Grande Prémio Internacional de Rio Maior em Marcha Atlética

The Grande Prémio Internacional de Rio Maior em Marcha Atlética (Rio Maior International Race Walking Grand Prix) is an annual racewalking competition that takes place in April in Rio Maior in Portugal. It is an elite level event which features a men's and a women's race in the 20 kilometres race walk.

Grande Prémio Internacional de Rio Maior em Marcha Atlética
DateApril
LocationRio Maior, Portugal
Event typeRacewalking
Distance20km
Established1991
Course recordsMen's: 1:18:55 (2011)
Russia Valeriy Borchin
Women's: 1:27:19 (2005)
Belarus Ryta Turava
Official siteG.P. de Rio Maior
Participants32 (2022)
51 (2019)

History

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The event was first held in October 1991 with a 10 km racewalk for men and 5 km women's race.[1] After hosting the 1992 Portuguese Racewalking Championships,[2] the meeting began in its April schedule in 1993 and switched to a men's 20 km/women's 10 km format. This continued until 1999, at which point the women's race was increased to 20 km and has remained so (with the exception of the 2002 edition).[1]

Since 2004, the competition has been part of the IAAF World Race Walking Challenge circuit – the top level meeting series for international racewalking.[3] It is one of two professional level racewalking competitions in Portugal, alongside the Meeting de Marcha Atlética da Cidade de Olhão.[4]

Several athletes have won the race multiple times: Portugal's Susana Feitor is an eight-time winner while Latvian Aigars Fadejevs is the most successful man with four wins. The race usually attracts walkers from Europe, China and Central America – the three regions that produce the most top level athletes. On the men's side, victors include Olympic champions Valeriy Borchin and Olympic silver medallists Aigars Fadejevs, Paquillo Fernández, and Ilya Markov. Among the women's winners are Olympic gold medallists Elena Lashmanova and Olga Kaniskina, world champions Sari Essayah and Hongyu Liu, and Olympic runners-up Elisabetta Perrone and Kjersti Plätzer.[1]

The course route is on a loop in the town centre near the Praça da República (Republic Square) and alongside Parque 25 de Abril.[5] The course records for the 20 km races are 1:18:55 hours set by Valeriy Borchin in 2011 and 1:27:19 hours set by Ryta Turava in 2005.

Past winners

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Paquillo Fernández won back-to-back races in 2005 to 2006.
 
Valeriy Borchin set the men's course record in 2011.

Key:   Course record   Portuguese championship race

Edition Year Men's winner Time (h:m:s) Women's winner Time (h:m:s)
1st 1991   José Urbano (POR) 43:00   Sari Essayah (FIN) 22:00
1992   José Urbano (POR) 3:59:33   Isilda Gonçalves (POR) 47:22
2nd 1993   José Urbano (POR) 1:25:32   Susana Feitor (POR) 43:44
3rd 1994   Juan Ramilo (ESP) 1:25:13   Susana Feitor (POR) 44:24
4th 1995   José Urbano (POR) 1:27:19   Susana Feitor (POR) 46:43
5th 1996   Claus Jørgensen (DEN) 1:25:01   Susana Feitor (POR) 44:28
6th 1997   João Vieira (POR) 1:24:48   Susana Feitor (POR) 44:41
7th 1998   Aigars Fadejevs (LAT) 1:19:44   Susana Feitor (POR) 43:42
8th 1999   Ilya Markov (RUS) 1:20:37   Susana Feitor (POR) 1:35:06
9th 2000   Liu Yunfeng (CHN) 1:20:01   Liu Hongyu (CHN) 1:27:55
10th 2001   Aigars Fadejevs (LAT) 1:22:02   Susana Feitor (POR) 1:27:55
11th 2002   Aigars Fadejevs (LAT) 1:21:26   María Vasco (ESP) 43:57
12th 2003   Aigars Fadejevs (LAT) 1:21:18   Elisabetta Perrone (ITA) 1:30:35
13th 2004   Alessandro Gandellini (ITA) 1:22:49   Elisa Rigaudo (ITA) 1:29:58
14th 2005   Paquillo Fernández (ESP) 1:19:02   Ryta Turava (BLR) 1:27:19
15th 2006   Paquillo Fernández (ESP) 1:20:36   Melanie Seeger (GER) 1:29:15
16th 2007   Ivano Brugnetti (ITA) 1:20:21   Ryta Turava (BLR) 1:28:01
17th 2008   Erik Tysse (NOR) 1:19:51   Kjersti Plätzer (NOR) 1:29:29
18th 2009   Wang Hao (CHN) 1:19:27   Kjersti Plätzer (NOR) 1:30:35
19th 2010   Erik Tysse (NOR) 1:20:08   Vera Santos (POR) 1:29:16
20th 2011   Valeriy Borchin (RUS) 1:18:55   Olga Kaniskina (RUS) 1:28:35
21st 2012   Matej Tóth (SVK) 1:20:25   Beatriz Pascual (ESP) 1:31:03
22nd 2013[6]   João Vieira (POR) 1:21:08   Elena Lashmanova (RUS) 1:28:19
23rd 2014   Caio Bonfim (BRA) 1:23:15   Vera Santos (POR) 1:31:14
24th 2015   Éider Arévalo (COL) 1:20:41   Liu Hong (CHN) 1:27:22
25th 2016   Álvaro Martín (ESP) 1:21:03   Qieyang Shijie (CHN) 1:27:52
26th 2017   Éider Arévalo (COL) 1:20:40   Kimberly García (PER) 1:31:00
27th 2018   Diego García (ESP) 1:21:15   Qieyang Shijie (CHN) 1:28:04
28th 2019   Éider Arévalo (COL) 1:21:15   Qieyang Shijie (CHN) 1:29:00
2020 Did not held due to COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal
2021
29th 2022   Brian Pintado (ECU) 1:21:54   Kimberly García (PER) 1:32:42
30th[7] 2023   Brian Pintado (ECU) 1:19:05   Yang Jiayu (CHN) 1:29:10
31st[8] 2024   Brian Pintado (ECU) 1:19:57   Kimberly García (PER) 1:30:35

References

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  1. ^ a b c Os melhores de sempre em Rio Maior (in Portuguese). GP Marcha Rio Maior. Retrieved on 2013-04-13.
  2. ^ HISTORIAL DOS CAMPEÕES DE PORTUGAL Archived 2013-11-08 at the Wayback Machine (in Portuguese). Federação Portuguesa de Atletismo. Retrieved on 2013-04-13.
  3. ^ 2004 IAAF World Race Walking Challenge. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-04-13.
  4. ^ Fernandes, António Manuel (2010-04-11). Santos and Tysse take Rio Maior wins – IAAF Race Walking Challenge. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-04-13.
  5. ^ Mapa do Percurso (in Portuguese). GP Marcha Rio Maior. Retrieved on 2013-04-13.
  6. ^ Fernandes, António Manuel (2013-04-06). Lashmanova continues winning streak in Rio Maior. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-04-13.
  7. ^ "30th Grande Prémio Internacional de Rio Maior em Marcha Atlética". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  8. ^ "31st Grande Prémio Internacional de Rio Maior em Marcha Atlética". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
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