Teams book places for Paris at WRW Antalya 24 

(© Sergio Mateo)

Teams from Italy, Japan and Spain are among the 22 to have secured automatic qualification for the marathon race walk mixed relay at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games following their performances at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Antalya 24 on Sunday (21).

The marathon race walk mixed relay makes its Olympic debut in Paris in August, with WRW Antalya 24 the main qualifying event for the new discipline.

The relay involves teams of one man and one woman who complete the marathon distance (42.195km) in four legs of approximately equal distance. Each athlete races two legs, alternating man, woman, man, woman.

A total of 22 teams in Antalya secured spots for Paris. Up to five of the first 22 teams could be a second team from the same country, and Japan, Spain, Australia, China and Colombia each qualified two teams.

Teams that missed out in Antalya still have the chance to qualify for Paris via their placing in the marathon race walk mixed relay top performance list. Three additional teams on the top performance list during the qualification period (31 December 2022 to 30 June 2024) – from events that comply with the race walking competition requirements – can qualify. These three additional teams cannot be from a country already qualified from the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Antalya 24.

Teams qualified in Antalya:
1 Italy
2 Japan*
3 Spain*
4 Mexico
5 Brazil
6 Australia*
7 Spain
8 Ukraine
9 France
10 China*
11 China
12 Colombia*
13 Germany
14 Colombia
15 Australia
16 Japan
17 India
18 Turkiye
19 Slovak Republic
20 Poland
21 Canada
22 Hungary
*qualified two teams

As well as the marathon race walk mixed relay, won by Italy’s Francisco Fortunato and Valentina Trapletti, there were senior 20km and U20 10km titles up for grabs at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Antalya 24.

Australia’s Isaac Beacroft became the first winner of the day, using superb closing speed to overpower his rivals in a thrilling finish to the U20 men’s 10km. At the age of 16, he is the youngest ever winner of an U20 title at these championships.

The women’s U20 10km race was won by China’s Yang Xizhen as she strode to victory ahead of the Spanish duo of Aldara Meilan and Sofia Santacreu.

Peru’s double 2022 world champion Kimberly Garcia secured a dominant win in the senior women’s 20km, clocking 1:27:12 to prevail ahead of defending champion Ma Zhenxia of China.

Sweden’s Perseus Karlstrom was another winner from the last edition of these championships in Muscat in 2022. On that occasion he won the 35km race and in Antalya he claimed victory again, this time winning the 20km in 1:18:49.

Full results

At the Olympic Games in Paris, the marathon race walk mixed relay will be held on Wednesday 7 August, six days after the individual 20km race walking events launch the athletics programme on Thursday 1 August.


WRW Antalya 24 in numbers

RECORDS

1 championship record: Italy 2:56:45 in marathon race walk mixed relay.
1 area U20 record: Isaac Beacroft (AUS) 39:56 in U20 men’s 10km race walk for Oceania.
2 national records: Misgana Wakuma Fekansa (ETH) 1:20:51 and Gabriel Alvarado (NCA) 1:27:29 in men’s 20km race walk.
2 national U20 records: Isaac Beacroft (AUS) 39:56 and Seyhmus Capat (TUR) 40:42 in U20 men’s 10km race walk.
105 personal bests (in individual events)

MEDALS

6 countries won gold medals
4 countries won silver medals
5 countries won bronze medals
8 countries won medals

Countries from four areas won gold medals:
Asia – 3 golds from 1 country (China)
Europe – 4 golds from 3 countries (Spain, Italy and Sweden)
South America – 1 gold (Peru)
Oceania – 1 gold (Australia)

Source: World Athletics