Past winner Garcia returns to Dudince

The Dudinska 50 – the second World Athletics Race Walking Tour Gold meeting of the year – is being held in Slovakia on Saturday (14) and South American athletes look set to take centre stage.

Double 2022 world champion Kimberley Garcia dips her toe into 2024 waters with a return to the spa town of Dudince which brought her a 35km world record of 2:37:44 12 months ago.

That superlative effort lasted no time at all before Spain’s Maria Perez sliced 39 seconds off a couple of months later.

In fact, Garcia has been somewhat in the shadow of the Spaniard over the past year, finishing more than two minutes clear of the Peruvian in the defence of Garcia’s world title in Budapest.

This time, she’s contesting 20km in a packed programme that includes the distance for both men and women, as well as a 35km, U20 races, and a proposed marathon race walk relay set for inclusion in the Olympics later this year.

Garcia’s best of 1:26:40, set in June last year at La Coruña, could be both a target and confidence booster if she breaks it.

It helps somewhat that organisers are trying out a new course: one vaguely resembling a rectangular track with an extra dog leg tagged on, as opposed to the straight up and down 1km loop used in previous editions.

If Garcia is in good shape, and the course delivers, that personal record is in danger.

Those likely to be in her wake are her teammates. Andia Mary Luz has a PB of 1:29:07, while Evelyn Inga is even faster with 1:27:42.

Mirna Ortiz from Guatemala boasts a PB of 1:28:32, but that’s from 11 years ago. More recently, the 37-year-old clocked 1:34:12 – her fastest time since 2021.

Mexico’s Ilse Guerrero has a personal record 1:29:33, which she set in Dudince three years ago, so she will have fond memories of the town.

Brazil’s 38-year-old Erica Sena opens her season off the back of a strong 2023 campaign, having clocked 1:28:53 in La Coruna.

The race walker, who set her PB of 1:26:59 at the 2017 World Championships, is a member of the new Chocho Pro Team, as is Garcia.

This is the brainchild of Sena’s husband, Andrés Chocho, who is now looking after a number of top South Americans as well as contesting the 35km here.

Ukraine’s Maria Sakharuk, a 1:28:47 performer, also toes the line, but the outlier could be Katarzyna Zdziebło. The Pole went from double silver at the 2022 World Championships to double disqualifications at the 2023 edition. It’s safe to say she didn’t enjoy 2023, but this is a chance to turn over a new leaf.

Eider Arevalo of Colombia won the men’s 20km race walk last year, but has chosen not to defend his title.

Instead, take your pick from two Ecuadoreans. David Hurtado posted a leg-stretcher 41:03 over 10km in Valencia last weekend, while his 20km PB of 1:18:45, set in 2023, puts him in with the elite.

Daniel Pintado, now also part of the Chocho team, is even quicker after his breakthrough 1:18:26 to finish seventh at the World Championships in Budapest. He has also been top four in the world rankings.

On paper, it’s hard to look beyond either for at least a place on the podium, although there are three good Guatemalans including 2012 Olympic silver medallist Erik Barrondo.

Italy’s Stefano Chiesa, Finland’s Velli-Matti Partanen, and France’s Quinion Aurélien – whose front-walking in the 35km at the World Championship in Budapest caught the eye, only to suffer a DQ – should all give chase to the Ecuadoreans.

Intriguingly, Dawid Tomala also has his name down for the race. The last ever Olympic 50km race walk gold medallist has had a quiet time since his triumph on the streets of Sapporo, but the Pole does have a reasonably sharp 1:20:30 20km PB to his credit.

The 35km race should be a stroll for Italy’s Andrea Agrusti, who has a PB of 2:30:16, especially in a race with only four entries including Chocho. That said, Pintado has his name on both races too.

Four starts, the first at 9am (CET), but seven races suggests a busy time on the new course, fast or otherwise.

Paul Warburton for World Athletics