Denis Gennadyevich Nizhegorodov is a retired Russian race walker. Between 2008 and 2014 he held the world record over 50 km distance, with a time of 3:34:14. He competed in this event at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and won a silver and a bronze medal, respectively.

Race walking, or racewalking, is a long-distance discipline within the sport of athletics. Although a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times. Race judges carefully assess that this is maintained throughout the race. Typically held on either roads or running tracks, common distances range from 3,000 metres (1.9 mi) up to 100 kilometres (62.1 mi).