Marc Tur walked the race of his life to win the men&rsquo;s 50km race walk at the European Race Walking Team Championships in Podebrady, Czech Republic on Sunday (16) in 3:47:40.
Not only that, but the Spaniard recorded an Olympic qualifying time more than two minutes inside the 3:50:00 limit.
The tall athlete with a languid style, started to smile with two kilometres to go, and by the final 500 metres was beaming. His previous 3:54:51 best from 2019 was history, and a slow start paid dividends in a race he led only at the 43 kilometre-checkpoint.
Tur passed the long-time leader Karl Junghannss, who went for broke in a final bid for the Olympic German team. At one stage, he was three minutes up on the chasers, but that long, lone effort was doomed the instant Tur took over at the front.
He breezed past the flagging German, who dipped his head slightly in acknowledgment of the end of a brave solo effort. Junghannss eventually faded to eighth in 3:52:07 although he did have the consolation of taking silver in the team race.&nbsp;
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Chasing Tur was Aleksi Ojala who was sporting a sun visor and dark glasses. The Finnish walker has suffered his fair share of non-finishes in major races, but this time he held his nerve to also record an Olympic qualifier in 3:48:25.
Italy&rsquo;s Andrea Agrusti just dipped under the mark needed for Tokyo in third in 3:49:52. As he waved to supporters in the final few metres, it looked as if he might miss out, but came home with eight seconds to spare. Agrusti also led Italy to the team title ahead of Germany and Ukraine.
From a long way back, Latvia&rsquo;s Ruslans Smolonskis charged through for fourth in 3:50:31, with only Ojala missing out on a personal best among the first four.
Italian veteran Marco De Luca was fifth in 3:50:48 while the oldest man in the event Jesus Angel Garcia, 51, was 20th in 4:01:14 in what will surely be his last appearance at the European Race Walking Team Championships.
Drisbioti surprises Giorgi for 35km title
Antigoni Drisbioti claimed the best result of a 20-year career when she paced herself perfectly to win the inaugural women&rsquo;s 35km race walk.
The 37-year-old Greek has been only moderately successful at 20km race walk but the longer distance is where she has found her forte. She was blowing kisses over the final 500m of an unassailable lead.
Italy's arguable pre-race favourite Eleonora Giorgi put down the hammer from the off to notch 9:12 after 2km.. At this point, she was actually third on the road in the men&rsquo;s 50km and leading her own race with teammate Marco de Luca alongside for company.
However, she soon picked up two disqualification cards to put her on the back foot, followed by tears and clear discomfort around the 14-kilometre mark.
There was a rueful look from Giorgi as she was passed by Drisbioti, and then ,somehow with all seemingly falling apart around her, found a second wind.
She moved back into second from fourth after passing Spain&rsquo;s Maria Juarez and Nadzeya Darazhuk from Belarus over the last 10km although Giorgi still looked inconsolable as she crossed the line.
In contrast, teammate Lidia Barcelli passed a tiring Juarez with a lap to go and was delighted with bronze and a near seven-minute PB. Except for Giorgi, the top 10 finishers in the women&rsquo;s 35km race walk all recorded lifetime bests. Italy won team gold ahead of Greece and Belarus respectively.
A notable non-finisher was Portugal&rsquo;s Ines Henriques, one of the early standard bearers for the 50km race walk and a former world record holder for the distance. Henriques withdrew from the race at around 20 kilometres.
There was drama in the men's U20 10km when the apparent winner went from first to fourth some time after the finish.
Dimitri Durand lit the afterburners with a lap to go and came home eleven seconds clear of Spain's Jose Luis Hidalgo but the Frenchman&rsquo;s sprint had cost him dearly. He picked up a 60-second penalty so the three behind him all moved up a place as Durand was relegated from the podium.
Hidalgo was officially followed home by teammate Paul McGrath, with the bronze going to Serhat Gungor from Turkey. It was a considerable personal best for Hidalgo, who belatedly celebrated his 19th birthday last Wednesday by slicing 41 seconds off his previous mark.
Even with the penalty, Durand equalled his 42:26 lifetime best in fourth. His country also claimed team silver behind Spain but ahead of Turkey.
A home win was duly delivered by red-hot favourite Eli&scaron;ka Martinkova in the U20 women&rsquo;s race.
In truth, the competition was over in little more than a minute as the Czech walker put 50 metres between herself and the entire field. It was then a solitary display of superiority all the way to the finish for the 18-year-old with a line of blue kinesthetic tape on her arm.
The next tape that mattered was the winning variety, and she had started interviews before the top 10 trailed in behind her. Her finishing time 45:46 was another personal best in a procession of outstanding perfromances that has seen her hack 10 minutes from her time in just two years.
Behind her, Portugal&rsquo;s Adriana Viveiros recorded a personal best of 47:01, just ahead of Mael Bire-Heslouis for a French U20 record.
The team competition couldn&rsquo;t have been tighter with Portugal just edging past France for gold, and the Czech Republic taking third.
Full results <a href="https://results.onlinesystem.cz/ResultsOverall/Index/2148" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Tur triumphs in the 50km race walk in Podebrady

Antonella Palmisano won her second European Race Walking Team Championships title in Podebrady, Czech Republic on Sunday (16) while Sweden's Perseus Karlstrom also followed suit in the 20km race walk.&nbsp;
The Italian&rsquo;s fondness for the Czech spa town reached a new high having won the individual title on this very same course four years ago before returning to win the annual and long-standing race walking event last autumn.
Her latest triumph saw her eclipse compatriot Eleonora Giorgi&rsquo;s course record to land a very impressive 1:27:42 and win by a considerable margin. Her victory was exactly like October last year when she took a decisive lead at halfway, stepped off the gas, and then put her foot down again in the final quarter.
The others must have forgotten because it looked as if the 2018 European bronze medallist had overcooked it when three Spaniards clawed back her lead at the 16 kilometre mark. Instead, Palmisano found another gear to go away a second and decisive time.
That second burst put paid to the chances of reigning European champion Maria Perez and her Spanish compatriots Laura Garcia-Caro and Raquel Gonzalez as far as the individual title was concerned. However, the trio held on in that order to cement a commanding team win for Spain.
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The early pace was set by Katarzyna Zdzieblo who led through the two kilometre checkpoint. The Pole was reeled in shortly after, but the leading group of 10 was biding its time as she survived all the way to halfway in 44:41.
Indeed, the leaders were spread across the course, suggesting the pace was comfortable. Palmisano then dipped her toe to see what the pack could do by increasing the pace by 10 seconds a lap. She left the rest trailing, but four kilometres later it looked as if she had made a big mistake. If it was a feint to dishearten her pursuers, it worked a treat.
Behind Palmisano and the three Spaniards, Ayşe Tekdal was a surprise fifth place. She was expected to play a supporting role to Meryem Bekmez, the European U18 and U20 champion, as Turkey&rsquo;s best hope for a medal. However, the latter had a bad day and Tekdal came through in 1:29:47, a 25 second improvement on her previous best.
The strong Ukrainian challenge didn't disappoint and Olena Sobchuk, Hanna Shevchuk and Lyudmila Olyanovska came in next - all under 1:30:00 and all within two seconds of each other - for team silver ahead of Italy with bronze.
Karlstrom retains men's 20km race walk title
Perseus Karlstrom could have knocked a few seconds off his course record in the men&rsquo;s 20km race walk. Instead, the Swede stopped at the final feed station, not for a drink, but the same mock Viking helmet and Swedish flag he wore through the finish line two years ago in Alytus, Lithuania.
Same fun gear, same result. And in doing so, the Swede became the first walker in championship history to win back-to-back titles in the men's 20km race walk.
Like Palmisano, the world bronze medallist has a real affinity with Podebrady. He won here last October and also took bronze at the European Race Walking Team Championships four years ago on the same course.&nbsp;
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As he has done in the past, Karlstom was forced to stay cool in warm conditions as he saw European U23 silver medallist Salih Korkmaz sprint away from the start. He was quickly clocking sub four-minutes for the one kilometre circuit and was out of sight at times until halfway.
The chasing group of 10 then shed Great Britain&rsquo;s Tom Bosworth and Italy&rsquo;s Matteo Giupponi just before 11 kilometres while Karlstom and Spaniards Diego Garcia and Alvaro Martin worked through the gears to catch Korkmaz at exactly the 13 kilometre mark.
The determined Turk tried to inch an advantage over the next three laps, but every time he pushed, the other three latched onto his shoulder. Finally, Korkmaz, now looking wide-eyed and desperate as he strove to get air into his lungs, felt the effects of his precocious start and fell out of medal contention at the 16 kilometre mark.
A couple of laps later the elastic also stretched on Garcia, who drifted back a few seconds - soon to be followed by Martin.
The race was done by the time Karlstom donned his hat. But again, Spain underlined their strength in depth when Martin came home for silver in a lifetime best of 1:19:14. He was followed five seconds later by Garcia.
Former World and European champion Miguel Angel Lopez quietly came through for fourth to confirm yet another Spanish team gold. His time of 1:19:25 was only 11 seconds slower than his best time set six years ago, the same year he won the world title in Beijing.
Italy's Franciso Fortunato was in the form of his life to record 1:19:43 and knock a massive 2:18 off his best in the process to finish fifth.
France's Gabriel Bordier sprinted the last 50 metres to edge home the thickness of a vest from the spent Korkmaz for sixth place with both timed at 1:20:10.
Full results <a href="https://results.onlinesystem.cz/ResultsOverall/Index/2148" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Palmisano and Karlstrom repeat in the 20km race walk in Podebrady

The women&rsquo;s 20km race walk at the European Race Walking Team Championships in Podebrady on Sunday (16) should bring an intriguing three-way battle for the individual title.
The event will be streamed live through the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/EuropeanAthletics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">European Athletics Facebook page</a>&nbsp;on Sunday courtesy of the Czech Athletics Federation and live results will appear&nbsp;<a href="https://results.onlinesystem.cz/ResultsOverall/Index/2148" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. Final entries can also be found&nbsp;<a href="https://directus.european-athletics.com/assets/8932fb2d-89ea-4d63-9ed9-0480764abcbf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here.</a>
After a low-key couple of years Maria Perez from Spain and Italy&rsquo;s Antonella Palmisano are back in form with the Olympic Games in Tokyo - although the race walking and marathon events will be held in more benign conditions in Sapporo - only weeks away.
But based on pedigree and recent races only Meryem Bekmez from Turkey is in the kind of shape to split the two senior champions. The European U18 and U20 champion set a personal best 1:28:48 in late March in Antalya, a 36 second boost on her national record.
By her own reckoning, Palmisano came back from her &lsquo;year of darkness&rsquo; in 2019 to win in Podebrady last October in 1:28:40, her fastest time since taking bronze at the Berlin 2018 European Athletics Championships. Palmisano was also a winner when Podebrady last staged the European Race Walking Team Championships in 2017.
But the Italian will have a struggle with Perez, the walker who unexpectedly won that title in the German capital almost three years ago now.
The Spaniard chalked up an impressive season&rsquo;s best of 1:28:26 at the Spanish Championships in March to win by more than two minutes. And to underline her strength, Perez also walked a national record of 2:44:17 for the 35km race walk one month prior.&nbsp;
Team gold looks headed towards either Spain or Italy. The Spanish ranks include Laura Garcia-Caro and Raquel Gonzalez who won individual silver and bronze in Alytus two years ago when Perez was their distant third counter in 11th. Joining Palmisano on the Italian team are Valentina Trapletti and Mariavittoria Becchetti who boast season&rsquo;s bests of 1:29:58 and 1:30:05 respectively.
Any spoke in that wheel should come from Ukraine. Their team which includes Lyudmila Olyanovska, Hanna Shevchuk and Olena Sobchuk have all either dipped under 1:30 already this year - or in Sobchuk&rsquo;s case - are just one second over.
The reigning champion Živilė Vaiciukevičiūtė, who triumphed on home soil in Alytus, will not be defending her title after unexpectedly announcing her retirement last year at the age of 24. The Lithuanian team in Podebrady does include her sister Monika and veteran Brigita Virbalyte.
The programme also includes the newly-introduced women&rsquo;s 35km race walk in which Antigoni Drisbioti has the best time of the year by more than five minutes over the next competitor.&nbsp;
The Greek&rsquo;s best time of 2:50:04 represents a decent clocking but lurking and ready to strike are Italy&rsquo;s Eleonora Giorgi and former world 50km race walk record-holder Ines Henriques from Portugal who also won at that distance in sweltering conditions at the 2018 European Championships.&nbsp;
Giorgi has the fastest lifetime best at 2:43:43 and is seeking back-to-back triumphs at the European Race Walking Team Championships after winning the 50km race walk in Alytus two years ago in a European record of 4:04:50.
Fellow Greek Kiriaki Filtisakou and Spaniards Maria Juarez and Julia Takacs, the latter a bronze medallist at 50km race walk in Berlin 2018, should also feature in the 23-strong field.
The U20 women&rsquo;s 10km is the one race of the day that could bring a home win. Eli&scaron;ka Martinkova walked 45:52 at Dudince in March to hack off a huge near four-minute improvement on her best from 2020.
If not the Czech, Lizaveta Hryshkevich from Belarus is next closest with 46:58 recorded just last month on home soil.
The rest of the field lag by two minutes and more behind the impressive favourites.

Perez and Palmisano poised to go head-to-head in Podebrady

The men&rsquo;s 20km race walk at the European Race Walking Team Championships in Podebrady, Czech Republic on Sunday (16) should literally be a stroll through the park for two race walkers.
The event will be streamed live through the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EuropeanAthletics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">European Athletics Facebook page</a> on Sunday courtesy of the Czech Athletics Federation and live results will appear <a href="https://results.onlinesystem.cz/ResultsOverall/Index/2148" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. Final entries can also be found <a href="https://directus.european-athletics.com/assets/8932fb2d-89ea-4d63-9ed9-0480764abcbf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here.</a>
Reigning champion Perseus Karlstrom from Sweden and Turkey&rsquo;s Salih Korkmaz top the entry list in terms of best times for 2021 by a distance. The conundrum is: how hard will they go?
A good workout for both will undoubtedly bring sub-1:20 clockings, and maybe even the mouth-watering prospect of a sprint at the end. History would also be made if Karlstrom successfully defends his title as no athlete has ever won back-to-back individual titles in the men&rsquo;s 20km race walk before.&nbsp;
But Korkmaz is in the form of his life after setting a 1:18:42 lifetime best on home soil in Antalya on 6 March. It was a Turkish record, one which the 24-year-old already held from the previous year at the same place when he clocked 1:19:31.
Karlstrom goes into the race around Spa Park as the defending champion from Alytus two years ago and he notched up a time only three seconds shy of Korkmaz&rsquo;s time when he competed as a guest at the Spanish Championships in Murcia on 14 March.&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s more he has a lot of senior pedigree. The sporting world was forced to stand still for the majority of 2020, but the world bronze medallist from 2019 somehow managed to win four races, one of which was at the rescheduled annual race walking gala in Podebrady in mid-October.
If anyone knows what it&rsquo;s like to triumph in the Czech town that sees itself as the country&rsquo;s centre of race walking - it&rsquo;s Karlstrom. He also won individual bronze when the European Race Walking Team Championships was held on this very same course in 2017.
Behind the leading two should see a battle for bronze between Spaniards Diego Garcia and Alberto Amezcua who both eclipsed the 1:20-barrier in Murcia. Garcia helms a super strong Spanish team who will be seeking their third successive team title. Their ranks are bolstered by European silver medallist Alvaro Martin and former world and European champion Miguel Angel Lopez.
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The unknowns are France&rsquo;s Gabriel Bordier and Kevin Campion, neither of whom have recorded times in the 20km race walk this year. Great Britain&rsquo;s Tom Bosworth, who could afford to ease off the pedal in the British Olympics Trials around Kew Gardens in March on his return from injury, and Frederico Tontodonati from Italy should also not be discounted.
The men&rsquo;s 50km race walk is the last chance saloon for anyone needing a sub-3:50 time that brings a seat on the plane to Tokyo for the Olympic Games this summer.
Closest to the mark is Alexandros Papamichail. The Greek was agonisingly short in Dudince in March where he finished in 3:51:03. If the 32-year-old - who has a lifetime best of 3:49:56 - can find the required 64 seconds in Podebrady, it&rsquo;s job done.
Likewise, Ukraine&rsquo;s Valeriy Litanyuk, whose 3:56:18 this year needs a good day around the park to hive off more than a kilometre. Teammates Ivan Banzeruk and Ihor Hlavan, who won gold and silver in Podebrady in 2017, will be a threat both individually and collectively for the team title as well.
Germany&rsquo;s Carl Dohmann and Nathaniel Seiler already have the qualifying mark for Tokyo after well-paced races in Frankfurt just last month but should still be up with the leaders. Their team chances will be further embellished by the inclusion of fellow sub-3:50 performer Karl Junghannss.&nbsp;
Those yet to show their hand at the long distance this season include Stefano Chiesa and former champion Marco de Luca, both from Italy and both sub-3:50 operators at their very best.
Two-time Olympian Brendan Boyce from Ireland, whose 2:11:02 for the 30km race walk in December is a decent indicator of form, will also hope for a good morning in Podebrady.
Also hoping for a good morning is the venerable Jesus Angel Garcia, the 51-year-old who is seeking qualification for a potentially record-breaking eighth successive Olympic appearance later this summer. Garcia is by far the fastest entrant with a 3:39:54 lifetime best although that time dates all the way back to 1997 incidentally from Podebrady.
The U20 men&rsquo;s 10km race walk is set to be a great tussle - and if Spanish race walkers take all three podium spots - it won&rsquo;t be a surprise.
Topping the list is Spain&rsquo;s Paul McGrath - who has a Scottish father and a Spanish mother in case you wondered - with a 41:39 at Seville in February, a huge 69-second improvement on his personal best from last year.
Not far behind, and also in great form, are his compatriots Jose Luis Hidalgo, second to McGrath in Seville, Pablo Pastor (42:30) who was third, and Jorge Lopez, who walked 42:49 in January.
If there is to be a fly in the Spanish ointment it should come in the shape of Turkish race walker Serhat Gungor whose 42:06 on home soil in March was a one minute-plus improvement on his PB.
Factor in Taras Koretskyy from Ukraine, who has clocked 43:28 this year, and it will be a shock if the top seven come from anywhere else.

Karlstrom seeking back-to-back 20km race walk titles in Podebrady

The final entries for the European Race Walking Team Championships in Podebrady, Czech Republic on 16 May have been published and can be found <a href="https://directus.european-athletics.com/assets/8932fb2d-89ea-4d63-9ed9-0480764abcbf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
According to the final entries, 212 athletes - 111 men and 101 women - representing 25 Member Federations will be competing across the six events which make up the programme.
Sweden&rsquo;s Perseus Karlstrom is defending his title in the men&rsquo;s 20km race walk - and he will seek to become the first man in history to win back-to-back titles in the event - but the Spaniards will begin as the overwhelming favourites for their seventh team title.
There will also be keen interest in the progress of another Spaniard Jesus Angel Garcia in the 50km race walk. At 51, Garcia is the oldest athlete entered for Podebrady and he is seeking to secure what would be a record eighth Olympic appearance in Tokyo later this summer.
Garcia is one of the greats of this event with three victories to his name. He won the inaugural edition of this competition in 1996 - one year before his teammate Manuel Bermudez was even born - in La Coruna before back-to-back wins in 2000 and 2001.
The Spaniards will also have excellent individual and team chances in the women&rsquo;s 20km race walk courtesy of the likes of Laura Garcia-Caro and Raquel Gonzalez. Reigning champion Živilė Vaiciukeviciute unexpectedly retired last year although Lithuania will be represented by her twin Monika and the very experienced Brigita Virbalyte.
The women&rsquo;s 35km race walk replaces the 50km race walk in Podebrady. Two of the continental standard bearers of the 50km race walk - Portugal&rsquo;s Ines Henriques and Italy&rsquo;s Eleonora Giorgi - are among the entrants.
Live streaming details for the European Race Walking Team Championships will be communicated next week.

Final entries published for European Race Walking Team Championships

The idyllic Czech spa town of Podebrady will be playing host to this year&rsquo;s edition of the European Race Walking Team Championships, previously known as the European Race Walking Cup, on 16 May which has attracted interest from more than 250 race walkers representing 26 countries.
For the vast majority of prospective competitors, Podebrady will be familiar territory as the town hosted the 2017 edition of the biennial competition which was held under its previous alias of the European Race Walking Cup. And for any newcomers to Podebrady, this might not be their only excursion either as the event returns to Podebrady in both 2023 and 2025.
The roots of race walking in Podebrady date as far back as the nineteenth century and the town remains a lucrative fixture on the international circuit. The annual race walking gala is a European Athletics Race Walking Permit Meeting and this year&rsquo;s event will be held in conjunction with the European Race Walking Team Championships.
Last year&rsquo;s event, which was moved from its traditional springtime slot to the autumn owing to the coronavirus pandemic, was won by Sweden&rsquo;s Perseus Karlstrom and Italy&rsquo;s Antonella Palmisano, both of whom will be looking to extend their excellent records at the European Race Walking Team Championships.
After winning bronze in Podebrady four years ago, Karlstrom confidently strode to the individual title in the 20km race walk in Alytus, Lithuania in 2019 and recent form suggests the Swede is well placed to successfully defend his individual title in Podebrady next month.
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Competing as a guest at the Spanish Championships in Murcia last month, Karlstrom marched to a dominant victory in 1:18:45 ahead of a strong Spanish contingent who won the team title in Alytus two years ago. Karlstrom won by almost one minute from European silver medallist Diego Carrera Garcia who will spearhead the Spanish team in Podebrady.&nbsp;
Karlstrom is currently the joint second fastest race walker in Europe this year, only three seconds behind Turkey&rsquo;s improving Salih Korkmaz who leads the 2021 European list with a national record of 1:18:42. Russia&rsquo;s Vasiliy Mizinov has also clocked 1:18:45 this year although he is yet to receive clearance to compete internationally as a neutral athlete.
Palmisano won her individual title on this very course in Podebrady four years ago when she memorably brandished a &lsquo;Forza Antonella&rsquo; flag as she crossed the finish-line but her title defence in Alytus ended in tears as she dropped out mid-race with illness.
Like Karlstrom, Palmisano will face a strong Spanish contingent in the 20km race walk including reigning European champion Maria Perez who leads the 2021 European list with 1:28:26 along with Laura Garcia-Caro and Raquel Gonzalez who won individual silver and bronze medals two years ago and led Spain to the team title.
As well as men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s 10km races for U20 athletes, the programme also includes the men&rsquo;s 50km race walk as well as the newly introduced women&rsquo;s 35km race walk. The latter event is due to feature Eleonora Giorgi who won the 50km race walk in Alytus two years ago in a European record of 4:04:50.&nbsp;
The men's 50km race walk will be graced by the venerable and indefitagable Jesus Angel Garcia who will almost certainly be the oldest participant competing in Podebrady at the age of 51. Garcia won the inaugural edition of the European Race Walking Cup in 1996 before subsequent victories in 2000 and 2001. A good showing in Podebrady will put Garcia in the fray to represent Spain at a potentially record-breaking eighth successive Olympic Games in Tokyo later this summer.
Media wishing to cover the European Race Walking Team Championships can apply for accreditation by downloading and filling out <a href="https://directus.european-athletics.com/assets/57dc4273-d055-481f-9c2a-c1cdaec8ef34" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this form</a>.

One month to go until the European Race Walking Team Championships

Reigning European champions Maria Perez and Alvaro Martin are two of the standout names on a strong Spanish team for the European Race Walking Team Championships in Podebrady, Czech Republic on 16 May.
Spain was the most successful nation at the last edition of this competition which took place two years ago under its previous alias of the European Race Walking Cup, winning eleven medals in total including gold medals in both the senior men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s 20km race walk events.
Perez and Martin were both part of those gold medal-winning teams in Alytus, Lithuania although neither of them finished with an individual medal. Perez could only manage a 14th-place finish in the women&rsquo;s race while Martin was the second counter for Spain with a fifth-place finish in the men&rsquo;s race.
From an individual standpoint, Perez is expected to improve substantially in the Czech spa town and the reigning European champion is one of the prospective title favourites with just over six weeks until the event. She warmed up for Podebrady with a commanding victory at the Spanish Championships in Murcia in 1:28:26, the fastest time by a European - excluding Russian walkers who haven&rsquo;t been cleared to compete internationally - this year.&nbsp;
Perez strode out to victory by more than two minutes ahead of compatriots Raquel Gonzalez (1:30:47) and Laura Garcia-Caro (1:31:09), the individual bronze and silver medallists from Alytus two years ago when they spearheaded Spain to the team title.&nbsp;
Both Gonzalez and Garcia-Caro have been named on the Spanish team for Alytus along with Julia Takacs who steps back down to the 20km race walk after winning an individual silver in the 50km race walk two years ago.
Martin was the third Spaniard home in Murcia earlier this month in 1:20:59, beaten by European silver medallist Diego Garcia (1:19:40) and Luis Alberto Amezcua (1:19:54). All three race walkers will be on Spanish team duties in Podebrady along with former world and European champion Miguel Angel Lopez, the elder statesman of the team at the age of 32.
[INSTAGRAM ID="https://www.instagram.com/p/CMakqJLMjKC"]
This same quartet competed for Spain two years ago when they romped to the team title with Garcia, Martin and Lopez finishing third, fifth and sixth respectively as their three scoring counters.
Spain will also be sending teams to compete in the women's 35km and men's 50km race walk events as well as both the men's and women's U20 10km races. More details about the Spanish team for Podebrady can be found <a href="https://rfea.es/web/noticias/desarrollo.asp?codigo=13279#.YGMJhl1KjDJ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

European champions Perez and Martin headline Spain’s team for Podebrady

This could be the year of the underdog - at least Zivile Vaiciukeviciute hopes so.
The surprise winner of the European Race Walking Cup on 19 May thinks a second bite of a tasty apple awaits in the heat of Doha.
The 23-year-old twin is more than aware that the next major 20km is like no other: the gun goes on the IAAF World Championships final at 11.30pm on 29 September - about the time Vaiciukeviciute normally sips her bed time cocoa, or the Lithuanian equivalent.
The effect of a unique race spanning two days is intriguing. Who will adjust, and who will turn into a pumpkin as athletes hit the midnight hour? “It’s difficult to imagine what will happen in Doha,” she offered. “That midnight start will be interesting for everyone, and probably different from anything else that's gone before, so maybe it gives a chance to everyone rather than a small group of favourites.”
Vaiciukeviciute believes the desert is as good a place as anywhere to replicate the calm and cool that saw her triumph in Alytus, even though there are more than 20 walkers with faster 2019 times.
That’s not the name of the game in World Championship racing, as Lu Xiuzhi found out two years ago. Headed for a medal at London 2017, the Chinese race walker met the dreaded red disqualification disc yards from the finish line.
The eventual bronze medal, Antonella Palmisano from Italy, was too distant to see she had moved into third until someone told her.
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As for Vaiciukeviciute in the same race, she was nearly a lap behind but still scored a 1:31:23 PB for 19th. That was two years ago: this is now. The Lithuanian is three minutes quicker than her London mark and now mixing it with the best.
Last year at the European Championships in Berlin, she recorded 1:28:07 for fifth, also a national U23 record, while treading on the heels of long-time Lithuanian number one, Brigita Virbalyte-Dimsiene.
The latter had a bad day in Alytus, and looked slightly shocked as the understudy lapped her in the closing stages but even then the fierce fight for gold was far from over.
Vaiciukeviciute inched ahead of Spain’s Raquel Gonzalez but when that battle was won, Laura Garcia-Caro picked up the pace to push the Lithuanian all the way to the line.
At halfway through the final lap, it looked as if Garcia-Caro was making ground, but as both turned the final corner, the eventual winner dug deep to forge home.
In fact, Vaiciukeviciute reeled off 2kms splits with never more than seven seconds between them; and only appeared in the front two on the penultimate lap.
Buried behind shades with head down, she only made the telling move when it mattered.
The winner said she was surprised to break the tape, but her progress tells a different story.
Third in Dudince in March, and fourth a month later in Podebrady battling classy international fields suggests she is getting used to life at the top.
“When you start to win one thing; it’s easier to win the next, and gradually you have the mentality to expect to do well,” she added. “All the same, I was surprised to be where I was during the race in Alytus, but then got used to it and relaxed. I felt better the more the race wore on, and thought a medal was a good possibility.
“There was no pressure because I was really thinking about a team medal. Of course, it helped I was competing in Lithuania at home. Everything was familiar.”
That team medal didn't materialise as it did in 2017 when Lithuania took bronze. However, the country still finished fourth and with the likes of 20km race walkers Artur Mastianica and Marius ÅÂ½iukas also knocking on the medal door, a tiny country of fewer than three million is clearly punching above its walking weight.
Vaiciukeviciute barely raised an eyebrow. She feels European success for Lithuania was always on the cards.
“We have a lot of great athletes,” she said. “It’s just taken time and dedication to gradually ease up the standings and achieve good results. I’m sure there is more to come.”
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Vaiciukeviciute relishes the role of underdog with Doha approaching

European Race Walking Team Championships

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European Race Walking Team Championships | Overview

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