Australia's Rebecca Henderson clocked 3:14:52 to break the women's marathon race walk world record, and Japan's Masatora Kawano walked 2:55:14 to set the inaugural men's world record, at the All Japan Race Walking meeting in Takahata on Sunday (25).

The meeting was a World Athletics Race Walking Tour Bronze event with international fields in the men's and women's half marathon and marathon race walk finals. Both world marks are subject to ratification, according to World Athletics.

The Guardian reports that Henderson, a 25-year-old from Dandenong, achieved the milestone in sodden, rainy conditions, slicing 19 seconds off the 3:15:11 record Italy's Sofia Fiorini had set at the European Championships in Birmingham in August.

She walked solo for most of the race, winning the women's race by 14 minutes while overtaking many of the men in the mixed field — and it was her marathon debut.

The Guardian also notes Henderson is the first non-disabled Australian athlete in 20 years to set a global mark in an official championship event, since Nathan Deakes' 50km world record in Geelong in December 2006.

World-Track's results show Ayane Yanai of Japan finishing second in the women's race in 3:29:10, followed by Masumi Fuchise in 3:38:42 and Mao Tatsumi in 3:43:23.

In the men's marathon race walk, Kawano led a Japanese sweep of the top five: Kazuya Iwai was second in 2:55:55, also inside the inaugural record standard, with Kazuki Takahashi third in 2:56:45. Australia's Rhydian Cowley finished sixth in 3:03:49, per World-Track's published list.

World-Track reports that the half marathon and marathon became official race walk distances on January 1, 2026, replacing the traditional 20km and 35km races, with 2:56:30 set as the performance standard required for the inaugural men's world marathon race walk record.

Kawano, a two-time World Championships medalist in the 35km race walk, thus became the first man in history to hold the official world record for the distance. The Guardian notes the 42.195km race clearly suits Henderson, who finished ninth in the 35km at last year's Tokyo world championships.

Both records await World Athletics ratification before they stand as official, but the day also confirmed depth in the new events.

Elizabeth McMillen won the women's half marathon race walk in 1:31:31, which The Guardian reports was an Australian record taking nearly seven minutes off her best, while World-Track notes it was the fifth-fastest time in the new women's event, ahead of Japan's Nanako Fujii in 1:35:15.