Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov Series IX: Sciences of Human Kinetics • Vol. 8 (57) No. 2 - 2015 GLOBAL EVOLUTION OF MEN AND WOMEN RACEWALKING DISTANCES, TECHNIQUE, PERFORMANCE Delia BĂDESCU1 Abstract: This paper aims to present the evolution of racewalking in the global program, by highlighting the important phases from the technical point of view; competition distances deployment, the regulation, as well as increase performances in competitions. It presents the famous and recognized racewalking schools in various countries, which influenced the movement technique and overall development of this group of samples. This led to a wider participation in major competitions, as well as in highly trained athletes, solicitous in achieving great performance. Within this context, Romanian athletes perform in a particular style and thus contribute to the evolution of global racewalking program. Key words: history, racewalking school, global performance, technique. 1. Introduction have occurred in these samples, is the italian coach Armando Zambaldo. This is Racewalking is a unique athletics event, the one that followed the racewalking's which combines technique and endurance, evolution from its origins until today. two key-ingredients that the athlete must concentrate on. Of course, strength and 2. Material and Methods motility are important qualities and the athlete must possess a significant mental For the purposes of the research approach focus capacity and tenacity in order to was used the bibliographical study method, maintain optimal physical shape. theoretical analysis and synthesis of Among the athletics events, racewalking information [3]. The primary method used stands out through its purpose and its in research was the historical method, aesthetic traits. Technique in racewalking is which highlights various aspects of a very sensitive issue, as many athletes are racewalking systems and schools, in their being disqualified in major competitions, dynamics deployment [4]. after years of training, because of inadequate technique. 3. Results and Discussion One of the specialists in the racewalking technique, which studied the changes that According to Zambaldo, A. [5] the 1 “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, Romania. 10 Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov • Series IX • Vol. 8 (57) No. 2 - 2015 origins of racewalking can be identified Still other European countries began to ever since the origins of mankind when participate, among which Italy through people were forced to travel long distances Fernando Altimani (bronze medal in the 10 to support their living, without any km event), the only racewalking event in assistance from mechanical devices which these Olympics. The winner was a had not been invented yet. Canadian, Ames Goulding, with an Since the 15th century racewalking excellent 46’28” which was the Olympic started to be performed in various shapes record until London 1948. by various people, some even at a Competition racewalking technique was professional level, who accidentally or for influenced by military marching. some reason, sometimes by themselves, A great period of Italian racewalking were travelling very long distances. The successes comes; Ugo Frigerio must be most famous of these people was the mentioned, who in the Anvers Olympics in American Edward Payson Weston, who 1920, aged only 19, won both racewalking crossed the trans-continental route from events in the programmed: in the 10 km New York to San Francisco (more than event with 48’06” and in the 3 km event 6000 km) several times. with 13’14”; the same thing happens four The first regulation for athletic years later in Paris, where he wins again racewalking is created and it separates the 10 km event in 47’49”. racewalking from running events and the Racewalking competitions increased in first British championships take place on number as well as the participants. Despite the 23rd of March 1866 in London, on the all this racewalking is excluded from the Beaufort House track, covering a distance Amsterdam Olympics in 1928. Then it of 7 miles [6]. reappears in 1932 at the Los Angeles At the end of the 19th century in Olympics and the winner is the British racewalking competitions athletes still had athlete Thomas W. Green with 4h 50’10”; to travel very long distances and after this in Berlin in 1936 the 50 km event is won turning point distances over 50 km by the British athlete Harold Whitlock with disappear from the international 4h 30’41”, Olympic record. competitions as racewalking events. The Up to the Olympics in Berlin the athletes only exception is the Paris-Colmar race, from the Baltic countries are worth which covers 500 km even nowadays. mentioning: Lithuania, Estonia, and Racewalking began to be an event in the Latvia, winners in major competitions. Olympics since 1906, with two very short- Later the world conflict paralyzes all distance events: 1500 and 3000 m. The international athletic activities for more winner in the 1500 m event was the than eight years. American athlete Bonhag with 7’12”, and Sporting events begin again in 1946 in in the 3000 m event the Hungarian Oslo with the European Championship and Stancsis won with 15’12”. the first places are won by Anglo-Saxon In the Olympic Games held in London in athletes. The news in these championships 1908 the competition distances were: 3500 was: the re-introducing of the second m and 10 miles. The medals for both racewalking event in the programme and events were won by George Larner, with the emersion of the new Swedish school 14’55” in the 3500m event and 1h 15’57” which won both titles: for the 10 km event in the 10 miles event. won John Mikaelsson and for the 50 km In the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm most event John Ljunggren. participants were Anglo-Saxons as well. After the war the Olympic Games came D. BĂDESCU: Global Evolution of Men and Women Racewalking Distances 11 back to London; here both events took Russian racewalking confirmed its leading place and the winners were members of the position through Vladimir Golubnichiy in Swedish school: Mikaelsson and the 20 km event, and he was the most Ljunggren. The nations that were spared important representative of this school. from the war Switzerland and Sweden won In the Tokio Olympics in 1964 Italy wins 5 out of 6 medals. the Olympic title with their only The Olympics in 1952 from Helsinki representative, Abdon Pamich, in the 50 were dominated by Giuseppe Dordoni. The km event. The Romanian athlete Popa Romanian athletes Paraschivescu and ranks 28. The 20 km event was again won Baboie ranked 7 and 8 in the 50 km event by the British, through the fast racewalking in the Swedish competition. Helsinki was of Kenneth Matthews who dominated from the place where the Soviet Union appeared the start to the last step, setting a new for the first time and their team won the Olympic record with 1h 29’34”. bronze medal (Brun Junk). At the beginning of the 60s, the Swiss The technical elements combined from athlete Armando Libotte from Lugano, the three schools that existed in 1952 – international referee and member of the British, Italian, and Swedish [5] – can be racewalking Committee within the IAAF summarized as follows: came up with the idea of a team • The British school, very conservative, competition, based on the two classic continues to make present the racewalking events: 20 and 50 km. at the influence of military marching; end of the 70s a final stage of this • The Italian school, through the amazing competition was organized and it was Giuseppe Dordoni, tries to improve officially called the World Cup. their technique by executing longer In the Ciudad de Mexico Olympics the steps, even if they were performing a Russian athlete Vladimir Golubnichiy won military-like racewalking; again the gold medal in the 20 km event, • The Swedish school makes the transition followed closely by the local favorite Jose from the military marching technique Pedraza. Romania ranked 9 through to what shall be recognized as the Leonida Caraiosifoglu. future year’s technique, through John At the end of the 60s and the beginning Mikaelsson, the most technical of the 70s the German democratic school racewalker at the moment. started to stand out. During that period In the Australian Olympics in Melbourne Peter Frenkel, Hans-Georg Reimann, – 1956, the 20 km event was held on the Gerhard Sperling, Peter Selzer and highroad and the medals were won by the Cristoph Hohne definitely dominated the athletes belonging to the new Soviet competitions in Lugano and won many school: Leonid Spirin, Antanas Mikenas medals at the European Championships and Bruno Junk. Here the Romanian and Olympics. All these athletes of similar athlete Paraschivescu ranked 14. The heights chose a technique based on Soviet Union ranked 2 in the 50 km event. frequency and on raising the center of The Soviet school came with a new gravity, where the hip movement was technique with new methods, their limited. technicians sensing that the step length All these years the medals went to the must be proportional to the athlete’s great athletes of East (Democratic) characteristics. The 10th place was taken by Germany and of the Soviet Union, with the Romanian athlete Barbu. few exceptions. These exceptions were In the Rome Olympics in 1960 the called: Paul Nihil (British), who won the 12 Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov • Series IX • Vol. 8 (57) No. 2 - 2015 gold in 1969 in Athens in the 20 km event, Mexico, Soviet Union, East Germany, and followed by the Romanian athlete Leonida the new Spanish school. Caraiosifoglu. The IAAF racewalking committee In the Munich Olympics, West (Federal) decided to adopt a table, expose it near the Germany wins its first gold medal in the 50 track, which would announce the warnings km event through Berna Kannenberg with and disqualification proposals which went the unbelievable time of 3h 56’11”, the to the president of the jury.