The 2025 World Athletics Race Walking Tour (Gold) was held in Taicang City on Mar. 1. This event was not only the 1st Leg of the National Race Walking Grand Prix Series, but also the World Athletics Championships Trial. It gathered more than 500 athletes from 13 countries and regions such as the United Kingdom, Italy and Australia.
This year, the race walkers competed fiercely on the 1,000-meter circular track. The scheduled events included 20-kilometer and 10-kilometer walk races and mixed relay race walk marathon, attracting many outstanding athletes from home and abroad such as Olympic champions Liu Hong, Yang Jiayu, and Massimo Stano.
The 20-kilometer race for adult men started at 8:00 p.m. on Mar. 1. After fierce competition, Chinese athlete Wang Zhaozhao triumphed in the event, crossing the finish line in 1 hour 17 minutes and 30 seconds.
In recent years, Taicang City has been making great efforts to promote the development of the sports industry. It is not only known as the “Town of Martial Arts” and “Town of Bridge” in China, but also accredited as the “City of Race Walking” by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Last year, Taicang successfully held the first Sino-German Half Marathon, attracting more than 15,000 runners. This year, it started the construction of the national cricket training center.6
