The first European Athletics Walking Meeting of 2010 takes place in Olhão, on Portugal’s Algarve coast, on Sunday with international fields that include home favourites João Vieira and Vera Santos in the men’s and women’s 20km races.
Vieira, who turns 34 on Saturday, has been a consistent competitor on the international stage for more than a decade. He was the 2006 European Athletics Championships 20km Walk bronze medallist, when he set the current Portuguese record of 1:20:09. He also finished 10th at last year’s World Championships.