Peru’s Garcia Leon wins walk
Kimberly Garcia Leon of Peru won the women’s half‑marathon race walk at the World Athletics Team Championships in Brasilia on Sunday, April 12. (idahopress.com). The result was posted in race coverage and image roundups from the championships. (idahopress.com)
Kimberly García León of Peru won the women’s half marathon race walk in Brasília on Sunday, finishing in 1 hour, 35 minutes, 0 seconds. (worldathletics.org) Her time set a championships record at the 2026 World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships, according to the official results posted by World Athletics. Mexico’s Alejandra Ortega took second in 1:35:21, and Spain’s Aldara Meilán was third in 1:35:38. (worldathletics.org) Race walking is judged by form as well as speed: athletes must keep one foot in contact with the ground and the front leg straight from first contact until it passes under the body. The women’s half marathon covered 21.1 kilometers and started at 12:50 p.m. local time in Brasília. (worldathletics.org) World Athletics said García made the decisive move around 13 kilometers, pulling clear after a long duel with Ortega. She reached 10 kilometers in 45:49 and closed strongly enough to win by 21 seconds. (worldathletics.org) The result also lifted Peru to fourth in the women’s team standings with 37 points. Ukraine won the team title with 25 points, ahead of Spain on 28 and Australia on 30. (worldathletics.org) García arrived as one of the event’s best-known names after winning world titles in 2022 in the 20-kilometer and 35-kilometer race walks. World Athletics listed her among the main contenders in Brasília alongside Peru teammate Evelyn Inga and Poland’s Katarzyna Zdziebło. (worldathletics.org) This year’s championships were the first held in the Southern Hemisphere, with Brasília hosting the global team event on April 12. The program now includes half marathon and marathon race walks after World Athletics replaced the old 20-kilometer distance in these championships. (worldathletics.org, worldathletics.org) For García, the Brasília win added another major international title on a course where Peru placed two women in the top six. Evelyn Inga finished sixth in 1:37:08, giving Peru a second front-runner behind García’s record-setting race. (worldathletics.org)
