Defending 20km race walk champion Maria Guadalupe Gonzalez leads Mexico’s team for the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Taicang 2018 on 5-6 May.

The 29-year-old made her global championships debut at the 2014 edition of this event, also held in Taicang, where she set a Mexican record of 1:28:48. She won in Rome two years later (actually she had come second, but the disqualification for a month for Liu Hong's higenamine earned her gold) in a continental record of 1:26:17 and went on to earn silver medals at the 2016 Olympic Games and 2017 World Championships.

Valeria Ortuno, who took bronze in the U20 race in Rome two years ago, will also contest the 20km in what will be her senior championships debut.

Horacio Nava, the 2011 Pan-American Games 50km champion, chooses to compete on the lower distance to form part of a strong quintet in the men’s 20km. He will be joined by Jose Luis Doctor, Jose Ojeda, Ricardo Ortiz and Isaac Palma.