Canadian team stalwart Evan Dunfee told local media on Thursday he was hoping to create a race walk to remember at the 2025 World Athletics Championships.
Mission accomplished.
The 34-year-old Dunfee, of Richmond, B.C. — competing in his seventh world championships — struck gold Friday in the men’s 35-kilometre race walk, reeling in the top five walkers over the final eight kilometres.
Dunfee finished the race in two hours, 28 minutes and 22 seconds, 33 seconds ahead of runner-up Caio Bonfim of Brazil. Hayato Katsuki of Japan finished third in 2:29:16.
Dunfee earned bronze in the 50K walk at the world championships in 2019 and at the Olympics in Tokyo, Canada’s first-ever Olympic medal in the event. He later claimed gold in the 10K walk at the Commonwealth Games in 2022.
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Dunfee placed fifth in the 20K walk, now the only distance contested at the Olympics, at the Paris Games last year.
Dunfee described the victory as “a dream come true, it’s 25 years in the making … (but) that last two Ks (kilometres) were really agonizing and I was just having to channel all of the people back home or the people here who are part of my support team who believe in me so, so much.
“I just kept thinking one more step, one more step, I’ve never been in that much pain in my life. Came into the stadium and thought I think maybe we can do this. Incredible feeling for sure.”
Olivia Lundman of Nanaimo, B.C., failed to finish the women’s 35-kilometre race walk. The 22-year-old was disqualified at the eight-kilometre mark. Maria Perez of Spain won in 2:39:01.
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