Italy secures marathon race walk double in Birmingham

Italy achieved a double victory in the inaugural marathon race walks in Birmingham on Saturday. Massimo Stano and Sofia Fiorini both secured gold medals, with Stano setting a European record and Fiorini establishing a new world record.

In the men's competition, Stano finished in 2:56:49 to claim the title. His performance was the fastest in the world this year and earned him the European record. He won after a close contest with Spain's Miguel Ángel López, who took silver in 2:56:57. France's Aurélien Quinion secured the bronze medal with a time of 2:59:29.

The final standings for the men were altered following a penalty for Hungary's Bence Venyercsán. Although he crossed the line in sixth place, Venyercsán received a four-minute penalty at the finish due to warnings, dropping him to fourth. This allowed Sweden's Perseus Karlström to move up to fourth place with a national record of 3:00:18. Britain's Cameron Corbishley was the highest-placed home athlete, finishing 19th in 3:13:31.

Sofia Fiorini dominated the women's race to win the first-ever title in a world record time of 3:15:11. The 21-year-old Italian also set a European under-23 record. After running alongside Poland's Katarzyna Zdziebło for much of the event, Fiorini broke away with nine kilometres remaining. Her lead was so significant that she lapped the athlete in third place before finishing.

Zdziebło took the silver medal with a Polish record of 3:19:50. Spain's Raquel González earned the bronze in 3:20:49, which was a personal best for the athlete. Italy's Eleonora Giorgi, who was part of the lead group for much of the race, failed to finish the event.

While Fiorini's time is approximately nine minutes slower than unofficial marathon walking marks from the past, it is recognised as a legitimate championship and world record. This double victory for Italy follows previous successes by Paul McGrath and María Pérez in the half marathon race walks held on the same Birmingham circuit.