Japan's Yusuke Suzuki broke the 20km race walk world record* on Sunday (15) at the Asian Race Walking Championships in his home town of Nomi, exactly one week after Yohann Diniz set the previous mark.
Diniz's mark is so recent that it has not yet even been ratified, but Suzuki improved it by 26 seconds, winning at the IAAF Race Walking Challenge meeting in 1:16:36.
Suzuki had started the year by finishing second at his national championships, watching compatriot Eiki Takahashi break Suzuki's national record.
With that as motivation, Suzuki – who is renowned for setting off at a fast pace – went out quicker than he ever had done before, passing 6km in 22:53.
He covered 8km in 30:25 and went through the half-way mark in a national 10km record of 38:05. It was clear that he was on course for a fast time if he were to maintain that pace, but that had often been his downfall in the past.
Not today, though. He continued operating at world record pace, passing 12km in 45:45 and 14km in 53:23. His pace began to slip slightly, going through 16km in 1:01:07, but not enough to ruin his chances of breaking the world record.
He finished well clear of his rivals, smashing Diniz's mark of 1:17:02 set at the recent French Race Walking Championships in Arles.
This is Suzuki's third Asian title, having won in 2010 and 2013.
More to follow.
IAAF
*Subject to the usual ratification procedures
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