At the European Championships in Birmingham on Saturday, two landmark performances established the first official world records in newly recognised women's race-walk distances, as Spain’s María Pérez won the half-marathon race walk and Italy’s Sofia Fiorini claimed the marathon race walk title.
New records in newly sanctioned events
Pérez completed the inaugural half-marathon race walk in 1 hour, 30 minutes, 6 seconds, while 21-year-old Fiorini finished the marathon race walk in 3:15.11. World Athletics had set benchmark times that athletes had to surpass for the marks to be ratified as official inaugural world records: 1:30:30 for the half-marathon and 3:17:00 for the marathon.
Both marks at Birmingham are subject to the usual ratification procedures by World Athletics, which include verification of course measurement, anti-doping controls and adherence to competition rules. The governing body noted these distances only became official disciplines in January, making this week’s championships the first major international opportunity for athletes to set recognised benchmarks.
Profiles and context
Pérez, 30, is already established in race walking and also holds the world record for the 35-kilometre race walk. Her victory in Birmingham cements her status across multiple distances at a time when the sport’s governing body is expanding opportunities and standardising events for women.
Fiorini, at just 21, took the marathon race walk title with a time that comfortably bettered World Athletics’ inaugural threshold. Her performance highlights a rising generation in race walking now able to contest official longer-distance events at major championships.
| Event | Winner | Winning time | World Athletics inaugural threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half-marathon race walk | María Pérez (Spain) | 1:30:06 | 1:30:30 |
| Marathon race walk | Sofia Fiorini (Italy) | 3:15.11 | 3:17:00 |
What this means for the sport
The formal adoption of women’s half-marathon and marathon race-walk events represents a deliberate shift by World Athletics to expand parity in endurance disciplines. Creating official records for these distances gives athletes clear targets and elevates the profile of longer race-walk events in international competition.
- Official recognition provides a pathway for record progression and international ranking.
- National federations may increase resources and coaching emphasis on the longer distances.
- Young athletes, like Fiorini, gain opportunity to specialise earlier in their careers with the prospect of world records and championship medals.
For fans and national athletics programmes, the new benchmarks will be a focal point in the coming seasons as competitors aim to lower times and as organisers align courses and anti-doping measures to meet ratification standards.
Both Pérez’s and Fiorini’s performances at Birmingham will now enter the formal review process. If ratified, they will stand as the first official world records in their respective events, marking a recalibration of the sport’s record books and signalling a broader evolution in international race walking.
As race walking continues to adapt — adding distances and refining rules — athletes and coaches will watch closely to see how these inaugural marks influence training, selection and strategy ahead of future global championships and Olympic cycles.
