Multi-day events are nothing new in track & field, but a three-day walking festival?
The Around Taihu International Race Walking Competition in Suzhou (CHN) put together a 20 km race, followed by two 12 km races on the following days to create a cycling-style “stage” program that ended with reigning 20 km World Champion Eider Arevalo (COL) winning the title by three seconds over Lebogang Shange (RSA), 2:58:09 to 2:58:12.
In the 20 km race, Shange was the winner, 1:23:20 to 1:23:23 over Arevalo, with Mexico’s Isaac Palma third in 1:23:54.
In the women’s event, China’s Yingliu Wang won the 20 km race in 1:29:55 over teammate Maocuo Li, 1:29:55 to 1:30:15, and Wang won the overall title at 3:13:17 to 3:14:31 over Shijie Qieyang, also from China.
The 24-26 September event was the eighth and final stage of the 2018 IAAF Race Walking Challenge, with the top seasonal finishers earning $25,000-15,000-10,000-8,000-7,000-6,000-5,000-4,000 through eighth place. The top five and their points:
Men:
1. 25 Andres Chocho (ECU)
2. 24 Eider Arevalo (COL)
3. 22 Lebogang Shange (RSA)
4. 22 Diego Garcia Carrera (ESP)
5. 18 Jose Leyver Ojeda (MEX)
Women:
1. 34 Qieyang Shijie (CHN)
2. 23 Erica de Sena (BRA)
3. 22 Ines Henriques (POR)
4. 18 Wang Yingliu (CHN)
5. 15 Ana Cabecinha (POR)
Complete results and standings are here.