China's London 2012 20km gold medallist Qieyang Shijie is the top name in the women's race.

It is the 41st edition of the race, which takes place in the spa town of Dudince in Slovakia.

Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Mauritius, Romania and Slovakia are all to hold their National Championships during the race too.

The entry standard for the 35km race for the World Athletics Championships in Oregon is 2 hours 33min for the men, which the Italian will be looking to break, having ran 2:35:03 in a split during a 50km race.

Stano won Olympic gold in front of home favourites Koki Ikeda and Toshikazu Yamanishi of Japan at Tokyo 2020.

"I am a lover of challenges, the 35km excites me a lot," said Stano to the Italian Athletics Federation.

World silver medallist from 2019 Joao Vieira of Portugal, who was fifth in the men's 50km at Tokyo 2020, is also on the entry list, as well as 2013 Dudinska 50 champion Erick Barrondo from Guatemala, an Olympic silver medallist.

South American 50km race walk record-holder Andres Chocho of Ecuador and Mexico's Horacio Nava are other contenders for the win.

Qieyang is soon to become an Olympic champion from 2012 following the disqualification of Yelena Lashmanova.

Her compatriot Li Maocuo already has experience at the distance, having placed second at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Muscat, and will be a threat for the 2019 silver medallist over 50km.

Portugal's Inês Henriques - a world and European champion - is to feature, as is 20km bronze medallist from Muscat, Kimberly Garcia of Peru, and Ecuador's Magaly Bonilla, who was sixth in the 35km.

More than 230 athletes from 28 countries are entered across all events.

The women's qualifying standard for the World Championships is 2:55:00.