European Athletics has published the definitive list of the entrants to the four walking events (but actually there will be three because the 35km will take place "mixed") who will deliver the title and medals of the European Championships in Munich 2022.
The list of entries is available in the two links at the bottom of the page.
35km men and women
It is the first of the three scheduled races starting at 8:30 on Tuesday 16 August (second day of competition)
Men
The new World Champion Massimo Stano (ITA) who has chosen to compete on the 20km and the Olympic Champion of the Tokyo 2020 50km, Dawid Tomala (POL), returning from Eugene's not brilliant nineteenth position, will not participate in this race.
We believe the fight for the European title will be a matter that should be resolved between two contenders, both present in Eugene.
- Perseus Karlstrom (SWE) who in Oregon stopped the clock in 2:33:44 (personal best) thus obtaining the bronze
- Miguel Angel Lopez (ESP) who finished 10th in Oregon with a mark of 2:25:21
The battle for the bronze should instead take place between: Aleksi Ojala (FIN) capable of 2:28:22 in Oregon and Aurelien Quinon (FRA) who arrived just behind Ojala in Oregon (2:28:46) and Christopher Linke (GER) who boasts a personal best of 2:29:58
It will be interesting to see if Karlstrom who raced both 20km and 35km in Oregon and who should make the same choice here in Munich, will actually opt to participate in both races. There are just four days of recovery here in Munich while in Eugene there were nine.
Ojala in Eugene had also chosen to participate in both races.
Women
If the athletes have disposed of the waste of fatigue, two will be playing for the most valuable medals:
- Antigoni Ntrismpioti (GRE) fourth in Oregon (2:41:58)
- Raquel Gonzalez (ESP) fifth in Oregon (2: 42.27)
For the bronze the battle should instead take place between: Olga Niedzialek (POL) eleventh in Oregon in 2:49:43, Ines Henriques (POR) thirteenth in Oregon in 2:51:12 and Viktoria Madarasz who was not there in Eugene, but in Dudince, at the beginning of the season, stopped the clock at an interesting 2:50:29
20km men
For what he has shown in the last two seasons, for the hunger for victory and for the management of the race, obviously the main favorite is Massimo Stano who, however, this year presents himself with a time of accreditation that is not particularly interesting (1:21:21) ; the race, however, is not won at the table, but on the race course.
His main opponent would be globe-trotter Perseus Karlstrom (1:19:25 in Eugene) in case he were to participate in this race as well.
But to get the victory both will have to fight to the end with the three Spaniards Alvaro Martin (1:20:19 in Eugene), Alberto Amezcua (1:20:44 in Eugene) and Diego Garcia Carrera who will certainly want to take revenge for the not good performance obtained in Oregon (1:23:21).
Outsiders we see Nils Brembach (GER), Karl Junghans (GER) and Francesco Fortunato (ITA) if he were to repeat the race made last year in Podebrady.
20km women
It should be a two-woman battle for gold between the Eugene 2022 world silver medalist, Katarzyna Zdzieblo (POL) and between the outgoing European Champion of Berlin 2018, Maria Perez (ESP).
The battle should be resolved on the edge of seconds, given that their accreditation time separates them by just nine seconds.
Then there remains the unknown for the Spaniard of the technical situation, given that this season she has had to deal several times with the jury's decisions that had not occurred in the past.
Then comes the chance of a lifetime for Valentina Trapletti (ITA) who has the third time of accreditation and who will have to contend with the young Saskia Feige (GER) who plays at home and is twelve years younger than her.
Another name that is unknown is that of Lyudmila Olyanovska (UKR) who does not have an accreditation time, but no one has any doubts about her racing skills.