Before analyzing data for the third decade under review, although we are still in the process, we can frame the speeds expressed in km/h and averaged over the first 20 athletes.
It is only good to remember that the average speeds obtained by athletes during 2016 do not take into account the performance of Russian athletes.
| Speed | 20km - Men | 50km - Men | 20km - Women |
| | | | |
| Minimum | 14,93 km/h (2010) | 13,14 km/h (2010) | 13,50 km/h (2010) |
| 2010 | minimum | minimum | minimum |
| 2011 | 15,02 km/h | 13,38 km/h | 13,58 km/h |
| 2012 | 15,20 km/h | maximum | maximum |
| 2013 | 15,08 km/h | 13,41 km/h | 13,65 km/h |
| 2014 | 15,08 km/h | 13,48 km/h | 13,65 km/h |
| 2015 | maximum | 13,35 km/h | maximum |
| 2016 | 15,11 km/h | 13,44 km/h | 13,57 km/h |
| Maximum | 15,25 km/h (2015) | 13,55 km/h (2012) | 13,78 km/h (2012-2015) |
Evoluzione nel periodo 2010 - 2017
| Competizione | Athletes at the Start | Red Cards issued | % on athletes |
| | | | |
| London 2012 | 180 | 124 | 68,89% |
| 50km Men | 63 | 50 | 79,37% |
| 20km Men | 56 | 37 | 66,07% |
| 20km Women | 61 | 37 | 60,66% |
| | | | |
| Rio de Janeiro 2016 | 228 | 175 | 76,75% |
| 50km Men | 80 | 60 | 75,00% |
| 20km Men | 74 | 60 | 81,08% |
| 20km Women | 74 | 55 | 74,32% |
| | | | |
| Total in Olympic from 2011 to 2017 | 408 | 299 | 73,28% |
| 50km Men | 143 | 110 | 76,92% |
| 20km Men | 130 | 97 | 74,62% |
| 20km Women | 135 | 92 | 68,15% |
The first answers we have from reading this table tell us that:
- The number of athletes participating in the Olympic Games had a major increase during this period.
This is an important consideration because it means that new Countries have faced international limelight.
From Barcelona 1992, race walking has always witnessed a numerical increase in participation, except for 2004 and 2008 compared to Sydney, where we have witnessed constant values. The increase in 24 years is 76.74% (129 athletes in 1992 and 228 athletes in 2016).
We believe that a few specialties of the Olympic program can boast such vivacity performances.
- The 50km continues to be judged more rigorously by juries than the two fastest races, but less than the previous decade.
Of particular interest, however, is the decrease in the percentage of red cards on the number of athletes obtained in London 2012, despite a nearly constant average speed (13,55 km/h compared to 13,56 km/h in the previous decade)
- the average speed of the top 20 athletes on the distance of 20km women has increased (minimum of 13,50 km/h in 2010 compared with 13,49 km/h in the previous decade and maximum of 13,78 km/h in 2012 and 2015 compared with 13,67 km/h in the previous decade), and explains the increase in female rigor (2000-2009: 59.20% over the 2010-2017 period: 68.15%), but that it is always lower than the male one.
- in the 20km of men there is a nearly constant trend of red cards for all athletes (2000-2009: 72.92% over the period 2010-2017: 74.62%), which can also be explained by the almost constant correlation of average speed of the top 20 athletes
Red cards for bent knee and loss of contact
| Competition | Red Cards | Bent Knee | % | Loss of Contact | % |
| | | | | | |
| London 2012 | 124 | 34 | 27,42% | 90 | 72,58% |
| 50km Men | 50 | 24 | 48,00% | 26 | 52,00% |
| 20km Men | 37 | 5 | 13,51% | 32 | 86,49% |
| 20km Women | 37 | 5 | 13,51% | 32 | 86,49% |
| | | | | | |
| Rio de Janeiro 2016 | 175 | 63 | 36,00% | 112 | 64,00% |
| 50km Men | 60 | 36 | 60,00% | 24 | 40,00% |
| 20km Men | 60 | 14 | 23,33% | 46 | 76,67% |
| 20km Women | 55 | 13 | 23,64% | 42 | 76,36% |
| | | | | | |
| Total in Olympic from 2011 to 2017 | 299 | 97 | 32,44% | 202 | 67,56% |
| 50km Men | 110 | 60 | 54,55% | 50 | 45,45% |
| 20km Men | 97 | 19 | 19,59% | 78 | 80,41% |
| 20km Women | 92 | 18 | 19,57% | 74 | 80,43% |
If Sydney had been the Olmpiade of the turn, it was the same in London 2012.
- in the 50km the jury detects a substantial parity in errors (52% for lack of contact and 48% for knee release.
- in the two 20km the most sanctioned mistake is loss of contact (86.49%)
We have already said that new athletes from new Countries have been looking at the Olympic landscape in recent years. Now the consideration we make that they already look sufficiently prepared not only in organic terms, but also in technical terms.
Let us remind you that the error of bent knee is the hardest to correct at the technical level, and to observe a lower number of red cards for bent knee can only do a great pleasure.
Another consideration derived from the analysis of the table above is that of the percentage of error detected by the judges in the two 20km races.
London and Rio de Janeiro show almost identical percentages. Workers can not go unnoticed, but above all, also have a favorable impact if viewed from the point of view of the homogeneity of judgment. We only remind ourselves that the two Olympic judges team were formed by 5/8 by the same judges and only 3 out of 8 were the turn over. It is clear that this consideration can only be positive.
Final considerations
We have statistically cleared the last 25 years of Olympic race walk. Our goal was to imagine if the prospect for judges might be that of a future increase in bent knee sanctions or those for loss of contact.
| Competition | Red Cards | Bent Knee | % | Loss of Contact | % |
| | | | | | |
| Overall Olympics from 1992 | 903 | 353 | 39,09% | 550 | 60,91% |
| 50km Men | 349 | 202 | 57,88% | 147 | 42,12% |
| 20km Men | 286 | 83 | 29,02% | 203 | 70,98% |
| 20km Women | 268 | 68 | 25,37% | 200 | 74,63% |
1.- The bent knee is weighed, as a technical error, just under 40% and at the opposite, loss of contacts weighs just over 60%
2.- The bent knee is much more highlighted in the 50km where it represents almost 60%, but on certain occasions (i.e.: after changing the rule in 1996) it was by far the dominant error.
3.- In the two 20km races there is very little difference in discrimination between men and women. The two technical errors are highlighted in the same way regardless of sex.
We have no difficulty in affirming that, in our opinion, the present reality and we also think that the future might reserve the following: