The President of the Federacion Galega de Atletismo, Isidoro Hornillos and the creator of the Cantones de La Coruna, Sergio Vasques will probably not believe them this year, but the "parterre de roi" designed by their collaborator Dolores Rojas and present in the first provisional list of members has something incredible.
We begin to analyze what the 20km of men could offer.
In the land of Galicia there has always been a very high number of participants, but this year La Coruna can truly be considered the virtual World Championship in June 2019.
With Perseus Karlstrom (SWE) winner of the 2019 European Cup in Alytus on Sunday, with the presence of Vasiliy Mizinov (ANA), Diego Garcia Carrera (ESP), Tom Bosworth (GBR), and Massimo Stano (ITA), if there even if the presence of Alvaro Martin (ESP) and Miguel Angel Lopez (ESP) we would have witnessed the revenge of the cup itself with the presence of the first seven athletes activated.
However, at the moment, seeing five of them at the start speaks volumes about the will of the European rider to do well in anticipation of Doha.
From China and Japan, Countries that are always present under the Torre del Hercules, there are two numerically impressive teams for the value expressed:
China: four athletes from the main Team with the first two of the recent IAAF Challenge in Taicang, Wang Kaihua (1:19:01) and Cai Zelin (1:19:36) and the very young Zhang Jun (1:20:17). But besides these also other Provincial Teams including Yin Jiaxing (1:20:41) third at the IAAF Challenge in Taicang.
Japan: twelve athletes registered. Toshikazu Yamanishi (1:17:15), Tomohiro Noda (1:19:00), Hirooki Arai (1:19:00), Eiki Takahashi (1:18:00), Daisuke Matsunaga (1:17:46), Isamu Fujisawa (1:17:52), Kai Kobayashi (1: 21.29) and Satoshi Maruo (1:22:27) are the main actors of this expedition.
Other excellent names: Dane Bird-Smith (1:19:34), Andres Chocho (1:22:24), Gaius Bonfim (1:20:37) and Dzmitry Dziubin (second Sunday behind Yohann Diniz at Alytus in the 50km), Christopher Linke (GER).
We stop here. Currently 123 entries.
And now we come to the offer of the 20km women
Immediately two names not just Qieyang Shenijie (1:25:37) and Liu Hong who in 2019, after two years of rest, decided to return to the races with a 50km perspective. Liu Hong struggled to get the selection for Doha in the 20km coming third in the IAAF Challenge in Taicang, but his highlight of the first part of 2019 was the new world record on the 50km and first woman to fall below 4:00:00.
Other Chinese in Galicia will be Yang Jiayu, World Champion in London 2017, Wang Yingliu, Liang Rui, Lu Xiuzhi, Li Macuo, Duan Dandan and the very young Ma Zhenxia.
Some who will participate in Doha at 50km come to finalize a good 20km.
Revenge also for the first five of Alytus in the European Cup: Zivile Vaiciukeviciute, Laura Garcia-Caro, Raquel Gonzalez, Inna Kashina and Ana Cabecinha.
They will have the opportunity to show what kind of pasta Antonella Palmisano is made of, which at Alythus certainly did not have a day of glory and Valentina Trapletti who had just returned to the races in the 20km.
For the first time also a Japanese woman, Kumiko Okada (1:28:26), among the women's outsiders along with Erica Rocha de Sena (1:29:22).
Of five athletes, the representation of Guatemala led by Mirna Sucely Ortiz (1:31:38)
At the moment 80 registered athletes.
But today we want to dedicate to our readers what La Coruna offers not only in the days of the Cantones.
The writer is in love with Galicia and La Coruna in particular.
These photos stolen from a friend tell us all the beauty in the city.
See you soon, dear friends.
(Photo by Jorge Blanco, official measurer of the Cantones, and lover of his city)