not them, then China is a good bet.
He Xianghong, at just 23, won in Nanjing on 22 January with 2:31:05, followed in a sprint for the line by&nbsp;Zhaxi&nbsp;Yangben just four seconds behind.
Zhenhao Wang, Lu Ning and Gao Yingchao all went sub-2:33 in the same race, and the only race walker from outside Spain and China in the top 11 times is Mexico&rsquo;s Ricardo Ortiz with 2:30:07.
Italy&rsquo;s Matteo Giupponi was a comfortable 2:33:45 winner in Pescara on 16 January off the back of a 1:19:58 20km PB in 2020, and Caio Bonfim has been a contender one way or another since his World Race Walking Cup debut as an U20 more than a decade ago in 2010. The 2017 20km World Championships bronze medallist scored a 2:33:57 debut win on Brazilian home soil in January. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/621e18af855816a9bda4b374.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 However, the unknown at the distance could still spring less than a surprise.
Evan Dunfee took the Canadian record at 50km with 3:41:38 when winning Olympic bronze in 2016. The 31-year-old followed that with another third place at the World Championships in Doha three years later. Having to race 15km less than his favourite distance will appear like a sprint to the athlete from British Columbia.
There is also a strong German quintet led by Christopher Linke, who with 1:18:42 in 2019 holds the national record at 20km. Linke knows all about top six finishes in major competitions, although has a first and a third from the European Cup in previous races.
Although Linke is moving up, Masatora Kawano is moving down from his last appearance on the world stage - his sixth-place finish at the Olympic Games in Sapporo. That decent performance came after a 3:36:45 50km Japanese record in 2019. He like Dunfee, should be able to blast the entire distance from the gun.
The 7am Saturday start should suit most in the new race.&nbsp;This is going to be fast and fiery in all senses.&nbsp;
Paul Warburton for World Athletics

A look at the contenders in the men's 35km at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Muscat 22.

Following surprise Muscat victory, Karlstrom feels quietly confident ahead of Oregon

Athletes join tree-planting event to contribute to Race Walking Team Championships environmental legacy in Oman

Yamanishi retains 20km title for Japan in Muscat

Karlstrom earns first global honours with 35km victory in Muscat

Morejon makes triumphant 35km debut in Muscat