Fiorini and Perez break race walking world records
In the women's race walking, Sofia Fiorini of Italy smashes the marathon world record by over nine minutes, with Maria Perez of Spain also setting a world record in the half-marathon, at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham.
BIRMINGHAM, England - Spain's Maria Perez shattered the women's half-marathon race walk world record at the European Athletics Championships, winning gold with a time of 1 hour, 30 minutes, and 6 seconds. The new record, set on Saturday, is faster than the previous mark of 1:30:30, established by World Athletics in December. This marks Perez's first European gold medal since winning the 20 km race in 2018.
Italian Alexandrina Mihai and Ukraine's Lyudmila Olyanovska placed second and third, respectively, in the half-marathon race walk, which now replaces the 20-kilometer race. Perez also holds the world record for the 35-kilometer event, achieved in 2023, and is a four-time world champion.
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- Spain's Perez sets women's half marathon race walk world record channelnewsasia.com
