2024 European 20km race walk champion Perseus Karlström was among the winners at the Dudinska 50 in Dudince, Slovakia, a World Athletics Race Walking Tour Gold meeting, on Saturday (7) afternoon.
Karlström dominated proceedings in the half marathon race walk which has replaced the 20km race walk on the programme at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham.
The Swede broke away in the very first kilometre and built up an unassailable cushion, winning by over three minutes in a gun-to-tape 1:24:58. His time was the fastest ever recorded by a European in the nascent event although the 35-year-old was adrift of the European record target time of 1:23:30.
Karlström led a Nordic 1-2 with Finland’s Jerry Jokinen second in a national record of 1:28:17 with Mexico’s Andres Olivas Nunez third in 1:28:47.
Hungary’s Bence Venyercsan made a successful debut at the marathon race walk, winning in a national record of 3:03:45, the third fastest time in the world in 2026.
Venyercsan reeled in early leader Karl Junghannss who held on for second in 3:04:33 with his veteran German teammate Christopher Linke completing the podium in third in 3:05:44.
Like Karlström, Venyercsan's winning time was the fastest time ever recorded by a European in the very short history of the event although the 30-year-old was also on the wrong side of the European record target time of 3:00:00.
However, the top nine finishers, all of whom were European, all finished inside the qualifying time of 3:11:00 for the 2026 European Athletics Championships which will be the first time the new race walking events will be held on the programme in a major championships.
In the women’s race, Mexico’s Sofia Ramos Rodriguez won in 3:35:37 ahead of Spain’s Laura Martinez (3:39:11) and France’s Elvina Carre (3:40:28).
Full results here
Photos courtesy of organisers