Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's 50 kilometres walk Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's 50 kilometres walk The men's 50 kilometres race walk at the 2012 Olympic Games in London was held on 11 August on a route along The Mall and Constitution Hill. The event was marred by the disqualification of all three Russian athletes due to doping violations. With 63 starters, there was a large pack at the start, Matej Tóth walking along the side barrier was the first to take the front. By first water stop former world champion Sergey Kirdyapkin and reigning world champion Sergey Bakulin moved to front, with 3 Australians
2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 20 kilometres walk 2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 20 kilometres walk The men's 20 kilometres walk event at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics was held throughout the city of Berlin on August 15, beginning and ending at the Brandenburg Gate. With the 2007 champion and 2008 Olympic silver medallist Jefferson Pérez having retired, the reigning Olympic champion Valeriy Borchin was regarded as strong favourite. He had recorded the world-leading time prior to the tournament and had been undefeated that season. The Olympic third and fourth-place finishers, Jared Tallent and Wang Hao, were regarded as the strongest challengers to Borchin. Italians