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Preview U20 women 10km
Chloé Le Roch sits at the top of the entry list and heads to Brasília with the benefit of global experience. The 18-year-old set a French U20 record of 44:02 when finishing second at the European Race Walking Team Championships in Poděbrady last year and she was just 14 seconds off that mark when winning a national event in Lens last month.
Italy’s Serena Di Fabio also set a national record at the European Race Walking Team Championships last year, clocking 44:08 to finish one place behind Le Roch. She has gone close to that mark this year, too, winning her national title last month in 44:17. When she was 16-year-old, she finished seventh at the last edition of the World Race Walking Team Championships, clinching team bronze for Italy and achieving the leading individual performance by athletes eligible to return for this year’s edition.
China’s team boasts three of the six fastest women in the field. Wang Yaru, (3rd mark in entry list) Yang Yutong (5th) and Ni Lihua (6th) is the team with highest possibility to win the Team Gold. For silver and bronze the fight would be between Italy, Japan, Spain and Australia.
Preview U20 men 10km
Australia’s Isaac Beacroft will head to the Caixa World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Brasilia 26 as the defending champion and pre-event favourite in the U20 men’s 10km. On Jan 26, 2026 he obtained in AIS Athletics Track of Canberra (AUS) the mark of 38:54.11. This time that places him firmly at the top of the list of participants with more than 1 minute of advantage over the strongest of the Chinese Pu Huajia (40:02).
The fight to obtain team gold in U20 male 10km would be between China (Pu, Shi Chengxi and Zhang Haoze), Japan (Toshiya Inoue, Ryuta Tanaika and Daichi Yamada). For 3rd place on the podium the race is open between Italy (Alessio Coppola, Nicolò Vidal, Christian Cecchetto), Australia (Beacroft, John Ronan, Owen Toyne) and Spain (Cesar Hidalgo, Pablo Zarate)
Preview Marathon race walk men
A fascinating team battle is in prospect in the men’s marathon with several nations fielding closely matched squads.
China looks particularly well placed in that regard. The trio of Gao Yanlong, Wang Jinxi and He Xianghong have produced the three fastest performances of the season, led by Gao’s 3:02:50. Wang (3:03:23) and He (3:04:07) have also shown strong early-season form on the domestic circuit, and with all three capable of finishing well inside the top 10, China may be the team to beat.
Japan, silver medallists in the team standings at the last edition over 20km, once again field a balanced line-up led by Hayato Katsuki. The world 35km bronze medallist owns a lifetime best of 2:55:28 and he is supported by Kazuya Iwai (3:01:32) and Subaru Ishida (3:04;22), both of whom have shown solid domestic form and could play a crucial role in the team standings. Other possibility to win team medals are to Germany with Karl Junghannß (3:04:33) Christopher Linke (3:05:44) and Johannes Frenzl (3:10:09).
Spain hopes rest on José Manuel Perez (3:09:52), Manuel Bermudez (3:14:17) and Daniel Chamosa. Finally Italy hopes rest on Massimo Stano, world record-holder over 35km, Riccardo Orsoni, Andrea Agrusti (3:03:55).
Among the individual contenders we find, Perseus Karlstrom (3:04:50) and Aurélien Quinion.
Preview Marathon race walk women
Home hope Viviane Lyra and Ecuador’s Paula Torres will form part of an intriguing women’s marathon individual clash.
China top the entry list with five of the six fastest athletes so far this year and they will be powerful team contenders. Xi Ricuo leads the way after her 3:25:38 performance to finish third at the Chinese Race Walking Grand Prix in Taicang last month. Sangdan Quzhen (3:26:25), Zhang Jiahui (3:27:29), Asian Race Walking Championships silver medallist Li Yanhong (3:28:24) and Li Xinyu (3:28:49) filled the next four spots in that race and will want to build on those results in Brasília to win another team title.
Another team fighting for podium could be Ecuador with Paula Torres, Magaly Beatriz Bonilla £:34:11), Nathalie Leon (3:36:29), Johana Ordonez (3:38:13), Karla Yaramillo (3:46:42).
Dream of glory to Italy with Sofia Fiorini (3:27:17 and 3rd entry time) together with Eleonora Giorgi making her marathon race walk debut, Federica Curiazzi (3:41:43) and Lidia Barcella (3:47:27)
Preview Half Marathon race walk men
The men’s half marathon set to provide the most thrilling contest of the weekend.
At the centre of the individual battle is Brazil’s Caio Bonfim, the world 20km champion who will spearhead the home team. Competing on familiar roads and backed by home support, the Olympic silver medallist started his 2026 campaign with a comfortable half marathon victory in Brasilia. He followed that with a 1:21:44 half marathon PB to place fifth in Kobe in February, then was runner-up in Taicang in 1:23:00 last month.
Japan’s Toshikazu Yamanishi, a two-time world champion and the world record-holder for both 20km and the half marathon (1:20:34), will be particularly motivated.
Yamanishi is supported by a formidable Japanese squad, all of whom are currently in the top 10 in the world rankings: Kento Yoshikawa (1:20:50), Tomohiro Noda (1:20:57), Satoshi Maruo (1:21:25) and Kuzuki Takahashi (1:22:25). That depth makes Japan a clear favourite in the team standings as they seek to reclaim the title they last won in 2018. But the battle for team honours is expected to be intense, with defending champions Spain, along with China and Australia, all capable of mounting serious challenges. In particular China’s quartet of Zhao Xiangfei (1:23:10), Zhang Xinrui (1:23:14), Ding Shuo (1:23:28) and Cui Lihong (1:23:33) they could make it on to the team podium once more probably fighting against Australia with Declan Tingay (1:23:41), Will Thompson (1:24:04) and Rhydian Cowley (1:24:52) and against Spain lead by Diego Garcia Carrera (1:26:07), Alvaro Lopez (1:26:21), Miguel Angel Lopez (1:26:37), Paul McGrath (1:27:48) and Daniel Monfort (1:27:53).
Dream of glory to Italy with Francesco Fortunato, Gianluca Picchiottino (1:25:57), Andrea Cosi (1:28:51), Michele Antonelli (1:29:07) and Giuseppe Disabato (1:29:37).
Preview Half Marathon race walk women
Notably absent from the field are Spain’s double world champion María Pérez and Italy’s 2021 Olympic champion Antonella Palmisano, leaving the door open for new names to step on to the podium over the newly established distance. In fact the female half marathon race walk is a sense of unknown.
Among those leading the entries is Peru’s Kimberly García. García has made a strong start to 2026, setting a personal best of 1:34:17 at the Dudinská 50 in March, where she finished second. She arrives in Brasília as a clear medal contender.
Another Peruvian to watch is Evelyn Inga, who achieved a surprise victory in Dudince with a personal and South American best of 1:33:49.
With the top three finishers from each nation counting towards the team result, China will have their sights set on the team title. The main opponents are Spain, France, Peru, Australia and Japan.
Judging team
José Lulio Dias (POR): Chief Judge
Anne Froberg (FIN): Judge
Dolores Rojas (ESP) : Judge
Frederic Bianchi (SUI): Judge
Jean-Pierre Dahm (FRA) – Judge
Jeffrey Salvage (USA) – Judge
Rolf Müller (GER): Judge
Shaun Gallagher (IRL): Judge
Steve Taylor (GBR): Judge
Chief Judge Assistants
Bernadete Conte (BRA)
Nilton Ferst (BRA)
Recorder
Guilherme Guarini (BRA)
Recorder Assistants Penality Zone
Diego Dadin (USA)
Laura Pop (ROU)
Susan Heiser (USA)
Technical Delegate
Jefferson Perez (ECU)
Jury of Appeal
Luis Saladie (ESP)
Jane Saville (AUS)
Tim Berret (CAN)
Entry lists