Tags:
Madrid once again became the world capital of race walking this Sunday. The city’s Gran Vía hosted the 5th Madrid International Race Walking, a Gold event on the World Athletics Race Walking Tour, which brought together many of the sport’s leading international figures in a unique setting. Italian Francesco Fortunato and Mexican Alegna González were crowned champions of an edition that once again transformed the heart of the capital into a vast open-air stadium, bringing elite sport to thousands of fans free of charge.
10km men
The men’s race once again offered a very high level of competition, with the presence of Olympic, world, and continental champions, as well as some of the best specialists in the world, on the certified one-kilometer course set up between the Gran Vía Capitol and the Red de San Luis.
In the men’s category, Fortunato triumphed with a time of 39:15, in front of Spaniard Paul McGrath (39:23) and Brazilian Caio Bonfim (39:31). The best Spanish finishers after McGrath were Diego García Carrera, who is also the technical director of Madrid Marcha, and Álvaro López, who finished in eighth and tenth place with times of 40:12 and 40:18, respectively.
The first 5km were covered in 19:56, with a pace under 4:00/km.
At the 5km mark, Spaniard Paul McGrath took the lead (19:55), followed by Francesco Fortunato (ITA) and Keisuke Hara (JPN) in 19:56, and Kento Yoshihawa (JPN) in 19:57. Also in the leading group were Caio Bonfim (BRA) and Karl Junhanns (GER), Diego Garcia (ESP), Kazuki Takahashi (JPN), and Alvaro Lopez (ESP).
The main chasers are Noel Chama (MEX), Jordi Jimenez Arrobo (ECU), Cesar Herrera (COL) and Massimo Stano (ITA).
The leading group continues under the pressure of McGrath and Fortunato, who lead with a pace between 3:54/km and 3:56/km. At km 8, four walkers are in the lead, with Fortunato leading the pack (31:40), joined by McGrath, Hara, and Yoshikawa.
Bonfim is eight seconds behind.
The technical situation sees the entire leading group already under rigorous watch by the jury: everyone has at least one red card against them, with the exclusion of Paul McGrath.
Between the 8km and 9km mark, Fortunato forced the pace even further and, with a lap of 3:45, definitively broke McGrath’s lead. At the finish, Fortunato clocked 39:15, while McGrath finished in 39:23.
Bonfim performed impressively, ignoring the two red cards and overtaking Japanese runner Keisuke Hara on the final lap (3:46/km). Third place went to Bonfim (39:31) and fourth place to Keisuke Hara (39:32).
“I’m happy to have won, which was my goal. This season is going really well, and I hope to continue like this to arrive in the best possible shape for the European Championships in Birmingham, which is the big challenge of the season,” Fortunato said.
10km women
Before the start there was no doubt that Alegna Gonzalez would remain the queen of the fifth edition of the women’s race of “Madrid Marcha 2026”.
After her victory in Rio Maior on May 16, and after the exciting shoulder-to-shoulder battle in La Coruna with Sofia Fiorini, which ended once again with a victory, today the splendid Mexican walker achieved her third consecutive success in three consecutive weekends, this time however in the shorter distance of 10km.
The early leaders of the race have been a small group composed by Alegna Gonzalez, Evelyn Inga, Aldara Meilan Pauline Stey (FRA) and Baima Zhuoma (CHN). They passes together at 4km in 17:49/17:50.
At half race Alegna González (MEX) forces the pace followed by Aldara Meilán. At half race they have 1″ advantage on Evelyn Inga (PER). During the 8th km Alegna Gonzalez forced the pace (4:16/km) and walk alone until the finish line crossed with a time of 44:02, ahead of Peru’s Evelyn Inga (44:15) and Spain’s Aldara Meilán (44:45) who shattered her own personal best, which until now stood at 45:06. Below the split times of Alegna Gonzalez:
1km: 4:28 – 2km: 8:47 – 3km: 13:15 – 4km: 17:50 – 5km: 22:22 – 6km: 26:45 – 7km: 31:07 – 8km: 35:23
9km: 39:43 – 10km 44:02
“Despite the tough competition and the heat, I felt very strong mentally and was able to win, which was my goal. I love competing on this Gran Vía and in a short 10-kilometer race to be able to demonstrate my speed. Now I’m focusing on the next big challenge, which is the Central American and Caribbean Games on August 1st,” the Mexican walker noted.
Madrid’s tribute to Jefferson Perez
One of the most special moments of the day featured Ecuadorian Jefferson Pérez, Olympic champion in 
Atlanta 1996, three-time world champion, and one of the greatest legends in the history of race walking. Amidst applause from athletes, officials, and the public, the organizers paid tribute to him for an exceptional sporting career that has inspired several generations of athletes worldwide.
Madrid Marcha also honored him as the event’s Ambassador for Latin America, recognising his role as a global icon in the sport and his contribution to promoting the values of athletics.
After receiving the honor, Jefferson Pérez had the honor of starting the main race. “If I start to recall historic moments in the race walk, the Colosseum at the World Championships in Rome or the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Olympics come to mind, but of course also the Gran Vía in the heart of Madrid, the heart of the world. Therefore, I am very honored to have experienced this tribute and it is a great source of pride to be an Ambassador for Madrid Marcha in Latin America,” noted the Atlanta ’96 Olympic champion.
The presence of the Ecuadorian champion also drew numerous fans and representatives of the Ecuadorian community residing in Spain, who wanted to join in on this particularly moving day.
Photo album (by Madrid Marcha & Stefano La Sorda)
