Jefferson Perez in action (© Getty Images Mike Finn-Kelcey)
Lisbon, PortugalAfter Tijuana (Mexico), the Portuguese city of Rio Maior will host this Saturday afternoon, 5 April, the second event of the IAAF Race Walking Challenge 2003, which will culminate at the World Championships in Paris (August).
The organisers of the 12th edition of the Rio Maior International Race Grand Prix has already confirmed the presence of some of the top world walking race athletes: Jefferson Perez (Equator), 1996 Olympic champion; Aigards Fadejevs (Latvia), bronze medallist in Sydney 2000; Juan Molina (Spain), 8th place in the world performance lists 2002; and João Vieira (Portugal), 13th also in the 2002 performance lists.
The women's event should also be closely contested with Maria Vasco (Spain) the title holder and bronze medallist in Sydney 2000; Elizabetta Perrone (Italy), silver medallist in Atlanta 1996; and Elisa Rigaudo (also from Italy), the under-23 European champion. These are only some of the athletes that will be competing in Rio Maior.
Susana Feitor, the main Portuguese race walker and local athlete, will not participate in this second stage of the challenge due to a left leg injury.
Both races will be performed in a 20 km circuit on the streets of Rio Maior, a city situated at about 100 km from Lisbon, the Portuguese capital.
In association with this competition, the Portuguese Athletics Federation will also stage a forum for coaches led by the Italian Antonio la Torre, the accredited coach of some of the world’s best race walkers. The following subjects will be in discussion: "the young race walker", “training up for a promising future", "staged training" and "current trends in coaching".