This year the 20km races in Taicang will play an important role in China’s team selection process for the IAAF World Championships London 2017 and nearly all the elite walkers of the country, except for reigning Olympic gold medallists Wang Zhen and Liu Hong,
20km men
The men's field should be at the start:
Chen Ding that unfortunately in the last three years has been a bit beleaguered by injuries and he never managed to bring in a personal best of 1:17:40 got right in Taicang on March 30, 2012
These are his best performances of the last three years
Cai Zelin coming from silver of Rio de Janeiro and this year they want to focus in the Chinese Games
These are his best performances of the last three years
| Season | Result | Venue | Date |
| | | | |
| 2014 | 1:18:52 | Taicang (CHN) | 04.05.2014 |
| 2015 | 1:19:45 | La Coruna (ESP) | 06.06.2015 |
| 2016 | 1:19:26 | Rio de Janeiro (BRA) | 12.08.2016 |
The new rising star of the Chinese race walk Wang Kaihua that won in Huangshan setting the personal best of 1:17:54 which currently represents the best world performance.
These are his best performances of the last three years
| Season | Result | Venue | Date |
| | | | |
| 2014 | 1:26:54 | Changbaishan (CHN) | 13.09.2014 |
| 2015 | 1:19:49 | Changbaishan (CHN) | 06.09.2015 |
| 2016 | 1:19:51 | Huangshan (CHN) | 05.03.2016 |
| 2017 | 1:17:54 | Huangshan (CHN) | 04.03.2017 |
Among the foreign participants the biggest danger for the hosts is certainly Dane Bird-Smith (AUS) with a personal best of 1:19:37 set in Rio Janeiro and behind Wang Chen and Cai Zelin.
These are his best performances of the last three years
| Season | Result | Venue | Date |
| | | | |
| 2014 | 1:20:27 | Taicang (CHN) | 04.05.2014 |
| 2015 | 1:20:05 | La Coruna (ESP) | 06.06.2015 |
| 2016 | 1:19:37 | Rio de Janeiro (BRA) | 12.08.2016 |
| 2017 | 1:19:37 | Adelaide (AUS) | 19.02.2017 |
We used the conditional tense as some local news outlet does not give the certainty of the presence the presence of these four athletes in the race, which, in fact, are not currently in the start list as confirmed athletes.
Instead at the start should be present Hyunsub Kim (KOR), Pedro Daniel Gomez (MEX), Ever Palma (MEX) and Perseus Karlstrom (SWE) among the most famous athletes.
20km women
The women's field should be at the start:
Lu Xiuzhi that will certainly be the attraction of the race.
For years Xiuzhi Lu (CHN) is on Chinese soil the strongest rival of Liu Hong and her personal best dates back to 2015 when in Beijing on March 20, 2015 in the test event for the 2015 World Championships won in 1:25:12, inflicting to Liu Hong the only defeat of that magical season just started in Beijing and ended with the Rio de Janeiro Games (in Rome and La Coruna, then deleted for Higenanime matter, Liu had still won).
Lu Xiuzhi comes from the bronze of Rio de Janeiro and will certainly win at home.
Opposing principal will be Erica De Sena (BRA) and Alana Barber (NZL), but also teammates Wang Na (CHN) and Yingliu Wang (CHN).
Full start list and daily competition schedule click here