Brian Pintado in Rio Maior (© Organisers)
Brian Pintado, Hayato Katsuki and Alegna González headline the Grande Prémio Internacional de Rio Maior em Marcha – a World Athletics Race Walking Tour Gold meeting – in Rio Maior, Portugal, on Saturday (16).
On top of that, Perseus Karlström is set to race the half marathon twice in eight days following the global medallist’s 12th place at the Poděbrady Gold Tour race last week.
Also heading south from the Czechia spa town is Glenda Morejón. Ecuador’s Olympic marathon mixed relay silver medallist recorded a modest 1:37:54 for 11th place in Poděbrady, but it was her first race of the year. She will surely expect to build on that.
Just as intriguing is the entry from her teammate Pintado.
The man who reigned supreme at the Paris Olympics in the 20km lined up in Poděbrady for the park course but barely completed a 1km lap before stepping to one side.
His social media post says he is in week 11 of 127 towards the next Olympics in Los Angeles following hip surgery last year, so maybe this is another tentative toe in competitive waters as he bids to regain form.
By contrast, Katsuki is in excellent shape.
The Japanese athlete, who claimed world 35km bronze in Tokyo and won the marathon at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Brasília last month, sits eighth on the world all-time list following his 1:22:06 at his country’s half marathon championships in February.
Even then, it was good only for sixth in a race that brought an inaugural world record for Toshikazu Yamanishi – 1:20:34.
But Katsuki’s mark is nearly two minutes better than anyone else’s at Rio Maior.
Next best is Karlström, who race walked 1:24:58 at the Dudinska 50 in March, a time that was good enough to win. The popular Swede is a keen racer, but he was a tired finisher in Poděbrady.
He has hands full to beat Katsuki, and maybe César Rodríguez, who has raced sparingly since he set a Peruvian 20km record of 1:18:23 in La Coruña two years ago but clearly has the pedigree needed to go with the leaders.
Like Pintado, Mexico’s Noel Chama was a non-finisher in Poděbrady but he went into the race having clocked 1:27:28 to win at the USATF Championships in January.
Uzbekistan’s Rasulbek Dilmurodov is also one to watch. He recorded 1:25:31 to get bronze at the Asian Championships in March and a place on the podium in Portugal likewise beckons.
The women’s race sees a half marathon debut for Alegna González.
The Mexican world 20km silver medallist set an area record of 1:26:06 in Tokyo and on paper is head and shoulders ahead of the rest of the field.
Viviane Lyra race walked 1:41:24 at the Gold Tour event in Taicang at the beginning of March and was fifth, in 3:34:53, on home soil for the full marathon at the World Race Walking Team Championships.
Antigoni Ntrismpioti also lines up for her first race of the year. The Greek athlete won double gold at the European Championships in 2022, as well as bronze at the 2023 World Championships, and celebrated her 42nd birthday in March. She knows all about racing the best in Tour events.
A fifth Poděbrady racer is also keen to give it a second shot in the same week: Valeria Ortuño. The Mexican’s 1:41:58 suggests the battle for third place behind González and Morejón should be competitive.
Paul Warburton for World Athletics
