Maria Perez, a Spaniard, has shattered the race walk record at the European Race Walking Team Championships on Sunday.
The athlete did that by a startling 29 seconds. It surpassed the previous record for women’s 35km race walks set by Kimberly Garcia of Peru in March.
In Podebrady, Czech Republic, Perez finished the race in two hours, 37 minutes, and 15 seconds. It was more than eight minutes ahead of her closest rival, fellow countrywoman Raquel Gonzales. Cristina Montesinos came in third to give Spain a perfect victory.
According to European Athletics, Francisco Fernandez broke the previous world record in the 10,000-meter race walk in 2008.
“It is a nice feeling to finish the race and the time is a big reward for this,” Perez said, per European Athletics.
“I did not think of any time or any special target before the start; I just wanted to finish the best I could.”
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The world record-breaking performance is a major boost for the Spaniard, who is a two-time world championship medalist in the 20km race walk. She is now the favorite to win gold in the 35km race walk at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Garcia, who set the previous world record in March, was not competing at the European Race Walking Team Championships. But she is expected to be back in action at the World Athletics Championships in July.
Perez’s time will go through World Athletics’ ratification procedure, which is usual practice when records are broken.
