Fortunato and González the favourites in Madrid

One of the most emblematic streets in Spain, Gran Vía, will be the venue for the Gran Premio Internacional Madrid Marcha – the sixth World Athletics Race Walking Tour Gold meeting of 2026 – on Sunday (31).

The men’s and women’s 10km races, which will be held at the same time over a one-kilometre circuit, feature race walkers from 18 different countries. Before the race takes place, organisers will pay tribute to Ecuador’s 1996 Olympic and three-time world 20km champion Jefferson Pérez.

The men’s event features no fewer than seven out of the first 10 finishers from the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships in Brasilia over the half marathon distance held in Brasilia last month.

In-form Italian Francesco Fortunato is arguably the athlete to beat on Sunday. The 31-year-old kicked off his year by breaking his own world 5000m record of 17:54.48 in Ancona. He then made his half marathon debut with his brilliant win in Brasilia. He followed that with a 1:23:00 half marathon victory in Podebrady to maintain his unbeaten streak in 2026.

The European bronze medallist has competed at every edition of Madrid Marcha, having won in 2023 and placed second in 2024.

In his past two races, Fortunato has beaten world champion Caio Bonfim, so the 35-year-old Brazilian will be out for revenge on Sunday. Bonfim, the Olympic silver medallist, has a half marathon best of 1:21:44, set in Kobe in February, and more recently he finished fourth in La Coruña last weekend.

This will be his fourth appearance in Madrid, having made the podium on his three previous races as he placed third in 2022 before finishing second in 2023 and 2025.

Massimo Stano will be one of the most accomplished race walkers on the start line. The Italian won the Olympic 20km title in 2021, then followed it one year later with the world 35km title. Last year he clocked a world 35km record of 2:20:43 in Podebrady.

The 34-year-old’s only outing so far this year has been his fifth-place finish in the marathon (3:07:38) at the World Race Walking Team Championships. He remains competitive at shorter distances too, though, having clocked 37:33.03 over 10,000m to beat Fortunato last year.

Watch out too for Japan’s Keisuke Hara, China’s Qian Haifeng and Ecuador’s David Hurtado – third, fifth and sixth respectively in La Coruña last weekend. World 20km bronze medallist Paul McGrath led that race for a couple of laps before later drifting outside the top 10. The 24-year-old heads the Spanish charge alongside the two-time European 20km medallist Diego García, who will be combining roles as organiser and athlete for the fifth year in a row.

The 30-year-old, who dropped out of the race in La Coruña in the 13th kilometre, will try to bounce back in front of his home crowd. Sweden’s European champion Perseus Karlstöm, the first victor in Madrid in 2022, also shouldn’t be discounted for the top spots as he has triumphed in Dudince and Rio Maior over half marathon this season.

France’s Aurelien Quinion, fourth at the 2025 World Championships over 20km, and Germany’s Leo Köpp, a surprise fourth-place finisher in Brasilia in the half marathon, should also be in contention on Sunday.

World 20km silver medallist Alegna González starts as the favourite in the women’s race following her commanding 1:32:24 win in La Coruña last Saturday, just nine seconds shy of the time she clocked one week earlier in Rio Maior where she also won. The in-form Mexican is aiming for back-to-back victories in Madrid.

Evelyn Inga, who finished second to González last year, also returns. The 28-year-old Peruvian won in Dudince in March with a PB of 1:33:49, then placed sixth at the World Race Walking Team Championships before finishing 14th in a high-quality race in La Coruña.

World 35km bronze medallist Paula Milena Torres, who won the marathon at the World Race Walking Team Championships, was eighth in La Coruña, but Sunday’s 10km might be on the short side for the Ecuadorian. Japan’s world 20km bronze medallist Nanako Fujii, who placed sixth in La Coruña, should also be a factor.

Spanish hopes rest with 19-year-old Aldara Meilán. The European U20 10,000m bronze medallist made a major breakthrough by finishing third at the World Race Walking Team Championships. She will be joined by Antía Chamosa, the seventh-place finisher over 20km at the 2025 World Championships. The 26-year-old won the Spanish half marathon title in 1:33:45, finishing almost a minute ahead of Meilán.

The Chinese contingent includes 2025 World Championships eighth-place finisher Wu Quanming, world U20 champion Zhuoma Baima and Xizhen Yang. France’s 2023 European U23 champion Pauline Stey and Italy’s Federica Curiazzi – a surprise fourth-place finisher in the marathon in Brasilia – will also be targeting a top-10 performance.

Weather forecasters predict a sunny and hot day, with the temperature about 27C by the time of the event.

Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics