Best Race Walkers of All Time
Who are the greatest race walkers of all time? Explore the leading athletes in Sport Ranking’s historical Athletics ranking, based on results from major international competitions across different eras.
Greatest Men’s Race Walkers
Walk Men
| # | Athlete | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Korzeniowski | Poland | 165 |
| 2 | Jefferson Pérez | Ecuador | 136 |
| 3 | Mikhail Schennikov | Russia | 94 |
| 4 | Jared Tallent | Australia | 90 |
| 5 | Volodymyr Holubnychy | Soviet Union | 89 |
| 6 | Raúl González | Mexico | 88 |
| 7 | John Mikaelsson | Sweden | 81 |
| 8 | Ugo Frigerio | Italy | 78 |
| 9 | Daniel Bautista | Mexico | 77 |
| 9 | Ronald Weigel | Germany | 77 |
Greatest Women’s Race Walkers
Walk Women
| # | Athlete | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liu Hong | China | 121 |
| 2 | Yelena Nikolayeva | Russia | 113 |
| 3 | Kerry Saxby-Junna | Australia | 69 |
| 4 | María Pérez | Spain | 68 |
| 5 | Olimpiada Ivanova | Russia | 65 |
| 6 | Yang Jiayu | China | 62 |
| 7 | Olga Kaniskina | Russia | 58 |
| 8 | Kimberly García | Peru | 54 |
| 9 | Qieyang Shijie | China | 49 |
| 10 | Antonella Palmisano | Italy | 41 |
How the All-Time Ranking Works
The ranking is based on global and continental championships, which are weighted according to their importance on the international stage. The system also includes the Diamond League and its historical predecessors.
Team events are valued at three times the points of individual disciplines to increase their importance in national rankings, but they are not included in individual rankings. The World Athletics Awards do not count towards the discipline rankings, only towards the overall athletics ranking.
The achievement and holding of a world record are also rewarded, representing a significant performance milestone. Holding the world record on short distances has only been awarded points since the time of automatic timing.
Learn more about Athletics scoring →