Arrived near the end of the year now opens the season of list and rankings.

To be fair we had already anticipated in part this stage of the year with the preparation of our ranking female (see news of October 30, 2015  click here) and that of men (see news of 3 November 2015  click here).

Speed performances in male Race Walking

Like every year at this time in the section Statistics have been published updated charts of the speed performances in race walking  from 1994 to 2015:

- 20 Km. Men - best (1994-2015)

- 20 Km. Men - average of the first 20 (1994-2015)

- 50 Km. Men - best (1994-2015)

- 50 Km. Men - average of the first 20 (1994-2015)

50 km men

Last year we witnessed the exploit of the stratospheric increase in the average speed of the athlete peak in the 50 km road walk with the new world record achieved in Zurich by Johann Diniz to 14.11 km/h.

2015, as expected, gave us a slight decrease and the same stood at 13.98 km/h with 3:34:38 obtained by Matej Toth in Dudince (SVK) on March 21, 2015.

Despite this decline, the performance of the new world champion of Beijing, is the third average best speed ever on 50 km after Diniz, last year, and that obtained by Denis Nizhegorodov (14.01 km/h) obtained in Cheboksary during the World Cup in 2008 (3:34:14).

The three fastest races of the year in the 50 km have been in Dudince, that of the World Championships in Beijing and that of the European Race Walk Cup in March in Murcia.

Their technical level has meant that the average speed of the top 20 athletes, which has stood at 13.35 Km/h.

Last year we wrote that "the difference between the speed of the season leader and that of the average of the first 20 (which was before, approximately constant around 0.33 to 0.35 km./h) is now increased to 0.63 Km/h, a differential which we believe will remain so for a long time”.

We were promptly proven wrong in the last part of our statement of that time: the difference between the speed of the leader and that of the average of the top 20, in the course of 2015 has once again the same of 0.63 (13.98 km/h of leader season against 13.35 km/h average of the top 20 athletes).

In the first 20 athletes over the distance we register the following countries:

- China: with 4 athletes (but with 6 performances)

- Japan: 3 athletes

- Russia: 3 athletes

- Poland: 2 athletes

- Slovakia: 1 athlete (but with 2 performances)

- Ireland: with 1 athlete (but with 2 performances)

- Followed by Australia, Ecuador, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand and Spain with 1 athlete each.

20 km men

What it had not happened in the 20 km in 2014 happened this year.

Between February 15, 2015 and March 15, 2015 has changed the history of road walk on Olympic faster distance.

We begin with the results of Kobe (JPN) February 15, 2015 when Eiki Takahashi with a time of 1:18.03 sets a new Japan record on the distance, in front of Yusuke Suzuki (1:18:13).

After three weeks in Arles (FRA) Yohann Diniz broke the old world record with a time of 1:17:02.

Another seven days and in Nomi (JPN) during the Asian Race Walking Championships of 20 km Yusuke Suzuki became the first man in the world (excluding the result of Sergey Morozov - RUS of June 8, 2008) to finish under the barrier of 1.17:00 and also improving the time Morozov with his 1:16:36.

Unfortunately, in Beijing in 2015 Yohann Diniz will not compete, due to injury, and Yusuke Suzuki and Eiki Takahashi did not repeat their fine early-season tests (DNF the first, and ending, for the honor of signing in 47th place in 1:28:30 the second).

The three fastest race of the year in 20 km have been precisely that of Nomi (with six athletes under 1:20:00), that of Arles and that of Lugano, March 15, 2015, when Yohann Diniz finished the race with his second best season time (1:17:24).

In terms of athletics  consistency as well as what was said on Suzuki and Diniz, we like to underline the following:

- Wang Zhen (CHN) three times under 1:20:00: in La Coruna (1:18:00 on June 06, 2015), in Beijing on March 20, 2015 and August 23, 2015 (both in 1:19:29)

- Miguel Angel Lopez (ESP) three times under 1:20:00: in Beijing on August 23, 2015 (1:19:14), in Renteria (ESP) on March 22, 2015 and in Murcia (ESP) on 05.17.2015 (both in 1:19: 52)

- Chen Ding (CHN) twice under 1:20:00: in La Coruna (1:18:44 on June 6, 2015) and Taicang (1:19:53 on May 01, 2015)

The average speed of the "best athlete" (15,67 km/h) and that of the "best 20" (15.25 km/h) have become the best ever.

In the first 20 athletes over the distance we register that the following countries:

- Japan: with 7 athletes (but with 9 performances)

- China: with 4 athletes (but with 9 performances)

- Russia: 3 athletes

- France: with two athletes (but with 3 performances)

- Spain: with 1 athlete (but with 4 performances)

- Followed by Australia, Canada, Korea, all with one athlete.