Liu Hong breaks 4-hour barrier, sets world record in 50km race walk
CGTN
["china"]
Rio Olympics race walk champion Liu Hong has set a new 50km world record and become the first woman to break the four-hour barrier at an event in Haungshan, east China's Anhui Province, on March 9, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said.
Liu, who won the Olympic distance 20km gold in Rio, clocked three hours, 59 minutes and 15 seconds for the longer race, the IAAF said in a statement, clipping more than five minutes off the previous record (4:04:36) set by her compatriot Liang Rui in Taicang last year.
Chinese race walker Liu Hong becomes the first woman to break the four-hour barrier in the 50km event as she cruised to a 3:59:15 victory to set the world record at the Chinese Race Walk Grand Prix, March 9, 2019. /Xinhua Photo 

Chinese race walker Liu Hong becomes the first woman to break the four-hour barrier in the 50km event as she cruised to a 3:59:15 victory to set the world record at the Chinese Race Walk Grand Prix, March 9, 2019. /Xinhua Photo 

Only 56 men walked the 50km distance in a quicker time last year, according to the BBC.
The 31-year-old also holds the women's 20km world record thanks to her 1:24:38 win in La Coruna, Spain, back in 2015.
(Top photo: Liu Hong (C) competes during the women's 50km race at the Chinese Race Walk Grand Prix in Huangshan. /Xinhua Photo)
Source(s): Reuters