Runners struggling to break 18-19 minutes for 5km will be surprised to hear about Francesco Fortunato’s recent race walking world record.
Francesco Fortunato shaved almost 13 seconds off the 5000m world record at the Italian Indoor Championships in Ancona on Saturday (28 February).
The Italian clocked 17:55.65 at these championships in 2025, but the time was not validated due to a technical adjudication problem, meaning Mikhail Shchennikov’s 1995 18:07.08 remained the certified world record.
“I’m happy with myself,” Fortunato said. “I came here to try again and I didn’t give up. After last year’s disappointment, I felt this was a record I deserved.”
