Toshikazu Yamanishi sets new world record in men’s 20km race walk at Japanese Championships

Toshikazu Yamanishi broke the men’s 20km race walk world record on Sunday, bettering the previous mark by 26 seconds.

Two-time world champion Yamanishi won the Japanese 20km Race Walking Championships in Kobe with a superb timing of 1:16:10. The previous record of 1:16:36 was set in Nomi in 2015 by his compatriot Yusuke Suzuki.

The 29-year-old Yamanishi had a personal best of 1:17:15 set in 2019.

With the win, Yamanishi, who failed to make the Japanese team for the Paris Olympics, grabbed an automatic spot for this year’s home World Championships.

Nanako Fujii won the women’s race with a new national record of 1:26:33.