Martin and Perez complete historic walk double with victories in 35km race

Alvaro Martin and Maria Perez pulled off a spectacular twin double for Spain on Thursday when they won the men's and women's 35km walk days after respectively claiming the 20km titles.

Spaniards Maria Perez (left) and Alvaro Martin won the women's and men's 35km walk on Thursday. The duo also claimed gold in the 20km event at the start of the world athletics championships in Budapest. AP - Martin Meissner

Martin took the 35km race in 2:24.30 just ahead of the Ecuadorian Brian Daniel Pintado. Masatora Kawano, who lost out on gold by one second in last year's championships in Eugene, finished in third.

Perez finished in a championship record time of 2:38.40. Defending champion Kimberley Garcia Leon of Peru trailed the 27-year-old Spaniard by two minutes to take the silver and the European champion Antigoni Ntrismpioti claimed the bronze.

It was the 39-year-old Greek's first medal in five visits to the world championships since 2013. 

Only introduced at the 2022 championships, Martin will enter the record books as the first man to win the 35km and 20km double.

Perez emulates Garcia Leon who notched up the double last year Eugene.

The Spaniard's success also took their country's tally to four golds and second in the medals table behind the United States before the evening's action at the National Athletics Centre.

The double gold enhances a spectacular season for Perez who smashed Garcia Leon's 35km world record by almost half a minute in May during a race in Podebrady in the Czech Republic. Two months earlier in Dudince in Hungary, Garcia Leon had set a mark of 2:37:44.

"We deserve respect today. I am a gold medalist and so is Alvaro," said Perez. "I wish Spain had more medals at this world championships but we have four medals and all four are golds in the race walking."

Martin said he would celebrate with his wife and coach in Budapest before returning home to carry on the festivities.

"We deserve to disconnect, have a holiday and enjoy ourselves," said the 29-year-old.

"Since I finished the 20km I haven't left the hotel. I've only seen my wife for one day and my friends too, I think that today I deserve to enjoy myself with them."

Of the race he added: "I was physically dead at the end. Pintado was physically better than me, so then I told myself that if I couldn't win physically I had to win psychologically, which is what I did."