20 km walk (road), women

What to remember

The Chinese Race Walking Championships in Huangshan were the setting for Yang Jiayu's record: 1 h 23 min 49 s over 20 km, on March 20, 2021, an average of 14.317 km/h. In race walking the supporting leg must stay straight until the other leg passes it, and one foot must always touch the ground, or the judges disqualify the walker.

The 20 km walk is an Olympic event, on the men's programme since 1956 and the women's since 2000. It is usually held on a road circuit. On the men's side, Japan's Toshikazu Yamanishi walked 1 h 16 min 10 s on February 16, 2025 in Kobe.

A specialist of the 10 km and 20 km walks, Yang won the world 20 km title in 2017 in London, then Olympic gold over the same distance in 2024 in Paris.