They lined up in chilly, spring conditions in Dudince, Slovakia—and by the end of the race, there was no doubt who owned the day. Canada’s Evan Dunfee broke the world record in the men’s 35-kilometre race walk on Saturday, clocking an incredible 2:21:40 at the prestigious Dudinska 50, only a month after capturing the North American 20K race walk record in Australia. Two records in two months. At 34, Dunfee just keeps getting faster.
The Richmond, B.C. native was in control from the start, as reported by Olympics.com He surged ahead early, holding a blistering four-minute-per-kilometre pace, and by the 5K mark, had already built a 30-second cushion over the field. He would go on to lap all of the 51-man field in a dominant and precise performance.
“This morning I woke up and convinced myself to try. To leave it all out there and give it every ounce I had,” Dunfee wrote on social media. “And boy am I so glad I did.”
The record he broke had been set just last October by Japan’s Masatora Kawano, and Dunfee sliced seven seconds off that mark. “I was well under pace, but then lost a little time over the last seven kilometres,” he told World Athletics. “I started to get a little stressed, but it was a dream come true. I’m so proud to have my name on the winners’ plaque here in Dudince.”
German race walker Christopher Linke was nearly three minutes behind Dunfee in 2:24:40, with Mexico’s Jose Doctor rounding out the podium in 2:24:41.
This Canadian Olympian walks 10K faster than you can run it
This isn’t Dunfee’s first time making history. The three-time Olympian won bronze in the 50K at the Tokyo Games in 2021—an event that has since been removed from the Olympic program. And just last month, he broke the North American record in the men’s 20K race in Australia. “Lifelong dream come true. An accomplishment that is owed in part to so many,” Dunfee wrote on Instagram.
