German race walker Frederick Weigel (© Getty Images)
China and Japan lead the way in the U20 men’s 10km at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Antalya 24 on Sunday (21).
One needs to scroll down to sixth before another country features on the entry list, Australia in this case, and it’s eighth before the first European, Daniel Monfort from Spain.
The three Chinese athletes – Li Chenjie, Shi Shengji and Luo Jiawei – are the only entrants to have bettered 40 minutes for 10km, and those performances came as recently as last month.
Li clocked a world U20 lead of 39:26 at the first Gold Tour race in Taicang on 3 March. Shi, who turned 17 just earlier this year, finished right behind in 39:35 while Luo took third place in 39:42. History is also on their side, as Chinese athletes have won the past four U20 men’s titles at these championships.
So, a podium already filled in Antalya? Not necessarily.
That was on home turf: this is southern Turkey, and a talented Japanese trio will be aiming to upset the red-vested apple cart.
Sotaro Osaka notched a PB of 41:21 in Kobe in February with Taisei Yoshizako claiming second place in 41:34, then they went on to record highly respectable 20km PBs last month (1:22:26 and 1:23:14 respectively). They, along with teammate Yuki Shimoda, will be aiming to become the first Japanese gold medallists – either individually or as a team – in an U20 race at these championships.
There’s one big contender who is yet to register a 10km mark in 2024.
Frederick Weigel, son of 1983 world champion and double Olympic silver medallist Ronald Weigel, will be aiming to become the first German athlete to make it on to a podium in an U20 event at the World Race Walking Team Championships.
The younger Weigel claimed the European U20 title on the track last year, winning the 10,000m by more than 20 seconds. Aged 18, he recently made his 20km debut in Podebrady, clocking a solid 1:26:24. Weigel’s 10km best is 42:44, while his track PB is 41:53.58, but he appears to be capable of bettering both of those marks in Antalya.
Australian 16-year-old Isaac Beacroft clocked a swift 41:39 in Adelaide in February. The former Australian Rules football player recorded the fastest 5000m of all time by an under-17 in December, clocking 19:31.21, falling short of the world U18 best by just 1.07 seconds.
Spanish U20 champion Monfort had a great performance at his national championships, winning in 41:42 at the end of February in Zaragoza.
In terms of times, there is something of a leap to next ranked Riley Coughlan, another talented Australian. His 42:05 PB, also set in Adelaide, is the first of eight other athletes under 43 minutes.
Note, every race walker so far recorded their personal bests at home, and Antalya is anything but.
So, two more promising talents in Emiliano Barba from Mexico and Quentin Chenuet from France can point to great wins on foreign soil. Barba was first home in Dudince last month, clocking a break through 42:06. Meanwhile, Chenuet showed great technique and a cool head on a hot day to go through the gears and break the tape in 42:15 in Podebrady just three weeks ago.
Also keep an eye on Giuseppe Disabato. The Italian has made it on to the podium in every international championships he has contested on the track, taking bronze at last year’s European U20 Championships and silver at the European Youth Olympic Festival, plus silver at the European U18 Championships in 2022.
Kazakhstan, making a rare foray into these championships, will be represented by Sherkhan Egizbay – the youngest in the race at 15 – and Zharylkasyn Egizbay. Both will be heartened to know their country can boast at least one past winner at these championships: unfancied Sergey Korepanov produced a brilliant race to win the 50km at the 1999 edition of these championships in Mezidon-Canon.
Maybe this race will spring a surprise as well?
Paul Warburton for World Athletics
