Diniz breaks world 20K walk record, walks faster than you run

Racewalking isn’t a topic we touch on too often, but over the weekend in Arles, France, Yohann Diniz broke the world record in 1:17:02 at the country’s national championship. That equals a pace of 3:52 per kilometre, a time faster than most runners would finish the same distance. All of this was also done as 16 laps of a 1.25K loop.

Diniz already held the world 50K record and his new 20K record breaks the previous mark by 14 seconds, meaning that, though still a wide margin over the previous mark, it’s not as if other world-class race walkers aren’t also walking quick.

“After five kilometres, I was much quicker than I had planned,” Diniz told reporters after the race. “My coach just told me to stay in my bubble and continue to stay clean technically.”

So how does racewalking differ from running? The main rules which differentiate the two are that competitors must keep one foot on the ground at all times and their front leg must remain straight until it has passed under the body, making for the distinguishable gait of professional racewalkers.

At the Olympic level, racewalking is contested as a 20K distance for men and women and 50K for only men. The races are held on short loops because they need to be judged. Judges stand on the course and make sure competitors are adhering to the rules. If an athlete is found to be breaking from the rules three time they’re removed from the race.

Though the technique used in racewalking may play a factor, the best in the world are incredibly fit (as you would expect from someone who can cover 20K that quickly).

Similar to worries over widespread doping in endurance running, the sport of racewalking is also going through a period of revealed doping offences, many in Russia. Some of the top racewalkers in the world have tested positive for PED use.