Walking Events at the Olympics
The 20km for both men and women and the mixed marathon relay are contested as part of the track and field discipline during the Olympics (previously the 50km walk for men was also held).
There has been some form of a walking race held in every Olympics since 1904, though the early events were held over varying distances. See more information about the discontinued walking events at the Olympics.
20km walk event
The men's event was introduced in 1956 and the women's 20km event was first held at the 2000 Sydney Olympics (women raced over 10km in 1992 and 1996).
racewalkers50km walk event
The 50km walk event was introduced into the Olympics in 1932. Robert Korzeniowski, who won the gold medal in three consecutive Olympics, 1996, 2000 and 2004, is the most notable athlete of the event. No other man has won the gold medal more than once. The 50km has been removed from the Olympic Games athletics program, starting in 2024 (replaced with the mixed relay).
Mixed Relay
A new marathon race walk event will make its debut at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, replacing the men's 50km race walk. This new event will feature 25 teams, each comprising one male and one female athlete. Each team member will compete two legs of just over 10km each, alternating male, female, male, female, for a complete marathon distance of 42.2km / 26.2 miles.
Related Pages
- Long-distance events at the Olympics
- Discontinued walking events at the Olympics
- Marathon at the Olympics
- About Track and Field at the Olympics
- The Greatest T&F Athletes at the Olympics.
- List of Olympic Sports
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