Australia Race Walkers Impress On World Stage As Adopted Canadian Evan Dunfee Wins Gold

Despite a deficiency of medals connected nan opening time of nan World Athletics Championships successful Tokyo, Australians person logic to observe aft Canadian Evan Dunfee won nan meet’s first golden successful nan 35km title walk.

The 34-year-old has made Australia his location complete summertime for overmuch of nan past decade successful a bid to debar nan Canadian winter, and collapsed nan North American grounds successful February astatine nan Australian 20km title stepping championships successful Adelaide.

Australia’s ain walkers besides performed good successful nan stifling conditions, led by Rebecca Henderson who vanished ninth down women’s victor María Pérez from Spain.

“I knew connected my champion time I could astir apt beryllium astir that eighth to 12th and that happened, truthful I’m really happy,” Henderson said.

The Australian vanished strongly, and overtook Peruvian Kimberly García successful nan last kilometre. “I conscionable tried to enactment relaxed astatine nan commencement and not interest if group sewage up because I knew it was basking and group were decidedly going to travel backmost to maine passim nan race.”

Australia’s Rebecca Henderson finishes eighth successful nan women’s 35km title locomotion connected time 1 of nan 2025 World Athletics Championships successful Tokyo. Photograph: Emilee Chinn/Getty Images

In nan men’s race, Dunfee’s first awesome world golden badge was adjacent arsenic he led by astir a infinitesimal successful nan last kilometres successful nan people looping astir nan streets of Tokyo.

But successful precocious play nan Canadian clutched his hamstring and concisely stopped and stretched. He struggled connected to conclusion Brazilian Caio Bonfim by 33 seconds, pinch Hayato Katsuki delivering bronze for nan big nation.

Dunfee said he stayed patient, and nan consequence was a dream travel true. “The past 2 kilometres felt for illustration nan hardest ones I person ever done,” he said. “I had to transmission each my spot for each nan group backmost home.”

In a steamy title brought guardant by half an hr successful a bid to debar nan worst of nan Tokyo heat, Rhydian Cowley was champion of nan Australian men finishing successful 11th, having flooded a hamstring wounded that curtailed his preparations.

Liv Sandery slowed successful nan last stages to decorativeness 14th successful nan women’s event, and Alannah Pitcher crossed nan statement successful 19th.

Henderson and Cowley will title again successful nan 20km arena successful a week’s time.

Inside nan stadium to extremity nan greeting convention connected nan first day, Australia’s mixed 4x400m relay team was eliminated aft finishing 5th successful their semi-final.

The United States’ lineup group nan fastest clip successful nan greeting session, and Saturday’s night’s last is group to beryllium a memorable juncture aft Japan snuck done arsenic nan last qualifier.