20 kilometres race walk
The 20 kilometre race walk is an Olympic 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 supporting leg must remain straight until the raised leg passes it.
World records
The men's world record for the 20 km race walk is held by Yusuke Suzuki, who walked 1:16:36 at the Asian Race Walking Championships in his home town of Nomi, Japan. Suzuki's new World Record came exactly one week after Yohann Diniz's mark who walked a then record time of 1:17:02 in Arles at the 2015 French championships. The women's world record of 1:23:49 was set by Yang Jiayu of China in 2021. Russian Elena Lashmanova, has served a previous ban for doping, currently holds a quicker time of 1:23:39 which is also the European record, but it has never been ratified as a world record.All-time top 25
Men
- Correct as of February 2025.
| Time | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | |||
| 1 | 1 | 1:16:10 | Toshikazu Yamanishi | 16 February 2025 | Kobe | ||
| 2 | 2 | 1:16:36 | Yusuke Suzuki | 15 March 2015 | Nomi | ||
| 3 | 3 | 1:16:43 | Sergey Morozov | 8 June 2008 | Saransk | ||
| 4 | 4 | 1:16:51 | Koki Ikeda | 18 February 2024 | Kobe | ||
| 5 | 5 | 1:16:54 | Kaihua Wang | 20 March 2021 | Huangshan | ||
| 6 | 6 | 1:17:02 | Yohann Diniz | 8 March 2015 | Arles | ||
| 7 | 1:17:15 | Yamanishi #2 | 17 March 2019 | Nomi | |||
| 7 | 8 | 1:17:16 | Vladimir Kanaykin | 29 September 2007 | Saransk | ||
| 9 | 1:17:20 | Yamanishi #3 | 21 February 2021 | Kobe | |||
| 8 | 10 | 1:17:21 | Jefferson Pérez | 22 August 2003 | Stade de France, Paris-St-Denis | ||
| 9 | 11 | 1:17:22 | Francisco Javier Fernandez | 28 April 2002 | Turku | ||
| 10 | 12 | 1:17:23 | Vladimir Stankin | 28 February 2004 | Adler, Sochi | ||
| 13 | 1:17:24 | Diniz #2 | 15 March 2015 | Lugano | |||
| 11 | 13 | 1:17:24 | Masatora Kawano | 17 March 2019 | Nomi | ||
| 12 | 13 | 1:17:24 | Satoshi Maruo | 16 February 2025 | Kobe | ||
| 13 | 16 | 1:17:25 | Sergey Shirobokov | 9 June 2018 | Cheboksary | ||
| 15 | 1:17:25 | Ikeda#2 | 17 March 2019 | Nomi | |||
| 14 | 18 | 1:17:26 | Eiki Takahashi | 18 February 2018 | Kobe | ||
| 14 | 18 | 1:17:26 | Massimo Stano | 3 March 2024 | Taicang | ||
| 14 | 18 | 1:17:26 | Jun Zhang | 3 March 2024 | Taicang | ||
| 17 | 21 | 1:17:32 | Álvaro Martín | 19 August 2023 | Budapest | ||
| 18 | 22 | 1:17:33 | Nathan Deakes | 23 April 2005 | Cixi City | ||
| 23 | 1:17:36 | Kanaykin #2 | 17 June 2007 | Cheboksary | |||
| 19 | 24 | 1:17:36 | Zhen Wang | 30 March 2012 | Taicang | ||
| 24 | 1:17:36 | Yamanishi #4 | 18 February 2018 | Kobe | |||
| 20 | 1:17:37 | Caio Bonfim | 16 February 2025 | Kobe | |||
| 21 | 1:17:38 | Valeriy Borchin | 28 February 2009 | Adler, Sochi | |||
| 22 | 1:17:38 | Kento Yoshikawa | 16 February 2025 | Kobe | |||
| 23 | 1:17:39 | Zelin Cai | 20 March 2021 | Huangshan | |||
| 24 | 1:17:39 | Perseus Karlström | 19 August 2023 | Budapest | |||
| 25 | 1:17:40 | Ding Chen | 30 March 2012 | Taicang |
Women
- Correct as of September 2025.
| Time | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | |||
| 1 | 1 | 1:23:39 | Yelena Lashmanova | 9 June 2018 | Cheboksary | ||
| 2 | 2 | 1:23:49 | Yang Jiayu | 20 March 2021 | Huangshan | ||
| 3 | 3 | 1:24:27 | Hong Liu | 20 March 2021 | Huangshan | ||
| 4 | 1:24:31 | Lashmanova #2 | 18 February 2019 | Sochi | |||
| 5 | 1:24:38 | Liu #2 | 6 June 2015 | La Coruna | |||
| 4 | 6 | 1:24:45 | Shijie Qieyang | 20 March 2021 | Huangshan | ||
| 5 | 7 | 1:24:47 | Elmira Alembekova | 27 February 2015 | Sochi | ||
| 6 | 8 | 1:24:50 | Olimpiada Ivanova | 4 March 2001 | Adler, Sochi | ||
| 7 | 9 | 1:24:56 | Olga Kaniskina | 28 February 2009 | Adler, Sochi | ||
| 10 | 1:24:58 | Lashmanova #3 | 25 June 2016 | Cheboksary | |||
| 8 | 11 | 1:25:03 | Marina Novikova | 27 February 2015 | Sochi | ||
| 9 | 12 | 1:25:04 | Svetlana Vasilyeva | 27 February 2015 | Sochi | ||
| 10 | 13 | 1:25:08 | Vera Sokolova | 26 February 2011 | Sochi | ||
| 14 | 1:25:11 | Kaniskina #2 | 23 February 2008 | Adler, Sochi | |||
| 11 | 14 | 1:25:11 | Anisiya Kornikova-Kirdyapkina | 20 February 2010 | Sochi | ||
| 12 | 16 | 1:25:12 | Xiuzhi Lyu | 20 March 2015 | Beijing | ||
| 17 | 1:25:16 | Qieyang #2 | 11 August 2012 | Olympic Stadium, London | |||
| 13 | 18 | 1:25:18 | Tatyana Gudkova | 19 May 2000 | Moskva | ||
| 18 | 1:25:18 | Lashmanova #4 | 18 February 2017 | Sochi | |||
| 14 | 20 | 1:25:20 | Olga Polyakova | 19 May 2000 | Moskva | ||
| 15 | 21 | 1:25:22 | Yekaterina Medvedeva | 18 February 2017 | Sochi | ||
| 22 | 1:25:26 | Sokolova #2 | 28 February 2009 | Adler, Sochi | |||
| 22 | 1:25:26 | Kornikova-Kirdyapkina #2 | 28 February 2009 | Adler, Sochi | |||
| 24 | 1:25:27 | Alembekova #2 | 18 February 2012 | Sochi | |||
| 16 | 25 | 1:25:29 | Irina Stankina | 19 May 2000 | Moskva | ||
| 16 | 25 | 1:25:29 | Glenda Morejón | 8 June 2019 | La Coruna | ||
| 18 | 1:25:30 | María Pérez | 26 March 2023 | Córdoba | |||
| 19 | 1:25:32 | Yelena Shumkina | 28 February 2009 | Adler, Sochi | |||
| 20 | 1:25:46 | Tatyana Shemyakina | 23 February 2008 | Adler, Sochi | |||
| 21 | 1:25:52 | Larisa Yemelyanova | 28 February 2009 | Adler, Sochi | |||
| 21 | 1:25:52 | Tatyana Sibileva | 20 February 2010 | Sochi | |||
| 23 | 1:25:59 | Tamara Kovalenko | 19 May 2000 | Moskva | |||
| 23 | 1:25:59 | Liujing Yang | 20 March 2021 | Huangshan | |||
| 25 | 1:26:06 | Alegna González | 20 September 2025 | Tokyo |