It s the longest race on the World Championships programme. It s also the one that people generally tend to know least about, but recent history suggests a Russian man should win.

The presence of Ethiopia's London 2012 Olympic Games champion Tirunesh Dibaba along with her compatriot and her long-time rival Meseret Defar in a straight final, with potentially up to 21 athletes on the track, could turn this race into one of the hig...

The men s 20km Race walk could be a thrilling re-match between the main protagonists from the London 2012 Olympic Games, with the top five from that race set to battle again around the streets of the Russian capital.

Kenya has long held a stranglehold over this title, winning the past three editions, but their great rivals Ethiopia have enough strength and quality in their team to potentially end that streak.

Expect an absorbing battle between the hosts Russia and their long-time rivals China in what should prove a fascinating dust-up on the streets of Moscow.

The London 2012 Olympic Games champion from Ethiopia versus the defending World Champion from Kenya provides the perfect preamble to what should prove an intriguing battle for the gold medal on the streets of Moscow.