Gender Parity Added in Race Walks at World Championships

By Adam Kopet, DyeStat Editor

The IAAF announced Sunday that the women's 50-kilometer race walk would be added to the program at the IAAF World Outdoor Championships in London.

The women's event will take place simultaneously with the men's event, scheduled for Aug. 14. There will be separate medals and prize money for the women.

However, there have been several restrictions placed on the women's event. For athletes to finish the race, they must begin the final two-kilometer lap within the time limit of 4:17:00.

At this point there are five women, including Americans Erin Taylor-Talcott and Katie Burnett, who have met the standard of 4:30:00, the deadline for which has been extended to Tuesday. According to the IAAF, only 12 women in history have finished 50-kilometer event inside of the standard.

The reaction in the race walk community to the news has been both positive and negative. Evan Dunfee, fourth in the Rio Olympic 50-kilometer walk for Canada, went to Twitter to share his thoughts.

The announcement of the women's race comes far too late for any athletes to be effectively trained for the event, but the additional prize money could help grow the event, despite negotiations with the IOC that might terminate the 50-kilometer event for men and women in the Olympic program.