Japan’s Takahashi smashes world best for 10,000m race walk

Japan’s Eiki Takahashi won the 10,000m race walk event at the Juntendo University Long Distance meeting by completing in a record time 37:25.21. Takahashi managed to hold off a strong challenge from 2018 World Race Walking Team Championships 20km winner Koki Ikeda, who finished second in 37:25.90 on Saturday, according to World Athletics.

Ikeda had clocked a Japanese 5,000m race walk record of 18:20.14—the fastest time in the world for 12 years—just three weeks ago on the same track.

Yuta Koga, the World University Games bronze medallist, was at the third spot with timing of 37:35.00.

Earlier in 2014 and 2015, Takahashi had set Asian records for the 10,000m race but both were relatively short-lived, as was his 1:18:03 Japanese record for the 20km race walk in 2015.