Women's 20km race walk at the World Championships (Matt Quine)

20 Kilometres Race Walk

Select from Race Walks

How it works

The 20km race walk is a road race that is traditionally held on a looped road course. It is the shortest race in the international championship race walking programme for senior athletes.

During the 20km race walk, athletes must have one foot in contact with the floor at all times. Failure to do this is known as ‘lifting’. Added to this, the athlete’s advancing leg must straighten from the point it touches the ground until it passes under the body – this differentiates the discipline from running.

Race walking can be traced back to the 17th and 18th centuries, when competitors were footmen who would walk alongside their masters’ coaches
The aristocracy of the day began to stake wagers as to which of their footmen would win a race – some of which lasted for six days – and the sport became an increasingly popular professional activity during the 19th century, when it was known as 'pedestrianism'
Race walking first appeared at the Olympics in 1904 with a half-mile race that was part of the 10-event ‘all-around championship’, an early forerunner of the decathlon
The 20km race walk has been a men’s Olympic event since 1956 and the women’s event was introduced in the 2000 games in Sydney. Women’s race walking first appeared at the Olympic Games in 1992 over the 10km distance. Chinese athletes have historically dominated the event, winning four out of the six men’s medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, though it is also one of the most universal athletics disciplines

20km race walk record

The 20km race walk requires a huge amount of skill, determination and endurance. As with any athletics discipline, setting a world record is a massive undertaking

Women’s 20km race walk world record

The first women’s 20km race walk world record was set by Czechoslovakian athlete Antonie Briksová in September 1931 with a time of 2:24:00. However, she only held the record for eight days. Then, fellow Czechoslovakian athlete Antonie Odvárková shaved almost 10 minutes off the time by clocking 2:14:07.

The first sub-two-hour time was achieved by Swiss athlete Lina Aebersold in June 1934, with a time of 1:59:02. It would then be another 28 years until the record was broken again, when South Africa's Marie van Tonder achieved a time of 1:57:35 in July 1962.

The first sub-90-minute time didn’t come until May 1988, when Australia's Kerry Saxby-Junna clocked 1:29:40.

The current world record-holder is China’s Jiayu, who recorded a time of 1:23:49 in March 2021.

Men’s 20km race walk world record

The first men’s 20km race walk world record was set by Germany’s Hermann Müller in October 1911, with a time of 1:38:43. This time was beaten by French race walker Émile Anthoine less than two years later. He achieved a time of 1:37:57 in July 1913 and held on to the record for more than 20 years.

The first sub-90-minute time was achieved in April 1957, when Soviet race walker Valentin Guk recorded 1:28:39. Between 1959 and 1999, the record was broken more than 20 times, with Mexican athlete Daniel Bautista accountable for four of them.

The current men’s world record-holder is Japan's Yusuke Suzuki, who achieved an incredible time of 1:16:36 in March 2015.

20 kilometres race walkers

As well as being the home of current women’s world record-holder Yang Jiayu, China has produced many exceptional 20km race walkers. At the Rio 2016 Olympics, Chinese athletes Wang Zhen and Cai Zelin took home gold and silver medals respectively in the men’s event. At those same games, Liu Hong and Lyu Xiuzhi secured gold and bronze in the women’s event. Added to this, at the London 2012 Games, Chinese athletes secured gold, silver and bronze in the women’s race: Qieyang Shenjie, Liu Hong and Lyu Xiuzhi.

However, at the 2023 World Championships, Spain produced gold medallists in both the men’s and women’s events, with Álvaro Martín and María Pérez securing victories in Budapest.

20 kilometres race walk technique

The 20km race walk is strenuous and requires impeccable technique.

There are several points to bear in mind when looking to perfect your race walk technique. The race can be approached in various phases:

Start

The athletes are lined up before a line and given countdowns at five minutes to go, three minutes to go and one minute to go. The call of ‘on your marks ’ and the firing of the pistol will signal the start of the race.

Initial laps

Athletes establish a steady rhythm, relying on their arms, feet and hips to do a lot of the work. One foot is put in front of the other, rather than to the side as with regular walking, which is achieved by swinging the leg around using the hips..

To ensure they’re race walking with the correct technique, , athletes must keep one foot on the ground at all times. Added to this, the rules also state that the advancing leg must straighten from the point of contact with the ground and remain straight until the body passes over it. This is monitored by a number of race walking judges.

Mid-race

Athletes maintain a steady pace while attempting to keep up with other competitors.

Final lap

The final lap is often the fastest of the race, as athletes use the remainder of their energy for one big push to gain an advantage. As speed is increased, athletes must take extra special care to maintain the correct technique.

20 kilometres race walking rules

There are several clear rules to the 20km race walk. These rules ensure a fair race for all competing athletes.

The rules of the 20km race walk are as follows:

The race begins with athletes in a standing position Athletes must always be in contact with the ground with at least one foot
The athlete's advancing leg must be straightened from the moment it makes contact with the ground until vertical
A false start will lead to an instant disqualification
The winner is determined by the athlete whose torso crosses the finish line first

A race walk has between five and nine judges who observe the athletes using the naked eye. Each judge has two paddles: one yellow (warning) for loss of contact and one for bent knee . When a judge is not completely satisfied that the athlete is complying with the rules, they will first show a yellow paddle and subsequently write a red card. If a race walker is shown three warnings (paddles) from different judges, including the chief judge, it leads to disqualification.

In some race walking events, a pit-lane is used and athletes serve a two-minute time penalty if they’re given three warnings.

20 kilometres race walk FAQs

What race walking distances are in the Olympics?

The 20km race walk is an event at the Olympics. Race walking first appeared at the Olympics in 1904 with a half-mile race that was part of the 10-event ‘all-around championship’, an early forerunner of the decathlon.

Individual races, initially over shorter distances than are common today, were introduced at the Intercalated Games of 1906 and, apart from the 1928 Amsterdam Games, have been a fixture at Olympic Games and World Athletics Championships ever since.

The men’s 20km event debuted at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. Meanwhile, women first competed in race walking at the 1992 Olympic Games, initially over 10km. The distance increased to 20km at the 2000 Sydney Games.

As well as the 20km race walk, there’s also a 35km race walk, which is an event at the World Athletics Championships . There used to be a 50km men’s race walk at the Olympics but this was replaced with a marathon race walk mixed relay following the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

What are the benefits of race walking?

Race Walking is very accessible, similiar to long-distance running. Many runners who experience injuries turn to race walking as the impact on their joints is lower.

Race walking is a great form of exercise and helps boost cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength and endurance.

What is the fastest race walk mile?

The fastest recorded race walk mile was 5:31 set in in 2017..

How to get into race walking

Race walking is an accessible alternative to long-distance running. If you’re looking to get into race walking, there are several points to bear in mind:

Make sure you practise the correct race walking technique, and ensure that at least one foot always stays in contact with the ground
Start with regular walking and slowly increase your speed and distance, aiming to enjoy a 60-minute brisk walk three times a week
Join a local club or race walking group, which can help you learn the techniques and establish a pace
Increase your overall strength and fitness with other exercises
Enjoy a healthy, balanced diet
Understand what judges look for and why you may be shown a yellow warning paddle
When confident, participate in competitions

Is race walking harder than running?

Depending on who you ask, you’ll likely get differing answers as to whether or not race walking is harder than running. The race walking technique can be challenging to perfect but can be very satisfying to master. Race walking is kinder to joints, so can be a more accessible alternative to long-distance running.