European U20 and U23 champion Paul McGrath from Spain won his first major senior title in the men’s 20km race walk at the 2025 European Race Walking Team Championships in Podebrady, Czechia on 18 May.
McGrath won the 20km race walk title in a championship record of 1:18:05 and he also led Spain to the team title ahead of Italy.
The silver medallist at the 2024 European Athletics Championships defeated a stellar line-up in Lazensky Park including Sweden’s Perseus Karlstrom - who struck gold at this distance in Rome last year - and Italy’s Francesco Fortunato, the gold medallist at the 2023 European Race Walking Team Championships.
McGrath, 23, passed the early leader Gabriel Bordier from France in the 14th kilometre and never looked back as he continued his country’s excellent tradition in the event, becoming the fourth Spanish winner of the men’s 20km race walk title. His time of 1:18:05 also broke the championship record of 1:18:22 set by Karlström on this course in 2021.
Meanwhile, the race for the silver and bronze medals was only decided in the last 400 metres. Reigning champion Fortunato put in a late surge to overhaul Bordier for the silver medal in a lifetime best of 1:18:16 with Bordier having to settle for bronze, also with a lifetime best of 1:18:23.
Five of the top seven finishers all set lifetime bests and the top seven finishers all broke the 1:20-barrier. The top seven was rounded out by reigning European champion Karlström who couldn’t find his best form on a circuit which he knows so well but still clocked a solid 1:19:48
McGrath’s winning margin of 11 seconds for the individual title was fairly decisive but the team title went to the countback rule. Both Spain and Italy scored 16 points but the Spaniards were awarded the crown after their third finisher - Ivan Lopez in ninth - finished a crucial one place ahead of Italy’s third scorer Michele Antonelli in tenth.
Led by Mate Helebrandt in 13th, Hungary won a surprise bronze medal in the team race.
Olyanovska lands elusive individual gold in women's 20km race walk
A multiple silver and bronze medallist in major events for more than a decade, Ukraine's two-time European medallist Lyudmila Olyanovska finally stepped onto the top of the podium in the women's 20km race walk in Podebrady.
Olyanovska was locked together with France's Clemence Beretta but the Ukrainian veteran kept the pressure applied on her French rival with a succession of kilometre splits around the 4:20 mark. Her attritional tactics eventually paid dividends with Olyanovska yielded a six-second gap in the 17th kilometre.
The gap didn't increase or decrease significantly over the final three kilometres but Olyanovska put paid to any hopes of a Beretta comeback on the final lap with a closing kilometre of 4:17 - her fastest of the day - to win the individual title in 1:27:56.
Any disappointment that Beretta might have felt for missing out on the individual title was surely made up for by improving her national record to 1:28:05 and also leading France to the team title.
Beretta only had to wait a matter of seconds to greet her compatriot and European U23 champion Pauline Stey who won individual bronze in 1:28:18 with Ana Delahie sealing team gold for Les Bleus in tenth individually with 1:31:39.
With three counters finishing inside the top seven, the Spaniards - who were led by 2025 European leader Antia Chamosa in fourth in 1:29:11 - packed well to win team silver ahead of Ukraine whose bronze medal-winning trio was spearheaded by individual winner Olyanovska.