It consists of moving forward as fast as possible respecting the technique without running. For this, the athletes need to intersperse their steps and speeds during the competition. One of its particularities, is that it always needs to have a foot in contact with the floor, since If not, its considered a run.
Athletics is the sport that gave rise to the first Olympic Games in Ancient Greece. And centuries after that, different categories of athletics have been present from the Games at Athens in 1896. Race walking was incorporated into the programme a few years later.
Race walking began to be practiced in England at the end of the 18th century and operated in a very similar way to current competitions. Athletes marched outdoors and with the public cheering on the sides. The success was such that it quickly spread throughout the rest of the European continent. Only at the 1908 Games in London the men's category was included. Women had to wait until Barcelona 1992.
In the case of the Pan American Games, race walking has been part of it since the first edition: Buenos Aires 1951.
Mexico is the delegation that leads the medal table, with 19 golds.
In race walking, the main rule is to keep permanent contact with the ground. While the athlete is in competition, their feet should be seen constantly touching the surface. Running is not permitted.
There are also specific rules regarding the movement of the legs. When they touch the ground they should be straight; that is, you should not bend your knees as if you were running.
During the race, there are judges who closely monitor the behavior and compliance with the rules by the athletes. These warn them in case of committing an infraction. To do this, they have yellow warning palettes and, in the event of committing a foul, the red color palette is shown. According to the number of infractions, the athlete must enter the penalty zone where he or she must wait for a while before returning to the competition. The amount of time is determined by the judges.
At the national level, the record in race walking is held by Anastasia Sanzana Beratto, who has the best marks in the U18, U20, U23 and all competitor categories. She is considered one of the best walkers in the history of Chile and a future medal option for the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.
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