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By Hong Duy  February 17, 2025 | 03:07 pm PT
Toshikazu Yamanishi has shattered the world record in the men's 20km race walk, clocking 1 hour, 16 minutes and 10 seconds at the Japanese 20km Race Walking Championships.
The 29-year-old broke the previous record, set by compatriot Yusuke Suzuki in 2015, by 26 seconds.
On the track in Kobe, Japan on Sunday, Yamanishi could have even broken the record by nearly a minute. But the 29-year-old athlete slowed down to chat and exchange smiles with many of his competitors, who were falling behind while running fewer laps, during the final 1km. After finishing, he immediately stopped and bowed to fans in all four directions.
Yamanishi is a famous racewalker in Japan. He previously claimed gold at the 2019 Asian Championships and secured back-to-back titles at the 2019 and 2022 World Championships. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he only took silver and fell short of his ultimate goal.
The weather in Kobe on Sunday was relatively favorable, with a cool 7 degrees Celcius and mild sunshine. The title contenders were soon revealed, as Yamanishi, Hiroto Jusho, Satoshi Maruo, Keisuke Hara and Ryo Hamanshi crossed the 2km mark in 7 minutes 48 seconds.
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Toshikazu Yamanishi (L) celebrates his victory and world record with 2020 Tokyo Olympic champion Massimo Stano in Kobe, Japan, on Feb. 16, 2025. Photo by JAAF |
Yamanishi accelerated and opened up a 12-second gap from the 13km mark. He crossed the 15km mark in 57 minutes and 24 seconds - 24 seconds ahead of Maruo and Hamanishi, and faced no competition for the remainder of the race.
Maruo finished second in his personal best of 1 hour and 17.24 minutes. Yoshikawa finished behind in 1 hour 17.48 minutes and Hamanishi with 1 hour and 17.53 minutes.
Yamanishi and Maruo will represent Japan at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September.
"I'm glad the times were on my side today," Yamanishi said after the victory. "The athletes did well in the first half, so I went all out in the second half. I didn't move well at the start, but I was able to adjust to find the right rhythm. When I set a plan, no matter what happens in the race, I'm aiming for the world record."
In the women's event, Nanako Fujii broke the national record, clocking 1 hour and 26.33 minutes and surpassing the previous mark of 1 hour and 27.41 minutes set by Kumiko Okada in 2019. Okada finished third this year with a time of 1 hour and 28.17 minutes.
