French walking star Diniz to compete in Lugano and Dudince | 07.02.2012

European 50km walk champion Yohan Diniz of France.

France's two-time European 50km walking champion Yohan Diniz will compete at the first two of this year's European Athletics Walking Permit Meetings in Lugano, Switzerland, and Dudince, Slovakia, next month.

The Göthenburg and Barcelona gold medallist will compete over 20km at both events in preparation for going over the longer distance at the Olympic Games in London this summer, where he hopes to make up for the disappointment of failing to finish in Beijing four years ago.

In the Chinese capital, Diniz was up with the leaders at 20km but fell back after suffering stomach problems and eventually dropped out at 33km.

The 10th Memorial Mario Albisetti – Lugano trophy will be on 18 March while the 31st edition of the famous Dudinska Patdesiatka walking meeting, which is held in the southern Slovakian spa town, is on 24 March.

Details of all four of the 2012 European Athletics Walking Permit Meetings can be found here.

http://www.european-athletics.org/meetings/race-walking-permit-meetings.html