# 2011 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 20 kilometres walk

The Women's 20 kilometres race walk event at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics was held on a loop course starting and finishing at Gukchae - bosang Memorial Park on August 31.
Olga Kaniskina of Russia looked to continue a series of major victories which had seen her win consecutive world titles (2007, 2009), the 2008 Olympic title and a gold medal at the 2010 European Championships. Two other Russians, Vera Sokolova and Anisya Kirdyapkina, had walked the two fastest times ever for the distance that February and comprised her primary opposition. Outside of the Russians, 2009 medallists Olive Loughnane and Liu Hong were the other major medal contenders. Other entrants were Qieyang Shenjie, Li Yanfei, Beatriz Pascual, Kumi Otoshi and Vera Santos – all of whom were among the fastest walkers that year.

## Records

| Record | Athlete | Perf. | Location | Date |
| World record | Vera Sokolova (RUS) | 1:25:08 | Sochi, Russia | 26 February 2011 |
| Championship record | Olimpiada Ivanova (RUS) | 1:25:41 | Helsinki, Finland | 7 August 2005 |
| World leading | Vera Sokolova (RUS) | 1:25:08 | Sochi, Russia | 26 February 2011 |
| African record | Grace Wanjiru Njue (KEN) | 1:34:19 | Nairobi, Kenya | 1 August 2010 |
| Asian record | Yan Wang (CHN) | 1:26:22 | Guangzhou, China | 19 November 2001 |
| NCAC record | Maria Graciela Mendoza (MEX) | 1:30:03 | Mézidon-Canon, France | 2 May 1999 |
| South American record | Miriam Ramón (ECU) | 1:31:25 | Lima, Peru | 7 May 2005 |
| European record | Vera Sokolova (RUS) | 1:25:08 | Sochi, Russia | 26 February 2011 |
| Oceanian record | Jane Saville (AUS) | 1:27:44 | Naumburg, Germany | 2 May 2004 |

## Qualification standards

| A time | B time |
| 1:33:30 | 1:38:00 |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Round |
| August 31, 2011 | 09:00 | Final |

## Results

| KEY: | q | Fastest non-qualifiers | Q | Qualified | NR | National record | PB | Personal best | SB | Seasonal best |

### Final

Elisa Rigaudo became bronze medal on 24 March 2016 (5 years after the event) in 20 km walk (she was 4th) after disqualification of Russian Olga Kaniskina who originally had won the race and silver in March 2019 (8 years after the event) after disqualification of Russian Anisya Kirdyapkina originally second.
| Rank | Athlete | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| | Liu Hong | China (CHN) | 1:30:00 | |
| | Elisa Rigaudo | Italy (ITA) | 1:30:44 | SB |
| | Qieyang Shijie | China (CHN) | 1:31:14 | |
| 4 | Susana Feitor | Portugal (POR) | 1:31:26 | |
| 5 | Ana Cabecinha | Portugal (POR) | 1:31:36 | |
| 6 | Kristina Saltanovič | Lithuania (LTU) | 1:31:40 | SB |
| 7 | Beatriz Pascual | Spain (ESP) | 1:31:46 | |
| 8 | Inês Henriques | Portugal (POR) | 1:32:06 | |
| 9 | Vera Sokolova | Russia (RUS) | 1:32:13 | |
| 10 | María Vasco | Spain (ESP) | 1:32:42 | |
| 11 | Gao Ni | China (CHN) | 1:32:49 | |
| 12 | Regan Lamble | Australia (AUS) | 1:33:38 | |
| 13 | Olive Loughnane | Ireland (IRL) | 1:34:02 | |
| 14 | Tatiana Mineeva | Russia (RUS) | 1:34:08 | |
| 15 | Nastassia Yatsevich | Belarus (BLR) | 1:34:09 | |
| 16 | Jamy Franco | Guatemala (GUA) | 1:34:36 | |
| 17 | Kumi Otoshi | Japan (JPN) | 1:34:37 | |
| 18 | Claire Tallent | Australia (AUS) | 1:34:46 | |
| 19 | Mayumi Kawasaki | Japan (JPN) | 1:35:03 | |
| 20 | Johanna Jackson | Great Britain & N.I. (GBR) | 1:35:32 | |
| 21 | Nadiia Borovska-Prokopuk | Ukraine (UKR) | 1:35:38 | |
| 22 | Lucie Pelantová | Czech Republic (CZE) | 1:35:45 | |
| 23 | Jeon Yong-eun | South Korea (KOR) | 1:35:52 | SB |
| 24 | Claudia Stef | Romania (ROM) | 1:36:55 | |
| 25 | Agnese Pastare | Latvia (LAT) | 1:37:48 | |
| 26 | Brigita Virbalytė | Lithuania (LTU) | 1:38:39 | |
| 27 | Maria Michta | United States (USA) | 1:38:54 | |
| 28 | Mária Czaková | Slovakia (SVK) | 1:39:07 | |
| 29 | Arabelly Orjuela | Colombia (COL) | 1:39:28 | |
| 30 | Ingrid Hernández | Colombia (COL) | 1:39:53 | |
| 31 | Zuzana Schindlerová | Czech Republic (CZE) | 1:39:57 | |
| 32 | Marie Polli | Switzerland (SUI) | 1:40:28 | |
| 33 | Milángela Rosales | Venezuela (VEN) | 1:40:49 | |
| 34 | Rachel Lavallée Seaman | Canada (CAN) | 1:43:31 | |
| 35 | Grace Wanjiru | Kenya (KEN) | 1:43:59 | |
| 36 | Yadira Guamán | Ecuador (ECU) | 1:45:15 | |
| 37 | Chaima Trabelsi | Tunisia (TUN) | 1:46:29 | |
| | Claudia Balderrama | Bolivia (BOL) | DSQ | |
| | María José Poves | Spain (ESP) | DSQ | |
| | Viktória Madarász | Hungary (HUN) | DSQ | |
| | Neringa Aidietytė | Lithuania (LTU) | DSQ | |
| | María Guadalupe Sánchez | Mexico (MEX) | DSQ | |
| | Olga Iakovenko | Ukraine (UKR) | DSQ | |
| | Sabine Krantz | Germany (GER) | DNF | |
| | Melanie Seeger | Germany (GER) | DNF | |
| | Masumi Fuchise | Japan (JPN) | DNF | |
| | Semiha Mutlu | Turkey (TUR) | DNF | |
| DSQ | Olga Kaniskina | Russia (RUS) | 1:29:42 | disqualified |
| DSQ | Anisya Kirdyapkina | Russia (RUS) | 1:30:13 | disqualified |
| DSQ | Olena Shumkina | Ukraine (UKR) | 1:32:17 | disqualified |