Race walking at the Summer Olympics

Racewalking events at the Summer Olympics have been contested over a variety of distances at the multi-sport event. There were three race walking events in the 2020 Summer Olympics: a men's and a women's 20 kilometres race walk, and a men's 50 kilometres race walk. The races were held in a final-only format.

Racewalking
at the Olympic Games
The 2004 Olympic men's 20 km walk final
Overview
SportAthletics
GenderMen and women
Years heldMen 20 km: 19562024
Men 50 km: 19322020
Women 20 km: 20002024
Mixed Marathon Relay: 2024
Olympic record
Men20 km 1:18:46 Chen Ding (2012)
50 km 3:36:53 Jared Tallent (2012)
Women20 km 1:25:16 Qieyang Shenjie (2012)
MixedMarathon Relay 2:50:31 Álvaro Martín & María Pérez (2024)
Reigning champion
Men20 km  Brian Pintado (ECU)
Women20 km  Yang Jiayu (CHN)
MixedMarathon Relay  Álvaro Martín & María Pérez (ESP)

The first men's events came at the 1908 London Olympics, which featured 3500 m and 10-mile distances. A 10-Kilometer version was introduced at the 1912 Summer Olympics and it continued until 1952 (skipping three editions from 1928 to 1936). There was also a one-off 3000 m walk at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics. The men's 20 km walk became the standard short distance for men in 1956 and has continued since then. The longer men's event over 50 km was first held at the 1932 Summer Olympics and was held continuously until the 2020 Olympics, except for a brief drop from the program in 1976 – the World Athletics held a World Championship for the event in protest and it was restored.

The first women's event was introduced at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, 84 years after the first men's race. Held over 10 km for the first two editions, the women's event was extended to match the men's 20 km distance from the 2000 Sydney Olympics onwards. Women have never commonly competed internationally over 50 km, thus it was never proposed as an Olympic event – it was the last on the Olympic athletics programme in which men competed, but women did not have an equivalent. The 50 km is also the longest distance race for an Olympic athletics event.[1] In April 2023, a new Marathon Race Walking Mixed Relay event was announced for the 2024 Games, replacing the men's 50 km event.[2]

The Olympic records in racewalking were all broken at the 2012 London Olympics. In the 20 km walk Chen Ding holds the men's record of 1:18:46 hours, while Elena Lashmanova held the women's mark of 1:25:02 hours until she was disqualified for doping in 2021. The men's 50 km record is 3:36:53 hours, set by Jared Tallent. Robert Korzeniowski is the most successful Olympic racewalker, having won the 50 km three times as well as the 20 km walk. Three other athletes have won four Olympic walk medals: Ugo Frigerio won three gold medals and a bronze in early competitions, Volodymyr Holubnychy won two 20 km walk titles as well as a silver and a bronze, and Jared Tallent won a gold medal in the 50 km along with two silver and a bronze.

The 1906 Intercalated Games, now not considered an official Olympic event, was the first venue for racewalking under the Olympic banner. Poor technique and judging significantly affected the 1500 m walk event, to the point where a rematch over 3000 m was added at short notice and judged by Constantine I of Greece.

Race walking has been particularly affected by doping, with many Russian world and Olympic champions testing positive for banned performance-enhancing drugs.[3][4]

Medal summary

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Men's 20 km walk

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Games Gold Silver Bronze
1956 Melbourne
details
Leonid Spirin
  Soviet Union
Antanas Mikėnas
  Soviet Union
Bruno Junk
  Soviet Union
1960 Rome
details
Volodymyr Holubnychy
  Soviet Union
Noel Freeman
  Australia
Stan Vickers
  Great Britain
1964 Tokyo
details
Ken Matthews
  Great Britain
Dieter Lindner
  United Team of Germany
Volodymyr Holubnychy
  Soviet Union
1968 Mexico City
details
Volodymyr Holubnychy
  Soviet Union
José Pedraza
  Mexico
Nikolay Smaga
  Soviet Union
1972 Munich
details
Peter Frenkel
  East Germany
Volodymyr Holubnychy
  Soviet Union
Hans-Georg Reimann
  East Germany
1976 Montreal
details
Daniel Bautista
  Mexico
Hans-Georg Reimann
  East Germany
Peter Frenkel
  East Germany
1980 Moscow
details
Maurizio Damilano
  Italy
Pyotr Pochynchuk
  Soviet Union
Roland Wieser
  East Germany
1984 Los Angeles
details
Ernesto Canto
  Mexico
Raúl González
  Mexico
Maurizio Damilano
  Italy
1988 Seoul
details
Jozef Pribilinec
  Czechoslovakia
Ronald Weigel
  East Germany
Maurizio Damilano
  Italy
1992 Barcelona
details
Daniel Plaza
  Spain
Guillaume LeBlanc
  Canada
Giovanni De Benedictis
  Italy
1996 Atlanta
details
Jefferson Pérez
  Ecuador
Ilya Markov
  Russia
Bernardo Segura
  Mexico
2000 Sydney
details
Robert Korzeniowski
  Poland
Noé Hernández
  Mexico
Vladimir Andreyev
  Russia
2004 Athens
details
Ivano Brugnetti
  Italy
Paquillo Fernández
  Spain
Nathan Deakes
  Australia
2008 Beijing
details
Valeriy Borchin
  Russia
Jefferson Pérez
  Ecuador
Jared Tallent
  Australia
2012 London
details
Chen Ding
  China
Érick Barrondo
  Guatemala
Wang Zhen
  China
2016 Rio de Janeiro
details
Wang Zhen
  China
Cai Zelin
  China
Dane Bird-Smith
  Australia
2020 Tokyo
details
Massimo Stano
  Italy
Koki Ikeda
  Japan
Toshikazu Yamanishi
  Japan
2024 Paris
details
Brian Pintado
  Ecuador
Caio Bonfim
  Brazil
Álvaro Martín
  Spain

Multiple medalists

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Rank Athlete Nation Olympics Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Volodymyr Holubnychy   Soviet Union (URS) 1960–1972 2 1 1 4
2 Jefferson Pérez   Ecuador (ECU) 1996–2008 1 1 0 2
3 Maurizio Damilano   Italy (ITA) 1980–1988 1 0 2 3
4 Peter Frenkel   East Germany (GDR) 1972–1976 1 0 1 2
Wang Zhen   China (CHN) 2012–2016 1 0 1 2
6 Hans-Georg Reimann   East Germany (GDR) 1972–1976 0 1 1 2

Medals by country

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Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1   Soviet Union (URS) 3 3 3 9
2   Italy (ITA) 3 0 3 6
3   Mexico (MEX) 2 3 1 6
4   China (CHN) 2 1 1 4
5   Ecuador (ECU) 2 1 0 3
6   East Germany (GDR) 1 2 3 6
7   Russia (RUS) 2 1 0 3
8   Spain (ESP) 1 1 1 3
9   Great Britain (GBR) 1 0 1 2
10   Czechoslovakia (TCH) 1 0 0 1
  Poland (POL) 1 0 0 1
12   Australia (AUS) 0 1 3 4
13   Japan (JPN) 0 1 1 2
14   Canada (CAN) 0 1 0 1
  United Team of Germany (EUA) 0 1 0 1
  Guatemala (GUA) 0 1 0 1
  Brazil (BRA) 0 1 0 1

Women's 20 km walk

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Games Gold Silver Bronze
2000 Sydney
details
Wang Liping
  China
Kjersti Plätzer
  Norway
María Vasco
  Spain
2004 Athens
details
Athanasia Tsoumeleka
  Greece
Olimpiada Ivanova
  Russia
Jane Saville
  Australia
2008 Beijing
details
Olga Kaniskina
  Russia
Kjersti Tysse Plätzer
  Norway
Elisa Rigaudo
  Italy
2012 London
details
Qieyang Shenjie
  China
Liu Hong
  China
Lü Xiuzhi
  China
2016 Rio
details
Liu Hong
  China
María Guadalupe González
  Mexico
Lü Xiuzhi
  China
2020 Tokyo
details
Antonella Palmisano
  Italy
Sandra Arenas
  Colombia
Liu Hong
  China
2024 Paris
details
Yang Jiayu
  China
María Pérez
  Spain
Jemima Montag
  Australia


Multiple medalists

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Rank Athlete Nation Olympics Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Liu Hong   China (CHN) 2012–2020 1 1 1 3
2 Kjersti Plätzer   Norway (NOR) 2000–2008 0 2 0 2
3 Lü Xiuzhi   China (CHN) 2012–2016 0 0 2 2

Medals by country

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Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1   China (CHN) 4 1 3 8
2   Russia (RUS) 1 1 0 2
3   Italy (ITA) 1 0 1 2
4   Greece (GRE) 1 0 0 1
5   Norway (NOR) 0 2 0 2
6   Spain (ESP) 0 1 1 2
7   Mexico (MEX) 0 1 0 1
  Colombia (COL) 0 1 0 1
9   Australia (AUS) 0 0 2 2

Mixed Marathon Relay

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Games Gold Silver Bronze
2024 Paris
details
  Spain
Álvaro Martín
María Pérez
  Ecuador
Glenda Morejón
Brian Pintado
  Australia
Rhydian Cowley
Jemima Montag

Defunct distances

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Men's 3000 m walk

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Games Gold Silver Bronze
1920 Antwerp
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Ugo Frigerio
  Italy
George Parker
  Australia
Richard Remer
  United States

Men's 3500 m walk

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Games Gold Silver Bronze
1908 London
details
George Larner
  Great Britain
Ernest Webb
  Great Britain
Harry Kerr
  Australasia

Men's 10 km

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Games Gold Silver Bronze
1912 Stockholm
details
George Goulding
  Canada
Ernest Webb
  Great Britain
Fernando Altimani
  Italy
1920 Antwerp
details
Ugo Frigerio
  Italy
Joseph Pearman
  United States
Charles Gunn
  Great Britain
1924 Paris
details
Ugo Frigerio
  Italy
Gordon Goodwin
  Great Britain
Cecil McMaster
  South Africa
1928–1936 not included in the Olympic program
1948 London
details
John Mikaelsson
  Sweden
Ingemar Johansson
  Sweden
Fritz Schwab
  Switzerland
1952 Helsinki
details
John Mikaelsson
  Sweden
Fritz Schwab
  Switzerland
Bruno Junk
  Soviet Union

Men's 10 miles

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Games Gold Silver Bronze
1908 London
details
George Larner
  Great Britain
Ernest Webb
  Great Britain
Edward Spencer
  Great Britain

Men's 50 km walk

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Games Gold Silver Bronze
1932 Los Angeles
details
Tommy Green
  Great Britain
Jānis Daliņš
  Latvia
Ugo Frigerio
  Italy
1936 Berlin
details
Harold Whitlock
  Great Britain
Arthur Tell Schwab
  Switzerland
Adalberts Bubenko
  Latvia
1948 London
details
John Ljunggren
  Sweden
Gaston Godel
  Switzerland
Tebbs Lloyd Johnson
  Great Britain
1952 Helsinki
details
Pino Dordoni
  Italy
Josef Doležal
  Czechoslovakia
Antal Róka
  Hungary
1956 Melbourne
details
Norman Read
  New Zealand
Yevgeny Maskinskov
  Soviet Union
John Ljunggren
  Sweden
1960 Rome
details
Don Thompson
  Great Britain
John Ljunggren
  Sweden
Abdon Pamich
  Italy
1964 Tokyo
details
Abdon Pamich
  Italy
Paul Nihill
  Great Britain
Ingvar Pettersson
  Sweden
1968 Mexico City
details
Christoph Höhne
  East Germany
Antal Kiss
  Hungary
Larry Young
  United States
1972 Munich
details
Bernd Kannenberg
  West Germany
Veniamin Soldatenko
  Soviet Union
Larry Young
  United States
1976 Montreal not included in the Olympic program
1980 Moscow
details
Hartwig Gauder
  East Germany
Jordi Llopart
  Spain
Yevgeniy Ivchenko
  Soviet Union
1984 Los Angeles
details
Raúl González
  Mexico
Bo Gustafsson
  Sweden
Sandro Bellucci
  Italy
1988 Seoul
details
Vyacheslav Ivanenko
  Soviet Union
Ronald Weigel
  East Germany
Hartwig Gauder
  East Germany
1992 Barcelona
details
Andrey Perlov
  Unified Team
Carlos Mercenario
  Mexico
Ronald Weigel
  Germany
1996 Atlanta
details
Robert Korzeniowski
  Poland
Mikhail Shchennikov
  Russia
Valentí Massana
  Spain
2000 Sydney
details
Robert Korzeniowski
  Poland
Aigars Fadejevs
  Latvia
Joel Sánchez
  Mexico
2004 Athens
details
Robert Korzeniowski
  Poland
Denis Nizhegorodov
  Russia
Aleksey Voyevodin
  Russia
2008 Beijing
details
Alex Schwazer
  Italy
Jared Tallent
  Australia
Denis Nizhegorodov
  Russia
2012 London
details
Jared Tallent
  Australia
Si Tianfeng
  China
Robert Heffernan
  Ireland
2016 Rio de Janeiro
details
Matej Tóth
  Slovakia
Jared Tallent
  Australia
Hirooki Arai
  Japan
2020 Tokyo
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Dawid Tomala
  Poland
Jonathan Hilbert
  Germany
Evan Dunfee
  Canada


Multiple medalists

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Rank Athlete Nation Olympics Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Robert Korzeniowski   Poland (POL) 1996–2004 3 0 0 3
2 Jared Tallent   Australia (AUS) 2008–2016 1 2 0 3
3 John Ljunggren   Sweden (SWE) 1948–1960 1 1 1 3
4 Abdon Pamich   Italy (ITA) 1960–1964 1 0 1 2
Hartwig Gauder   East Germany (GDR) 1980–1988 1 0 1 2
6 Ronald Weigel   East Germany (GDR)
  Germany (GER)
1988–1992 0 1 1 2
Denis Nizhegorodov   Russia (RUS) 2004–2008 0 1 1 2
8 Larry Young   United States (USA) 1968–1972 0 0 2 2

Medals by country

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Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1   Poland (POL) 4 0 0 4
2   Great Britain (GBR) 3 1 1 5
3   Italy (ITA) 3 0 3 6
4   East Germany (GDR) 2 1 1 4
5   Sweden (SWE) 1 2 2 5
6   Soviet Union (URS) 1 2 1 4
7   Australia (AUS) 1 2 0 3
8   Mexico (MEX) 1 1 1 3
9   New Zealand (NZL) 1 0 0 1
  Slovakia (SVK) 1 0 0 1
  Unified Team (EUN) 1 0 0 1
  West Germany (FRG) 1 0 0 1
13   Russia (RUS) 0 2 2 4
14   Latvia (LAT) 0 2 1 3
15   Switzerland (SUI) 0 2 0 2
16   Hungary (HUN) 0 1 1 2
  Spain (ESP) 0 1 1 2
18   China (CHN) 0 1 0 1
  Czechoslovakia (TCH) 0 1 0 1
20   United States (USA) 0 0 2 2
21   Germany (GER) 0 0 1 1
  Canada (CAN) 0 0 1 1
  Ireland (IRL) 0 0 1 1
  Japan (JPN) 0 0 1 1

Women's 10 km

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Games Gold Silver Bronze
1992 Barcelona
details
Chen Yueling
  China
Yelena Nikolayeva
  Unified Team
Li Chunxiu
  China
1996 Atlanta
details
Yelena Nikolayeva
  Russia
Elisabetta Perrone
  Italy
Wang Yan
  China

Intercalated Games

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The 1906 Intercalated Games were held in Athens and at the time were officially recognised as part of the Olympic Games series, with the intention being to hold a games in Greece in two-year intervals between the internationally held Olympics. However, this plan never came to fruition and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) later decided not to recognise these games as part of the official Olympic series. Some sports historians continue to treat the results of these games as part of the Olympic canon.[5]

Two walking events were held on the track at the 1906 Games: a men's 1500 m walk and a men's 3000 m walk. The first final to be held was the shorter distance. American George Bonhag, an absolute walking novice who had competed in the 5-mile run, came away as the winner after Canada's Don Linden, the eventual runner-up, had given basic technical advice to allow him to compete.[6]

The 3000 m walk was held two days later as a last minute addition to the athletics programme, which was approved and also adjudicated by Constantine I of Greece after the dissatisfaction with the initial race. The entire walking field, minus Bonhag and Linden, was rearranged for the competition. Britain's Robert Wilkinson and Austria's Eugen Spiegler were again disqualified in the final stages for running, leaving Hungary's György Sztantics as the winner by a large margin.[7]

Event Gold Silver Bronze
1500 metres George Bonhag
  United States
Don Linden
  Canada
Konstantinos Spetsiotis
  Greece
3000 metres György Sztantics
  Hungary
Hermann Müller
  Germany
Georgios Saridakis
  Greece

References

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Participation and athlete data
Olympic record progressions
Specific
  1. ^ 50 Kilometres Race Walk. IAAF. Retrieved on 2014-05-21.
  2. ^ "New Olympic marathon race walk mixed relay for Paris 2024 revealed". www.insidethegames.biz. 2023-04-08. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  3. ^ Wilder, Charly (16 June 2015). "Where Racewalking is King, the Antidoping Officials Are Busy". The New York Times.
  4. ^ "Banned Russian race walking coach still working with athletes, official says". Reuters. 24 January 2020.
  5. ^ 1906 Athina Summer Games. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-02-07.
  6. ^ Athletics at the 1906 Athina Summer Games: Men's 1,500 metres Walk. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-05-21.
  7. ^ Athletics at the 1906 Athina Summer Games: Men's 3,000 metres Walk. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-05-21.
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