Stano smashes world 35km race walk record in Podebrady

Italy's Massimo Stano broke the short-lived world 35km race walk record at the European Race Walking Team Championships - a World Athletics Race Walking Tour Gold meeting - in Podebrady on Sunday (18) by a massive 57 seconds.

The 2:20:43 recorded by the 2021 Olympic champion comfortably eclipsed the 2:21:40 set by Canadian Evan Dunfee in March, which in itself was seven seconds quicker than the 2:21:47 recorded by Japan's Masatora Kawano last October.

Stano took the lead at 23km, and went through the gears to record laps under 4:00/min in the closing stages. In fact, 5km short of the finish the Italian notched an incredible 3:54 for his 30th circuit.

He was actively encouraging the crowd around the spa town course to cheer him to the finish and looked barely out of breath as he crossed the line.

In the far distance, Christopher Linke took silver with a German record of 2:23:21, while Miguel Angel Lopez set a Spanish record of 2:23:48 in third.

Poland's Maher Ben Hlima led early on and went through 20km in 1:21:08, 34 seconds ahead of Stano, who in turn was slightly ahead of Linke and significantly ahead of Lopez.

But Stano stormed through to take over, recording 2:00:57 at 30km with a 3:54 lap. That was all he needed to know that a world record was within reach, and he duly delivered when crossing the line in 2:20:43.

 

Maria Perez survived a toilet break during the women’s race to come home first by 36 seconds.

The enforced stop did nothing to halt the Spanish double world champion, who broke the world record on this course two years ago with 2:37:15.

This time she had to settle for a world-leading 2:38:59, but it was more than good enough to head 2021 Olympic 20km champion Antonella Palmisano, who was making her debut at the distance.

Even so, the Italian broke her country’s national record by more than two minutes and became the seventh woman to better the 2:40 barrier. Palmisano’s 2:39:35 was excellent, but Perez was always in control.

Italy's Nicole Colombi finished third in a PB of 2:41:47 and Hanna Shevchuk placed fourth in a Ukrainian record of 2:42:41 to underline a top-class field.

Perez recorded 1:31:45 at 20km, only to need that stop halfway through the 21st lap. But by 25km, she was still 32 seconds clear of anyone else.

Palmisano pushed hard over the closing stages, and apart from a silver medal, her reward was to be handsomely lifted aloft at the finish by the diminutive, yet clearly strong winner.

Paul McGrath followed up two major silvers from 2024 with a superb gold in the men’s 20km race.

The athlete born in Catalonia to a Scottish father and Spanish mother claimed his first major title with an authority belying his 23 years. He took control at 13km to move away effortlessly away and win in 1:18:08 – just 13 seconds outside his PB, but still a championship record.

In the last 300m, defending champion Francisco Fortunato of Italy found an extra sprint to pass a tiring Gabriel Bordier, finishing second and third respectively in PBs of 1:18:16 and 1:18:23. It was the very least the Frenchman deserved after a gutsy performance that saw him lead from the gun to McGrath taking control.

There were personal bests for fourth, fifth and sixth places as well in a sizzling race. Andre Cosi came home in 1:18:43; Ukraine’s Mukola Rushchak took more than two minutes off his previous best with 1:18:50, and Spain’s Alvaro Lopez notched 1:19:48.

McGrath was second at the European Championships and at last year’s World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships. But this time laps in the latter stages averaging 3:50 were all that was needed for top spot.

Ten years after she earned world bronze, Lyudmila Olynavovska finally claimed a major title, topping the podium in 1:27:56 after accelerating at 16km to break away from Clémence Beretta, who finished in a PB of 1:28:05 – 39 seconds quicker than her previous best.

Back-to-back 4:20m laps saw Olynavovska make the race’s decisive bid after the pack splintered to three by halfway (44:24); Ukraine's Mariia Sakharuk was the surprise third alongside Beretta and Olynavovska.

It was down to just two at 13km as the pace took its toll on Sakharuk. Beretta’s plucky effort saw her claim a first major medal of any sort. Behind her, teammate Pauline Stey race walked mostly solo to take third in 1:28:18 - another French PB and on their way to the team prize.

Spain’s Antia Chamosa came through for fourth in 1:29:11, and 2022 world silver medallist Katarzyna Zdzieblo's steady effort was good enough for fifth in 1:29:19.

Paul Warburton for World Athletics