Women’s race walk world records set at European championships

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Race walk world records were broken in the first women's half-marathon and marathon events at the European championships on Saturday. Spain's María Pérez claimed gold in the half marathon by finishing in 1 hour, 30 minutes, 6 seconds. Two hours later, Italian newcomer Sofia Fiorini won the marathon race walk, crossing the finish line in 3:15.11.

Both performances set new world records for distances that were officially recognized for the first time in January. World Athletics required a 1:30:30 time for the half marathon and 3:17:00 for the marathon to achieve these records. Pérez and Fiorini surpassed the previous standards by 24 seconds and 1:49, respectively, making them the inaugural official world record holders for these unique distances. The 30-year-old Pérez also holds the world record for the 35-kilometer race walk.