Perez secures a second gold medal in the world race walking competition with another victory
In a thrilling display of athletic prowess, the Women's 20km Race Walk at the recent World Championships saw a mix of seasoned veterans and rising stars claim top honours.
Mexico's Alegna Gonzalez put up a valiant fight, finishing a close second with a time of 1:26:06, just missing out on gold. However, it was Peru's Kimberly Garcia Leon who took the top spot, defending her title from the 2022 edition in Eugene where she also won double gold.
Garcia Leon's triumph was not the only notable performance from the South American continent. Ecuador's Paula Milena Torres also impressed, placing higher than China's Yang Jiayu, the reigning Olympic champion and world record-holder in the 35km race walk.
Japan's Nanako Fujii claimed the bronze medal, setting a new national record of 1:26:18 in the process. Despite her impressive performance, Fujii fell short of Garcia Leon and Gonzalez.
Unfortunately, no information about Jiayu's finishing time was provided. It's worth noting that she finished sixth in the event, marking a rare off-form performance for the Chinese athlete.
Interestingly, the two winners of the women's 20km racewalk at the World Championships in years when the athlete Perez did not participate are not explicitly given in the search results. However, it is known that Perez won the 20km racewalk at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, implying that in other years when she did not participate, different winners emerged, although their names are not listed in the provided information.
Perez, who defended both titles after winning the double in the last worlds in Budapest in 2023, clocked a season's best of 1hr 25min 54sec in the shorter event, showing her versatility and consistency.
In the absence of Perez in the 2022 event, Garcia Leon seized the opportunity to claim double gold, further cementing her status as a formidable competitor in the race walk discipline. The world of athletics eagerly awaits to see how these talented athletes will continue to push the boundaries in the future.
