World Athletics has published the entry lists for the 2026 Race Walking Team Championships in Brasilia on April 12, revealing a field of 333 athletes from 40 countries set to contest the new standard distances of the half marathon and marathon race walk. The entry list confirms this as one of the strongest fields in the event's history, befitting an edition that makes history as the first to feature the new championship distances and the first held in South America.
The men's half marathon race walk is headlined by home favourite Caio Bonfim, the reigning world 20km champion who will compete in front of a passionate Brazilian crowd in the capital. Bonfim faces formidable opposition from Japan's two-time world champion Toshikazu Yamanishi, Sweden's multiple world medallist Perseus Karlström, and Spain's world bronze medallist Paul McGrath alongside compatriot Diego García Carrera. The depth of the entry list suggests a tactical battle on Brasilia's rolling terrain.
Peru's Kimberly García, the 2022 double world champion, leads the women's half marathon entries. García's dominance at the 20km distance was absolute in 2022, and the transition to the half marathon format should suit her sustained pace and tactical intelligence. She will face Poland's Katarzyna Zdziebło, who claimed world silver at both distances behind García in 2022, and Spanish champion Antia Chamosa.
The junior U20 races over 10km complete the programme, with 39 women and 40 men from the next generation of race walkers competing for early international honours. Brasilia's altitude of approximately 1,100 metres and expected temperatures in the mid-20s Celsius will test preparation and heat management. The championships serve as an important form check ahead of the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest in September, making Brasilia a significant competitive marker in the 2026 athletics calendar.