The 50 kilometre race walk was an Olympic athletics event that first appeared in 1932 and made its final Olympic appearance in 2021. The racewalking event is competed as a road race. Athletes must always keep in contact with the ground and the supporting leg must remain straight until the raised leg passes it.
50 kilometres is approximately 31 miles.
The 50 kilometres race walk was dropped from the Olympic program after the 2020 Tokyo Games in 2021 and was replaced by a mixed team race, the marathon race walk mixed relay in order to achieve gender equality.
World records
The men's world record for the 50 km race walk was held by Denis Nizhegorodov, through his race of 3:34:14 in Cheboksary in 2008, until it was beaten by Yohann Diniz at the 2014 European Athletics Championships in Zurich, in a time of 3:32:33.
Area records Updated 21 May 2026.
Area Men Women Time Season Athlete Time Season Athlete World 3:32:33 2014 3:59:15 2019 Area records Africa 3:53:09 2021 4:48:00 2018 Asia 3:36:06 2005 3:59:15 2019 Europe 3:32:33 2014 4:04:50 2019 North, Central Americaand Caribbean 3:41:09 2013 4:13:56 2019 Oceania 3:35:47 2006 4:09:33 2018 South America 3:42:57 2016 4:11:12 2019
All-time top 25 Men Correct as of December 2021.
RankTimeAthleteNationalityDatePlace13:32:33Yohann Diniz15 August 2014Zürich23:34:14Denis Nizhegorodov11 May 2008Cheboksary33:34:38Matej Tóth21 March 2015Dudince43:35:47Nathan Deakes2 December 2006Geelong53:36:03Robert Korzeniowski27 August 2003Saint-Denis63:36:04Alex Schwazer11 February 2007Rosignano Solvay73:36:06Yu Chaohong22 October 2005Nanjing83:36:13Zhao Chengliang22 October 2005Nanjing93:36:20Han Yucheng27 February 2005Nanning103:36:42German Skurygin27 August 2003Saint-Denis113:36:45Masatora Kawano27 October 2019Takahata123:36:53Jared Tallent11 August 2012London133:37:16Si Tianfeng11 August 2012London143:37:26Valeriy Spitsyn21 May 2000Moskva153:37:39Satoshi Maruo27 October 2019Takahata163:37:41Andrey Perlov5 August 1989LeningradIvan Noskov15 August 2014Zürich183:37:46Andreas Erm27 August 2003Saint-Denis193:37:54Robert Heffernan11 August 2012London203:37:58Xing Shucai27 February 2005Nanning213:38:01Aleksey Voyevodin27 August 2003Saint-Denis223:38:02Wang Qin9 March 2019Huangshan233:38:08Sergey Kirdyapkin12 August 2005HelsinkiIgor Yerokhin8 June 2008Saransk253:38:17Ronald Weigel25 May 1986Potsdam
Notes Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 3:38:17:
Yohann Diniz also walked 3:33:12 (2017), 3:37:43 (2019), 3:37:48 (2016). Denis Nizhegorodov also walked 3:35:29 (2004), 3:38:02 (2006). Matej Tóth also walked 3:36:21 (2014). Robert Korzeniowski also walked 3:36:39 (2002). Alex Schwazer also walked 3:37:04 (2008), 3:37:09 (2008). Robert Heffernan also walked 3:37:56 (2013).
Women Correct as of June 2021.
RankTimeAthleteNationalityDatePlace13:50:42Yelena Lashmanova5 September 2020Voronovo23:57:08Klavdiya Afanasyeva15 June 2019Cheboksary33:59:15Liu Hong9 March 2019Huangshan43:59:56Margarita Nikiforova5 September 2020Voronovo54:03:51Li Maocuo9 March 2019Huangshan64:04:36Liang Rui5 May 2018Taicang74:04:50Eleonora Giorgi19 May 2019Alytus84:05:46Júlia Takács19 May 2019Alytus94:05:56Inês Henriques13 August 2017London104:07:30Ma Faying9 March 2019Huangshan114:08:58Yin Hang13 August 2017London124:09:33Claire Tallent5 May 2018Taicang134:10:59Monica Svensson21 October 2007Scanzorosciate144:11:01Raquel González10 February 2019El Vendrell154:11:12Johana Ordóñez11 August 2019Lima164:12:16Yelena Ginko17 October 2004Scanzorosciate174:12:44Alina Tsviliy7 August 2018Berlin184:12:56Paola Pérez5 May 2018Taicang194:13:56Mirna Ortíz24 February 2019Guatemala City204:14:25Mária Czaková24 March 2018Dudince214:14:31Jiang Pengqin9 March 2019Huangshan224:14:49Bai Tiantian9 March 2019Huangshan234:15:33Wang Yingliu9 March 2019Huangshan244:15:42Mayra Herrera9 September 2017Owego254:15:46Mar Juárez16 February 2020Torrevieja
Notes Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 4:15:46: Margarita Nikiforova also walked 4:03:07 (2021). Inês Henriques also walked 4:08:26 (2017), 4:09:21 (2018), 4:13:57 (2019). Yin Hang also walked 4:09:09 (2018). Claire Tallent also walked 4:12:44 (2019). Júlia Takács also walked 4:13:04 (2018), 4:15:22 (2018). Ma Faying also walked 4:13:28 (2018). Johana Ordóñez also walked 4:14:28 (2018). Monica Svensson also walked 4:14:38 (2009). Klavdiya Afanasyeva also walked 4:14:46 (2018). Li Maocuo also walked 4:14:47 (2018). Mirna Ortíz also walked 4:15:21 (2019).
Olympic medalists Men’s
World Championships medalists Men’s
Women’s
Notes
References
External links
50 kilometres race walk all time – men from IAAF IAAF list of 50-kilometres-race-walk records in XML