Teammates Ivan Banzeruk and Ihor Hlavan, who won gold and silver in Podebrady in 2017, will be a threat both individually and collectively for the team title as well.
Likewise, Ukraine’s Valeriy Litanyuk, whose 3:56:18 this year needs a good day around the park to hive off more than a kilometre. If the 32-year-old - who has a lifetime best of 3:49:56 - can find the required 64 seconds in Podebrady, it’s job done. The Greek was agonisingly short in Dudince in March where he finished in 3:51:03. The men’s 50km race walk is the last chance saloon for anyone needing a sub-3:50 time that brings a seat on the plane to Tokyo for the Olympic Games this summer.Ĭlosest to the mark is Alexandros Papamichail. Great Britain’s Tom Bosworth, who could afford to ease off the pedal in the British Olympics Trials around Kew Gardens in March on his return from injury, and Frederico Tontodonati from Italy should also not be discounted. The unknowns are France’s Gabriel Bordier and Kevin Campion, neither of whom have recorded times in the 20km race walk this year.
Their ranks are bolstered by European silver medallist Alvaro Martin and former world and European champion Miguel Angel Lopez. Garcia helms a super strong Spanish team who will be seeking their third successive team title. He also won individual bronze when the European Race Walking Team Championships was held on this very same course in 2017.īehind the leading two should see a battle for bronze between Spaniards Diego Garcia and Alberto Amezcua who both eclipsed the 1:20-barrier in Murcia. If anyone knows what it’s like to triumph in the Czech town that sees itself as the country’s centre of race walking - it’s Karlstrom.
The sporting world was forced to stand still for the majority of 2020, but the world bronze medallist from 2019 somehow managed to win four races, one of which was at the rescheduled annual race walking gala in Podebrady in mid-October. What’s more he has a lot of senior pedigree. Karlstrom goes into the race around Spa Park as the defending champion from Alytus two years ago and he notched up a time only three seconds shy of Korkmaz’s time when he competed as a guest at the Spanish Championships in Murcia on 14 March. It was a Turkish record, one which the 24-year-old already held from the previous year at the same place when he clocked 1:19:31. History would also be made if Karlstrom successfully defends his title as no athlete has ever won back-to-back individual titles in the men’s 20km race walk before.īut Korkmaz is in the form of his life after setting a 1:18:42 lifetime best on home soil in Antalya on 6 March. The conundrum is: how hard will they go?Ī good workout for both will undoubtedly bring sub-1:20 clockings, and maybe even the mouth-watering prospect of a sprint at the end. Reigning champion Perseus Karlstrom from Sweden and Turkey’s Salih Korkmaz top the entry list in terms of best times for 2021 by a distance.
The event will be streamed live through the European Athletics Facebook page on Sunday courtesy of the Czech Athletics Federation and live results will appear here. The men’s 20km race walk at the European Race Walking Team Championships in Podebrady, Czech Republic on Sunday (16) should literally be a stroll through the park for two race walkers.
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