The Chinese Race Walking Grand Prix, formerly known as the Taicang IAAF Race Walking Challenge, is an annual race walking competition held in Taicang, China. As of 2023, it is a World Athletics Race Walking Tour Gold level meeting – the highest-level circuit of international race walking competitions.[1]
The meeting is organized by the Chinese Athletic Association, and it is typically held in March, April, or May. There was a domestic race walking competition held in Taicang as far back as 2010, but the meeting became sponsored by World Athletics (then IAAF) and attracted international talent starting in 2011.[2][3] In 2014, it served as the 2014 IAAF World Race Walking Cup, and in 2018 it hosted the championship again under its new name 2018 IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships.[4][5] In 2024, it also served as the 2024 Olympic trials for China in the race walk.[1] The citizens of Taicang were reported to have a "deep passion" for walking, and the city fielded a race walking team at the 2014 edition.[5]
The competition was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in China, and it did not return until 2023, rebranded as the Chinese Race Walking Grand Prix (or National Race Walking Grand Prix).[6] There was a separate National Race Walking Grand Prix in Taicang in the past, but it did not receive Tour / IAAF Challenge status before 2023.[7]
^Races were limited to Chinese competitors. There were also senior men's and women's Team 20 km walks, which were won individually by Liu Xing (1:19:58) and Li Yanhong (1:32:30) respectively.
