2017 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 50 kilometres walk 2017 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 50 kilometres walk The men's 50 kilometres walk at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics was held on a two kilometre course comprising lengths of The Mall between Buckingham Palace and Admiralty Arch on 13 August. Four days before the event, three time World Championship medallist, Australia's Jared Tallent was forced to withdraw from the event due to a hamstring injury. From the start, world record holder, 39 year old Yohann Diniz (FRA) walked with a sense of purpose. Save a silver medal in 2007, the World Championships had resulted in disqualifications and
Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's 20 kilometres walk Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's 20 kilometres walk The men's 20 kilometres race walk at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro took place on 12 August on a route along Pontal. Wang Zhen was the first male athletics medallist of the games. His Chinese teammate Cai Zelin was second and Dane Bird-Smith of Australia took the bronze. Miguel Ángel López of Spain, the reigning 2015 World Champion, was among the favourites though he was not high on the world lists that year. The defending 2012 Olympic champion Chen Ding had been defeated in national competition