20,000 metres race walk explained

Event:	20,000 metres walk
Wrmen:	1:17:25.6 (1994)
Wrwomen:	1:26.53.2 (2001)

The 20,000 metres race walk is a racewalking event. The event is competed as a track race. Athletes must always keep in contact with the ground and the supporting leg must remain straight until the raised leg passes it. 20,000 metres is 12.4274 miles.^[1]

History

This distance is not commonly raced at high level international competitions but part of South American Championships in Athletics and individual national championships (f.e. Russia, India, Colombia, Venezuela). Top level senior athletics racewalking events typically feature 20 km road distance.

World records

On May 7, 1994, Bernardo Segura of Mexico set a new 20,000 m race walk world record in Fana in a time of 1:17:25.6. The all-time women's 20,000 m race-walk record is held by Olimpiada Ivanova of Russia, at 1:26:53.2.

All-time top 25 (outdoor)

Men

• Correct as of July 2024.^[2]

Rank	Result	Athlete	Nationality	Date	Place	Ref
1	1:17:25.6 ^[3]	Bernardo Segura		7 May 1994	Fana
2	1:18:35.2	Stefan Johansson		15 May 1992	Fana
3	1:18.40.0	Ernesto Canto		5 May 1994	Fana
4	1:19:18.3	Ronald Weigel		26 May 1990	Fana
5	1:19:22.5	Aleksey Pershin		7 May 1988	Fana
6	1:19:24.1	Walter Arena		26 May 1990	Fana
7	1:19:42.0	Yohann Diniz		25 May 2014	Bogny-sur-Meuse
8	1:19:48.1	Nathan Deakes		4 September 2001	Brisbane
9	1:19:52.0	Robert Korzeniowski		4 September 2001	Brisbane
10	1:19:52.1	Caio Bonfim		27 June 2024	Bragança Paulista	^[4]
11	1:19:54.0	Pavol Blazek		26 May 1990	Fana
12	1:20:06.8	Daniel Bautista		17 October 1979	Montréal
13	1:20:11.72	Li Gaobo		2 November 2007	Wuhan
14	1:20:12.3	Nick A'Hern		8 May 1993	Fana
15	1:20:22.52	Gurmeet Singh		3 February 2012	Bhubaneswar
16	1:20:23.8	Andrés Chocho		5 June 2011	Buenos Aires
17	1:20:24.0	Max Goncalves dos Santos		27 June 2024	Bragança Paulista	^[5]
18	1:20:24.4	Li Mingcai		15 March 1992	Jinan
19	1:20:24.6	Li Zewen		24 October 1995	Nanjing
20	1:20:31.5	Chen Shaoguo		15 March 1992	Jinan
21	1:20:35.4	Mao Xinyuan		15 March 1992	Jinan
22	1:20:36.6	Gustavo Restrepo		5 June 2011	Buenos Aires
23	1:20:36.7	Erling Andersen		5 May 1984	Fana
		Ernesto Canto		26 May 1990	Fana
25	1:20:37.8	Valdas Kazlauskas		16 September 1983	Moskva

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 1:20:37.8:

• Caio Bonfim also walked 1:20:13.68 (2021).
• Nick A'Hern also walked 1:20:18.5 (1990).

Women

• Correct as of June 2021.^[6]

Rank	Result	Athlete	Nationality	Date	Place	Ref
1	1:26:53.2	Olimpiada Ivanova		6 September 2001	Brisbane
2	1:27:49.3	Yelena Nikolayeva		6 September 2001	Brisbane
3	1:29:24.61	Glenda Morejón		29 May 2021	Guayaquil	^[7]
4	1:29:32.4	Song Hongjuan		24 October 2003	Changsha
5	1:29:36.4	Susana Feitor		21 July 2001	Lisboa
6	1:30:48.3	Rossella Giordano		4 August 2000	Almada
7	1:30:51.97	Erica de Sena		29 May 2021	Guayaquil	^[8]
8	1:30:52.0	Karla Jaramillo		25 May 2019	Lima	^[9]
9	1:31:02.25	Sandra Arenas		13 June 2015	Lima	^[10]
10	1:31:06.6	Jiang Jing		24 October 2003	Changsha
11	1:31:16.18	Liu Hong		1 November 2007	Wuhan
12	1:31:18.79	Song Xiaoling		1 November 2007	Wuhan
13	1:31:19.2	Maribel Goncalves		31 July 2004	Lisboa
14	1:31:23.7	Inês Henriques		31 July 2004	Lisboa
15	1:31:43.5	Marina Smyslova		25 September 2004	Izhevsk
16	1:31:47.95	Bo Yanmin		1 November 2007	Wuhan
17	1:31:49.5	Alena Zenkova		25 September 2004	Izhevsk
18	1:31:52.30	Wang Shanshan		1 November 2007	Wuhan
19	1:31:53.8	Mirna Ortíz		8 August 2014	Ciudad de Guatemala
20	1:31:58.9	Lyudmila Arkhipova		25 September 2004	Izhevsk
21	1:32:09.4	Ingrid Hernández		5 June 2011	Buenos Aires
22	1:32:15.1	Tatyana Sibileva		25 September 2004	Izhevsk
23	1:32:17.6	Milángela Rosales		5 June 2011	Buenos Aires
24	1:32:19.71	Hie Jingjing		1 November 2007	Wuhan
25	1:32:21.59	Maria Michta-Coffey		22 June 2018	Des Moines

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 1:32:21.59:

• Sandra Arenas also walked 1:31:46.9 (2014).
• Marina Smyslova also walked 1:32:16.5 (2003).

All-time top performance (indoor)

Men

Notes and References

1. Web site: Kilometers to Miles Conversion Calculator and Table – Convert Kilometers (km) to Miles . 19 October 2016.
2. Web site: All-time men's best 20000m track walk. alltime-athletics.com. 15 August 2018. 11 November 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180610091340/http://www.alltime-athletics.com/m20kwok.htm#2. June 10, 2018. dead.
3. actually 1:17:25.5 but ratified as 1:17:25.6
4. Web site: Men's 20,000 Metres Race Walk Final. World Athletics. 27 June 2024. 29 June 2024.
5. Web site: Men's 20,000 Metres Race Walk Final. World Athletics. 27 June 2024. 29 June 2024.
6. Web site: All-time women's best 20000m track race-walk. alltime-athletics.com. 19 September 2018. 11 November 2018.
7. Web site: 20000m Race Walk Result. resultadosonline.org. 29 May 2021. 18 June 2021.
8. Web site: 20000m Race Walk Result. resultadosonline.org. 29 May 2021. 18 June 2021.
9. News: Romani wins shot put on second day of South American Championships. IAAF. Eduardo Biscayart. 26 May 2019. 28 May 2019.
10. News: Récord Sudamericano de Lorena Arenas. CONSUDATLE. 13 June 2015. 14 June 2015. July 12, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150712190351/http://consudatle.org/record-sudamericano-de-lorena-arenas/. dead.