Diniz to star at European Cup Race Walking in Metz on Sunday - Event Previews

Defending 20km champion Yohann Diniz (FRA)

The 8th European Cup Race Walking takes place in the French city of Metz on Sunday May 24. The following are the previews of the five titles up for grabs:


Men's 20km

CUE the loudest cheer of the day when Yohann Diniz is announced to the crowd before the start of the 20k in Metz.
Actually, that might be the second-loudest if the native from Reims can repeat the heroics that saw him first over the line in Leamington two years ago.

Back then, Diniz also set his PB of 1:18:58 around the English spa town's course. The perfect tonic for France and the Frenchman would be a defence of his title after a disappointing DNF in the Olympic 50k last year.

Diniz has been little seen since he climbed over a Beijing barrier and disappeared into the crowd. And the man who chased him all the way in Leamington is also likely to give him a hard time up and down the loop besides Metz's railway station.

Ivano Brugnetti posted his PB at Leamington too, and the former world champion and Olympic gold medallist knows when to turn on the style.

However, he also posts his fair share of roadside drop-outs, and the 32-year-old didn't get past 6k at the Sesto San Giovanni Challenge on home turf at the beginning of the month.

If neither is in top shape, there's always a Russian who will be.

The giant in world racewalking hasn't sent its front-line attack to France, but the slowest of the four in has a PB only seven seconds outside 1:20:00.

As that's Andrey Ruzavin, who was third in the 35k at Adler in the Russian Winter Championships in February, you can bet he too will form part of a throng of red vests at the front.

Germany's Andre Hohne will be there or thereabouts after showing early season form, while presumably hoping to peak for the World Championships in Berlin later this year.

Right behind, and forming the backbone of the top 10 will be Spain's Juan Manuel Molina alongside Ireland's Rob Heffernan, who came agonisingly close to a medal in Leamington after a last lap sprint separated third to sixth place by just six seconds.

Mens 20km entry list
 
Men's 50 km

Jesus Garcia (ESP)

THE WORLD record holder would have to be favourite for any event - and that most certainly applies to Denis Nizhegorodov at the European Cup of Race Walking in Metz on Sunday morning.

The Russian, who smashed the existing 50k mark on home turf in the World Walking Cup just over a year ago to record a blistering 3:34:14, hasn't competed at the distance since he won bronze in the Olympics last August.

But he has posted a nippy 2:24:56 for 35k at the Russian Winter Championships in Adler in February.

The races at the resort on the Black Sea have traditionally been denied th