Masatora Kawano earned Japan's first medal Thursday at the world athletics championships by finishing third in the men's 35-kilometer walk.
Kawano finished in 2 hours, 25 minutes, 12 seconds to secure his second straight world championships medal. He took silver last year in his first race over that distance after finishing sixth in the Tokyo Olympics 50-km walk in 2021.
"It made me feel that race walking in Japan is still alive," Kawano said. "Winning medals in consecutive world championships is a valuable feat."
Spain's Alvaro Martin, who won 20-km gold on Saturday, captured his second gold at these worlds 2:24:30, four seconds ahead of silver medalist Brian Daniel Pintado of Ecuador.
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