Australia's Rebecca Henderson walked 3:14:52 in the Japanese rain to take the race walk marathon world record and make history.
Rebecca Henderson has etched her name into athletics history. The 25-year-old Australian set a new world record in the race walk marathon at the All Japan Race Walking meeting on Sunday, stopping the clock at 3 hours, 14 minutes and 52 seconds.
The mark shaves 19 seconds off the previous best. That is a significant margin over 42 kilometres, and she did it in wet conditions that would have unsettled many of her rivals. Rain made the course more demanding, but Henderson held her form and rhythm to the finish.
The achievement carries extra weight because the race walk marathon is the newest championship event in the sport. Henderson, who hails from Dandenong, has now put her name at the top of a discipline still writing its early record books.
It is also a landmark moment for Australian track and field. Henderson is the first Australian athlete in a generation to set a senior world record in a championship event, which marks her out as a rising star to watch.
