Fiorini, 21, Shatters Marathon Record

Sofia Fiorini of Italy and Maria Perez of Spain have broken the women's marathon and half-marathon race walking world records at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham.

Fiorini, 21, set a new world record in the women's marathon with a time of 3:15:11, surpassing the performance standard of 3:17:00 set by World Athletics by 1:49.

Perez, 30, broke the women's half-marathon world record with a time of 1 hour, 30 minutes, 6 seconds, beating the performance standard of 1:30:30 by 24 seconds.

The women's half-marathon and marathon race walking events became official distances in January, with World Athletics setting the performance standards for the inaugural world records.

Perez, who also holds the world record for the 35-kilometer race walk, took gold in the half-marathon event, while Fiorini won the marathon title.

## Why it matters The new world records set by Fiorini and Perez mark a significant milestone in the sport, as the women's half-marathon and marathon race walking events have only recently become official distances. The records are subject to ratification, but they demonstrate the growing competitiveness and talent in the sport. The 2026 European Athletics Championships have seen several records fall, with Germany's Amanal Petros and Finland's Alisa Vainio also setting new championship records in the men's and women's marathons.

The achievements of Fiorini and Perez will likely inspire a new generation of athletes to take up the sport, and their records will provide a benchmark for future competitions. As the sport continues to grow and develop, it will be exciting to see how these records are challenged and broken in the years to come.