If we look at the ranking and lists of the World Athletics in the women's walk, we find that China monopolizes six of the first eleven positions.

Seeing in Italy, in Saluzzo, in training three of these six athletes is, in recent years, something quite normal, although the strongest Liu Hong was missing from 2017 to 2019.

Liu Hong needs no introduction, he has won everything, with a textbook walk grazing to the ground, but above all with a mental malice that hardly leaves an escape.

Sandro Damilano told the other athletes that if you are 100% fit in a World Championship or an Olympiad you can get a medal, but to beat Liu Hong in form, anyone must be at 110% or more.

But the two adversaries that have beaten Liu in very important occasions are with her in Saluzzo to train for this early season.

They are Qieyang Shenjie who beat her at the London 2012 Olympic Games and then had a bad period of technical involution which was resolved only at the end of 2015 when she decided to come to train in Italy, and Lu Xiuzhi of whom we remember the dashing arrival at the Chinese Games (the Olympics of the Provinces of China, a competition almost as much as the Olympic Games for Chinese athletes) which relegated an amazed Liu Hong to silver. Lu Xiuzhi comes from a 2019 in which first injuries and a serious family mourning then put obstacles on his program.

The fourth athlete in the group is the very young Ma Zhenxia, ​​perhaps one of the most beautiful walk paces that can currently be seen on the world women's scene. She is the same age as Yang Liujing, who came to bronze in Doha, and is the sixth in the ranking of the World Athletics (Yuang Liujing is tenth)

But in Saluzzo there are also four men.

The veteran Cai Zelin, silver in Rio de Janeiro on 20km, who this year in Doha had to abandon and wants to return to the team in Tokyo/Sapporo 2020.

Zhang Yun, another handsome young man from 1998, who won the silver medal at the U18 World Championships in Cali 2015, sixth at the Universiade di Napoli 2019 and one of the few athletes who can compete against the overwhelming power of the Japanese ages.

Finally, Wang Qin and Wang Rui specialists of the 50km who boast of respectable performances: Wang Qin (3:38:02) and Wang Rui (3:42:08)

The group is completed with the coaches supporting Sandro Damilano:

Wang Yinhang, nicknamed “Felice” for his eternal smile, former athlete in 50km (PB: 3:48:11) and Sun Chao, who ranged between 20km (PB: 1:20:15) and 50km (arriving 7th in the World Championships in Osaka 2007).

The season starts early this year and Lorenzo Tanaceto journalist of La Stampa went to Saluzzo to interview Sandro Damilano on programs and goals.

The occasion of this interview was also to ask the Italian-Chinese coach to retrace his career with particular regard to the medals he won (men and women) in the "Major Events" both with Italy and with China.

Concluding the interview we note that, lhe objective of the first part of the seasonal training is aimed at the selection of China for the Olympic Games to be held in Huangshan (CHN) on February 29 - March 1.

It will not be easy to qualify, but it will also be possible to be selected for the World Cup in Minsk in May.

Sandro Damilano in the interview says: "It will be a crucial stage. the Chinese selections of race walk can be compared to the US speed trials: there are so many specialists, it is necessary to compare oneself"

At the beginning of January the group will move to the Ligurian Riviera in San Lorenzo, for years a training center on a bike path that goes as far as Sanremo. There will also be technical checks with the presence of judges.

Lorenzo Tanaceto's interview also touches on the topic of the day (the decision of the Swiss Federation Court), on which, for the avoidance of incorrect interpretations, we refer to the Press page of December 12 (click here).

(photos by Paolo Costa, ITA)