World Athletics Championships 2025: Walkers Dunfee, Perez win first gold medals in Tokyo
Evan Dunfee of Canada and Spanish defending champion Maria Perez prevailed in suffocating Tokyo humidity to win the first gold medals of the 20th World Athletics Championships in the 35-km walks on Saturday.
Dunfee, the pain of the gruelling effort in tough conditions etched on his face, crossed the line at the National Stadium in two hours, 28 minutes, and 22 seconds to claim his first global title.
“It is a dream come true,” said Dunfee. “I am turning 35 this year, but I just feel like I am getting better and better.
“I was just patient today. That is part of my game, and everyone who knows me knows that I can become better in the second half of the race.”
Caio Bonfim of Brazil won silver in 2:28.55 while Hayato Katsuki took a popular bronze for hosts Japan in 2:29.16.
World record holder Perez, who did the 20-km-35-km double at the last world championships in Budapest two years ago, roared in delight as she hit the tape in 2:39.01 before sinking to her knees on the track and sobbing.
Italian Antonella Palmisano, the 2021 Tokyo Olympic champion at 20km, took silver more than three minutes behind in 2:42.24, while bronze went to Paula Milena Torres in an Ecuadorian record time of 2:42.44. “I kept fighting throughout the course, and this is what race walking is about, to aim to be a better athlete and person,” said Perez.
“I feel privileged to beat Antonella. She is my idol.”
The start times of both races were shifted back by half an hour in a bid to mitigate the heat and humidity in the Japanese capital.
Local hopes Katsuki and Masatora Kawano, who won bronze in Budapest, set the pace from the start of the men’s race to the delight of the fans lining the streets.
Ecuadorian David Hurtado soon joined them in the leading group, hitting the front on his own at around the 29-km mark, only to fall foul of the officials and be forced to serve a three-and-a-half-minute time penalty.
As Kawano struggled in the conditions, Dunfee swept past the two Japanese athletes to take a lead he would not relinquish despite clearly struggling with pain in his legs. “The last 2 km felt like the hardest ones I have ever done,” Dunfee said. “I had to channel all my strength for all the people back home, the ones who supported me.
“I was just thinking, ‘One more step, one more step.’ And it all paid off.”
In the women’s race, Perez raced in a five-strong leading pack with the two other medallists, Kimberly Garcia of Peru and China’s Li Peng.
Palmisano made a break at about the hour mark but was reined back in, and the Italian was unable to stay with Perez when the Spaniard eased clear with more than 10 km still to go.
Perez will now rest up before attempting to retain her 20-km title for a back-to-back golden double in the shorter race next Saturday.
“I need to recover for the 20-km and perform to the best of my ability (because) the 35-km took a lot from me,” she said.
Published on Sep 13, 2025