Canadian Evan Dunfee Crowned World Champion in 35km Race Walk
Budapest, Hungary – Evan Dunfee of Canada achieved a career-defining victory today, winning gold in the menS 35km race walk at the World Athletics Championships. Dunfee crossed the finish line in 2:28:22, securing the world title and adding to a decorated career that includes Olympic and Commonwealth Games medals.
This triumph marks a pinnacle moment for Dunfee, who previously earned bronze medals at the 2019 World Championships (50km walk) and the Tokyo Olympic Games - Canada’s first-ever Olympic medal in race walking. The 35km event is a relatively new addition to major championships, and Dunfee’s win underscores Canada’s growing strength in the discipline. His performance also comes after a fifth-place finish in the 20km walk at the Paris Games last year, the only race walking distance currently contested at the Olympics.
“This is a dream come true, 25 years in the making,” Dunfee stated after the race. “But these last two kilometers were really trying, and I had to focus on all my loved ones who believe so much in me.” He described battling through intense pain, repeating the mantra “One step more, one step more!” as he approached the stadium. “I never felt so much pain in my life. When I arrived in the stadium, I thought it was possible. It was an unbelievable feeling.”
Dunfee finished 33 seconds ahead of Brazil’s Caio Bonfim, who took silver in 2:28:55. Japan’s Hayato Katsuki claimed the bronze medal with a time of 2:29:16.
The Canadian team also saw Olivia Lundman, of Nanaimo, British Columbia, disqualified in the women’s 35km race after being flagged in the eighth kilometer.Spain’s Maria Perez won the women’s event in 2:39:01. Dunfee’s gold medal adds to Canada’s medal count at the championships and signals a luminous future for race walking in the country.
