Britain’s top race walkers set to chase qualification for Oregon, Munich and Birmingham in Leeds this weekend

The British Grand Prix of Race Walking in Leeds on Saturday (April 30) incorporates the British 20km Championships, England 20km Championships, RWA Championships and the British Athletics trials for the World Championships in Oregon, writes Ian Richards.

After being unable to take place due to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the event makes a welcome return at the new venue of the Brownlee Centre at the University of Leeds.

The favourite in the men’s race is Commonwealth silver medallist Tom Bosworth, who is returning to fitness after an operation at the start of the year. In the absence of the Tokyo Olympic 10^th placer Callum Wilkinson, who is recovering from an operation, Bosworth will look to regain the title he last won in 2018.

Cameron Corbishley, the 2022 British No.1 over 20km with his 88:12 set in Podebrady, is likely to be his closest rival. He set a personal best over the distance last year of 82:50 at the European Team Championships.

A number of athletes are chasing qualifying times for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham over 10km. Guy Thomas and Leeds-based Chris Snook will be chasing the Welsh and English standard of 41:30.

Bethan Davies set a British record over 35km in Dudince this month of 2:58:48 and she will test her recovery from this performance by stepping down to 20km, a distance at which she in the second fastest ever Brit (91:53).

She was 18^th over 20km in the World Race Walking Team Championship in Muscat in March in 1:42:45 in tough conditions. Davies will be looking to regain the British 20km title she last won in 2018, while Abigail Jennings will look to improve on her debut performance of 1:49:29 set at Kew Gardens last year.

Heather Lewis is the reigning British 20km champion and set a PB of 94:02 in Podebrady this month. She will however focus on 10km at this event trying to secure a place on the Welsh team for Birmingham. She has been inside the Welsh Standard of 46:00 on two occasions, clocking 45.53 on the road in Dublin in December and 45.59.45 on the track in Coventry last month.

In the junior men’s 10km British Championships and trials for the World Under-20 Championships, Christian Hopper will look to improve on his personal best he set on the track in Coventry last month of 49:37.36. His sister Hannah Hopper will start as favourite in the junior women’s 10km. She set a personal best of 51:19 in Podebrady at the start of April.

In the 5km event Gracie Griffiths will look to improve her personal best set in Leeds on the track in February of 25:38.20.

The action gets underway at 6pm and the event is free for spectators.

For more details see here and follow @leedswalk on Twitter for live updates.