Xinhua News Agency|Author: Wang Hengzhi, Dong Yixing.
The 2024 World Athletics Federation Race Walking Tour and National Race Walking Grand Prix (first stop) and Paris Olympic Trials (first stop) kicked off in Taicang, Jiangsu Province on the 3rd. The men's and women's 20km races were won by a narrow margin that was difficult to discern with the naked eye, with China's Zhang Jun beating out Italy's Massimo Stano, the men's 20km race walk champion at the Tokyo Olympics, and Ma Zhenxia beating teammate Yang Jiayu to win the women's race.
The competition attracted 39 high-level athletes from 11 countries and regions, and the Chinese team also performed as an elite. The men's competition was basically between Zhang Jun and Stano, who had exactly the same time in the first three laps, and then chased after each other, alternated leads, and fought until the last lap, almost hitting the line at the same time. In the end, Zhang Jun's time was 1 hour, 17 minutes, 26 (.)715) seconds, Stano time is 1 hour 17 minutes 26 (.)784) seconds, Zhang Jun won in a thrilling way. Brazil's Cayo Bonfin, a bronze medallist at the 2023 World Championships, finished third in 1:17:44.
The women's competition is the same, but the competition is mainly within the Chinese team. The overall strength of the Chinese women's team is strong, Liu Hong, Qieyang Shijie, Yang Jiayu, and Ma Zhenxia competed fiercely, and finally Ma Zhenxia and Yang Jiayu also collided almost at the same time. With 1 hour 26 minutes 07 (.)Ma Zhenxia, who created a PB (personal best) in 292 seconds, won the championship, and Yang Jiayu's time was 1 hour 26 minutes 07 (550) seconds. The 36-year-old veteran Liu Hong finished third in 1:26:47 and set a personal best of the season. The 33-year-old finished fourth in 1:27:05.
This competition is also the first stop of the Chinese team's Paris Olympic trials. In addition to the men's and women's 20km race walks, the Paris Olympics will set up a marathon race walking mixed relay event for the first time. In order to select the strongest and most skilled athletes to participate in the competition, the Chinese team changed the selection method, adopted a multi-round selection mechanism, and changed the selection criteria from domestic competition results to international competition results.
The first round of selection is the Taicang Tour, with the top 10 athletes in the men's and women's 20km events or the top three finishers in the men's and women's mixed relay events (interval walking events) qualifying for the second round. The second round of selection includes four rounds of the World Race Walking Team Championships in Turkey and the World Athletics Race Walking Tour in Warsaw, Riomayor and A Coruña.
In addition, since the Paris Olympics allowed concurrent participation, the selection also allowed concurrently. Referring to the schedule of the Paris Olympic Games, the mixed relay event will be held on March 9.
Xinhua News Agency|
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