Spain’s María Pérez etched her name into the athletics history books once again on Saturday morning, delivering a masterclass in pace judgment and technical efficiency to win gold in the women’s half marathon race walk at the 2026 European Athletics Championships.
Crossing the line in 1:30:06, the 30-year-old double Olympic medalist established the inaugural official world record for the newly introduced 21.0975km distance, surpassing the World Athletics ratification threshold of 1:30:30 by 24 seconds.
Tactical Breakdown: The 10K Surge
Following the implementation of standardized road distances by World Athletics on January 1, 2026, the Birmingham circuit presented athletes with a unique tactical test across the half marathon distance.
Pérez established control from the gun, covering the opening kilometer in 4:36 alongside Olympic champion Antonella Palmisano of Italy. By the 8km mark, the duo had detached themselves from a stacked chase group that included former world champions and continental medalists.
The decisive moment came at the 10-kilometer mark. Injecting a subtle shift in cadence, Pérez broke away from Palmisano. Operating entirely solo for the final 11 kilometers, she steadily expanded her advantage:
- 10K: Pérez surges clear of Palmisano.
- 14K: Lead expands to 23 seconds over the chase field.
- 18K: Margin grows to over one minute.
- 20K Split: Pérez passes 20km in 1:25:30—equaling her own Spanish national record for the traditional 20km distance.
Maintaining strict technical adherence through the final loop, Pérez accelerated through the home stretch to stop the clock at 1:30:06. Italy’s Alexandrina Mihai mounted a strong second-half effort to take silver in 1:31:04, while Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Olyanovska claimed bronze in 1:31:07.
“I wasn’t expecting to break the world record today; I didn’t even know what the world record was,” Pérez said after the race. “It was a difficult race with a lot of medal contenders. The pace was very fast so I just tried to keep up, but at some point I knew I was capable of going for gold.”
Women’s Half Marathon Race Walk Top 6 Official Results
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Split (20K) | Notes |
| 🥇 1 | María Pérez | 🇪🇸 ESP | 1:30:06 | 1:25:30 | WR |
| 🥈 2 | Alexandrina Mihai | 🇮🇹 ITA | 1:31:04 | 1:26:22 | PB |
| 🥉 3 | Lyudmyla Olyanovska | 🇺🇦 UKR | 1:31:07 | 1:26:25 | SB |
| 4 | Antonella Palmisano | 🇮🇹 ITA | 1:31:22 | 1:26:30 | |
| 5 | Clemence Beretta | 🇫🇷 FRA | 1:32:01 | 1:27:10 | |
| 6 | Christina Papadopoulou | 🇬🇷 GRE | 1:32:15 | 1:27:25 | PB |
Spanish Sweep of the Half Marathon Crowns
Pérez’s triumph completed a historical Spanish sweep of the continental half marathon race walk titles in Birmingham. Earlier in the session, 22-year-old Paul McGrath produced a commanding performance in the men’s half marathon race walk, setting a personal best of 1:23:23 to claim European gold 13 seconds ahead of Italy’s Francesco Fortunato (1:23:36).
The victory marks Pérez’s second European title—adding to the 20km gold she won in Berlin in 2018—and cements her status as one of the most versatile race walkers in history, holding global standards across both short-course and endurance distances.
