DUNFEE DOES IT AGAIN
Evan Dunfee made history at the Dudinska 50 in Slovakia on Saturday (March 22), breaking the men's 35km race walk world record with a time of 2:21:40. The Canadian beat the previous record by seven seconds, which was set by Japan's Masatora Kawano last October.
Dunfee led from start to finish, keeping a steady pace of just over four minutes per kilometre. He lapped all 51 competitors and crossed the finish line nearly three minutes ahead of Germany's Christopher Linke in second place.
A three-time Olympian, Dunfee has built a strong resume in race walking. He won bronze in the 50km at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the 2019 World Championships. Just last month, he set a North American 20km record in Adelaide, Australia.
Dunfee grew up in Richmond, British Columbia, and attended Kingswood Elementary and Matthew McNair Secondary School. He later studied kinesiology at the University of British Columbia, graduating in 2014. Now, alongside competing, he coaches at UBC, including current Thunderbird Olivia Lundman, his relay partner from the mixed marathon race walk at the Paris Olympics.
This latest achievement adds to his list of records as the 35km event becomes the new championship standard, replacing the 50km distance in 2022. The record is now awaiting ratification from World Athletics, but Dunfee's performance confirms his status as one of the best in the sport.