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BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Race walk world records were set in the inaugural women’s half-marathon and marathon events at the European championships on Saturday.
Spain’s María Pérez took gold in the half marathon race walk by finishing in 1 hour, 30 minutes, 6 seconds. About two hours later, 21-year-old Sofia Fiorini of Italy won the marathon race walk title when she crossed the line in 3:15.11
Both marks constitute new world records for disciplines that became official distances only in January, governing body World Athletics said.
“World Athletics set 1:30:30 as the performance standard required for the inaugural women’s half marathon world record and 3:17:00 for the women’s marathon world record,” the governing body explained.
“Pérez surpassed the former by 24 seconds and Fiorini the latter by 1:49, making them the inaugural official world record-holders for the two distances.”
Both world records are subject to the usual ratifications.
The 30-year-old Pérez also holds the world record for the 35-kilometer race walk.
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See full AP coverage of European sports here



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