World’s Best Walkers set their sights on Turin

MonacoThe 20th edition of the IAAF World Race Walking Cup takes place in the Northern Italian city of Turin on 12-13 October.

This competition is the last IAAF World Athletics Series event of 2002, the year of the IAAF’s 90th Jubilee.

The last IAAF World Athletic Series event of 2002, is taking place in this famous city, not only because this part of Italy has always been recognised as a cradle of world class race walkers, but because Turin is now an Olympic city in waiting. The "city centre" nature of this event will also showcase the magnificent architecture of the Piedmont capital, and should provide superb TV images, just as was the case in 1997 when the IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held in Turin's Valentino Park. The course has been especially designed so as to attract the maximum number of spectators.

The IAAF World Race Walking Cup is the most important rendezvous for international walkers, with men's races of 50km and 20km and a women's race of 20km. A total of $210,000 is available in individual prize money (on a sliding scale from $30,000 for 1st to $3000 for 6th) and another $157,500 for teams (from $15,000 for 1st to $3,000 for 6th).

Amongst the final entries now being processed by the IAAF, are strong teams from the traditionally powerful walking nations: Russia, Mexico, China, Spain and the host nation Italy.

Amongst the defending champions from the last edition of this competition in Mezidon-Canon, only the men’s 50km winner, Sergey Korepanov (KAZ) is entered for Turin. But most of the top protagonists of last year’s IAAF World Championships in Edmonton will be going for gold. Russia’s Ivanova Olimpiada, the 2001 World Champion, is the favourite in the Women’s 20 km, while in the men’s event Russia’s 2001 World gold and bronze medallists, Roman Rasskazov and Viktor Burayev, will be aiming to complete another Russian medal sweep. The 1996 Olympic champion at 20km, Jefferson Perez of Ecuador, will also be in Turin. Of the men’s 50km contenders, the silver and bronze medalists from Edmonton, Angel Garcia of Spain, and Edgar Hernandez of Mexico, are the leading favourites.

For more information check out: http://www.walkwc2002.com/
Or contact: IAAF Communications: +377 93 10 88 88
Live reports and results will be available on http://www.iaaf.org