Henderson breaks marathon race walk world record as Kawano sets men’s mark

Rebecca Henderson and Masatora Kawano produced world-record performances in the marathon race walk at the All Japan Race Walking meeting in Takahata on Sunday, October 25. Australia's Henderson won the women's race in 3:14:52, while Japan's Kawano finished the men's event in 2:55:14. Reuters reported both results from the World Athletics Race Walking Tour Bronze meeting.

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World Athletics said the records remain subject to its usual ratification procedure. Henderson's time was 19 seconds faster than the 3:15:11 set by Italy's Sofia Fiorini at the European Championships in Birmingham in August. She achieved the performance on her marathon debut, with heavy rain adding to the challenge on a course featuring a small rise and fall on each lap.

Henderson raced alone at the front and steadily extended her advantage. According to World Athletics, she reached 20.195km in 1:33:39, more than six minutes ahead of Ayane Yanai, and led by 8:04 at 25km. Yanai eventually finished second in a Japanese record of 3:29:10, with Masumi Fuchise third in 3:38:42.

The result adds to an international record built across several distances. Australian Associated Press reported that the 25-year-old from Dandenong is a two-time Olympian who finished ninth in the 35km at the 2025 world championships in Tokyo. She also won Commonwealth Games bronze over 10,000m in Glasgow and was part of Australia's silver-medal team at the World University Games in Bochum last year.

Kawano made his decisive move at 36km, World Athletics reported. Kazuya Iwai followed him home in 2:55:55, ahead of Kazuki Takahashi in 2:56:45. Kawano's winning time was below the 2:56:30 benchmark established for recognition of the first men's marathon race walk world record.

Kyodo, in a report carried by Bernama, said the Takahata meeting also served as a qualifier for next September's world championships in Beijing. The marathon race walk was approved in December 2024 as the replacement for the 35km at major championships and introduced officially in January 2026. Kawano, 28, is already a two-time world championship medallist in the 35km.