The Japanese Toshikazu Yamanishi to Win As Per Men’s 20km Race Walk in Doha Betting Predictions

U.S. Army [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Men’s 20km Walk Race is one of the main events at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019. The finals will be held on October 4-5. More than a dozen men can make serious claims to challenge for the title. However, Men’s 20km Race Walk in Doha betting predictions opt for Japan’s world leader Toshikazu Yamanishi to finish first.

From what we saw at the 20km Asian Race Walking Championships when all who podiumed were Japanese, the winner in Doha might likely be from Japan. The leading names are Toshikazu Yamanishi and his 21-year-old countryman Koki Ikeda. However, they will probably face strong contention by other world-class athletes such as Perseus Karlstrom and Massimo Stano.

For unclear reasons, Yamanishi and Ikeda are not among the favorites at the online sportsbook sites in Qatar. However, our Men’s 20km race walk in Doha betting predictions show that both men will very likely lead in the race. The competition will kick off at 11:30 pm on October 4 due to the heat and humidity in Doha. And, the first will cross the finish line before 1 am on October 5.

Toshikazu Yamanishi the World Time leader

The 23-year-old Toshikazu Yamanishi is one of the star performers of the year. He is currently ranked number one in the world. And, he is very keen to make a statement less than a year out from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Accordingly, our Men’s 20km race walk in Doha betting predictions go for Yamanishi to add a new victory, with 12.00 odds at Unibet Sportsbook.

Yamanishi recently won the 2019 IAAF Race Walking Challenge in La Coruna in 1:17:41. He swiftly passed over Italy’s Massimo Stano and Japan’s Yusuke Suzuki to finish first. Earlier this year Yamanishi scored his personal best and secured the Asian Race Walking title at 1:17:15. One of Yamanishi’s first successes was in 2013 when he won 10,000m Race Walk at the IAAF World Youth Championships.

Ikeda, Karlstrom, and Stano among top title challengers

Yamanishi’s countryman Koki Ikeda is the 2018 IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships 20km gold medalist. Although he is only 21 years old, he claimed the World University Games title in Naples in July. And, he finished second at the 20km Asian Race Walking Championships, 10 seconds behind Yamanishi. Should Ikeda be faster than Yamanishi, his odds stand at 12.00 to finish first as online gambling sites in Qatar indicate.

Among other top title challengers, are the Swede Perseus Karlstrom (7.50), who won three 20km race walks this year. The 29-year-old set a noteworthy national record of 1:18:07 for fourth place in La Coruna. Another great race walker is the Italian Massimo Stano (4.50). He made a huge breakthrough when setting a national record of 1:17:45 for second in La Coruna in June. Last year, he won the bronze medal at the 2018 IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships and finished fourth at the 2018 European Championships.

Simple facts about race walking

Race walking is a long-distance discipline. It appeared in the modern Olympics in 1904. Among the top athletes in the history of the game is the Pole Robert Korzeniowski. He is the only athlete to secure three consecutive Olympic gold medals, winning the 50km race in 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games. He was also the first athlete to claim an Olympic double, winning the 20km and 50km in 2000.

In the last few decades, Russian and Chinese athletes have been among the most successful. But the current world champion for the Men’s 20km is Colombia’s Eider Arevalo. He won in London in 2017 with a time of 1:18:53. However, due to the injury during a recent training session, Arevola will not be able to defend his world title in Doha.

If you are looking for the best IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 odds, look no further and check our review about Unibet Sportsbook.