Qieyang Shijie won her first major gold at the IAAF Race Walking Challenge in Taicang, China ©Getty Images

China’s Qieyang Shijie, who has a collection of major silver medals going back to the London 2012 Games, earned a breakthrough gold at the International Associaton of Athletics Federations Race Walking Challenge on the home roads of Taicang.

Qieyang, the global number one, could hardly have had a tougher field to contend with in the women’s 20km event given the presence of compatriots Liu Hong, the world record holder, and Yang Jiayu, the world champion.

Unsurprisingly in an event doubling as Chinese trials for the IAAF World Championships in Doha later this year, the event produced a home double as Wang Kaihua took the men’s 20km title.

Qieyang, Liu and Yang swapped the lead in the women's race from the start until the final two kilometres, when the 28-year-old Qieyang moved clear to win in 1hr 28min 00sec.

Yang finished 16 seconds behind in second place while Liu, who in March set a 50km race walk world record of 3:59:15 to add to her 20km world record of 1:24:38, was third in 1:28:22.

It was the fifth time Qieyang – who has silver medals from London 2012 and the 2018 Asian Games and two from the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships – had competed in Taicang and the first time she had been on top of the podium.

Wang Kaihua won the men's 20km race at the IAAF Race Walking Challenge in Taicang, earning himself a place at this year's IAAF World Championships in Doha in the process ©Getty Images
Wang Kaihua won the men's 20km race at the IAAF Race Walking Challenge in Taicang, earning himself a place at this year's IAAF World Championships in Doha in the process ©Getty Images

“I always want to prove myself,” she told the IAAF.

“Although being able to finish second in different major competitions is quite awesome, too, I really need to prove I can be the champion, especially when competing with such a quality field.”

As Wang, 23, was already guaranteed a place at Doha 2019 as defending champion, the third women’s qualifiying spot went to fourth-place finisher Wang Yingliu.

In the earlier men’s race, 25-year-old Wang held off a strong challenge from Olympic silver medallist Cai Zelin to claim the title in 1:19:48.

Cai, 28, finished second in 1:20:13, with Brazilian 20km record holder Caio Bonfim, winner of the 2017 edition in 1:22:16, took third place in 1:20:37.