The IAAF Race Walking Challenge Final was an annual

racewalking Racewalking, or race walking, is a long-distance discipline within the sport of athletics. Although a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times. Referee, Race judges careful ...

competition organised by the

International Association of Athletics Federations World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

(IAAF). It served as the culmination of the

IAAF Race Walking Challenge The World Athletics Challenge - Race Walking (formerly ''IAAF Race Walking Challenge'') is a racewalking series organised by World Athletics. Athletes accumulate points in specific race walk meetings during the season. Performances in 10 kilomet ...

series from 2007 to 2012. It featured a men's and a women's

20 kilometres race walk The 20 kilometre race walk is an Olympic Games, Olympic athletics (sport), athletics event that is competed by both men and women. The racewalking event is competed as a road race. Athletes must always keep in contact with the ground and the supp ...

. Any athlete could compete at the final, though to be eligible for the series prize money pot of US$202,000 a minimum of four finishes at Race Walking Challenge meetings held that year was required. If the points winner of the Race Walking Challenge series did not compete at the final, their prize money was halved. At the first final in 2007 Russia's

Vladimir Kanaykin Vladimir Alekseevich Kanaykin (russian: Владимир Алексеевич Канайкин; born 21 March 1985) is a Russian race walker. Career He won the 2002 World Junior Championships in the 10 km race, took the silver medal at the ...

broke the men's

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

with a time of 1:17:16 hours while his compatriot

Olga Kaniskina Olga Nikolayevna Kaniskina (russian: О́льга Никола́евна Кани́ськина; born January 19, 1985 in Napolnaya Tavla, Kochkurovsky District, Mordovian ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union) is a Russian coach and former race ...

took the women's race with the best time of the season (1:26:47). Neither was eligible for the series title.Warburton, Paul (2007-09-29)
Kanaykin sets world 20km record at IAAF Race Walking Challenge final
World Athletics. Retrieved 2020-02-15.Adams and Turava top 2007 IAAF Race Walking Challenge standings
World Athletics (2007-10-03). Retrieved 2020-02-15. Spain's

Paquillo Fernández Francisco Javier Fernández Peláez (born 6 March 1977 in Guadix, Province of Granada, Andalusia), better known as Paquillo Fernández, is a retired Spanish race walker. He specialized in the 20 km race walk. On 27 July 2008 he set a new 10 ...

and Portuguese Susana Feitor won the 2008 final, but again neither topped the overall ranking.Warburton, Paul (2008-09-21)
Fernandez and Feitor take Murcia wins; Overall titles for Tallent & Plätzer – Race Walking Challenge Final
World Athletics. Retrieved 2020-02-15. The 2009 final was amended to a

10 kilometres race walk The 10 kilometres race walk, or 10-kilometer racewalk, is a racewalking event. The event is competed as a road race. Athletes must always keep in contact with the ground and the supporting leg must remain straight until the raised leg passes it ...

format and home Russian athletes

Andrey Ruzavin Andrey Viktorovich Ruzavin (russian: Андрея Викторович Рузавин; born 28 March 1986) is a Russian racewalking athlete who competes over the 20 kilometres race walk distance. He has a personal best of 1:17:47 hours for the dis ...

(38:17) and

Tatyana Mineyeva Tatyana Nikolaevna Mineyeva (russian: Татьяна Николаевна Минеева; born 10 August 1990) is a Russian female former racewalking athlete. She won age category titles at international level, including the World Junior Champion ...

(42:04) set world under-20 and European under-20 records on the way to their victories (again, neither was a series winner).Dolgopolov, Nickolai & Orlov, Rostislav (2009-09-19)
Double Russian success as junior records fall in Saransk; challenge titles for Plätzer and Sanchez
World Athletics. Retrieved 2020-02-15. The 10 km format continued from the fourth final in 2010 onwards and again the races were won by non-series winners ( Wang Zhen and Tatyana Sibileva).Jalava, Mirko (2010-09-18)
Teenager Zhen Wang blazes 37:44 over 10Km in Beijing – IAAF Race Walking Challenge Final
World Athletics. Retrieved 2020-02-15. At the fifth final in 2011 Russia's

Valeriy Borchin Valeriy Viktorovich Borchin (russian: Вале́рий Ви́кторович Бо́рчин; born 11 September 1986) is a race walker from Russia who won the 2008 Olympic gold medal and was World champion over the 20 km distance. His Worl ...

and

became the first athletes to win both the final race and the overall series,Warburton, Paul (2011-09-17)
Borchin and Kaniskina cruise to victories in La Coruna - IAAF Race Walking Challenge Final
World Athletics. Retrieved 2020-02-15. a feat which was repeated by Wang Zhen and Liu Hong at the sixth and last edition of the final.Jalava, Mirko (2012-09-04)
Wang Zhen and Liu Hong lead strong showing for hosts in Erdos – IAAF Race Walking Challenge Final - REPORT
World Athletics. Retrieved 2020-02-15. Kaniskina and Wang were the only athletes to win the final on multiple occasions. Russia had the most success, taking seven of the twelve men's and women's titles, followed by China with three winners. The final format was removed for the 2013 IAAF Race Walking Challenge, as the series changed focus to incorporate international championships into the point-scoring circuit.2013 IAAF Race Walking Challenge
IAAF. Retrieved 2019-10-19.

Editions

References

{{Defunct athletics competitions Racewalking competitions

Final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

Recurring sporting events established in 2007 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 2012 Defunct athletics competitions