“Walking is just running with rules. It’s the breaststroke of running. You’re trying to get from point A to point B as fast as possible, or cover X distance as fast as possible,” said Canada’s 34-year-old track and field veteran, brushing off the criticism he often faces from people dismissing race walking as a “fake sport” or questioning his athleticism. For him, such chatter is nothing more than shallow noise. Back in March in Dudince, Slovakia, he shattered the 35-km race walk world record with a blistering time of two hours, 21 minutes, and 40 seconds. And now, Evan Dunfee has truly struck gold, literally.

Just when it seemed Canada might finish without a gold, Evan Dunfee silenced the doubts spectacularly. He battled through cramps and even came to a halt mid-race, but when it mattered most, he unleashed a final surge. Sitting in fifth, Dunfee found another gear, stormed past his rivals, and claimed Canada’s first gold with a blazing 2:28:22. This was his seventh appearance at the World Championships, and he finally struck gold.

After his record-breaking run, the athlete was overcome with emotion. He walked toward the stands, where Athletics Canada head coach Glenroy Gilbert greeted him with a bear hug. Moments later, his family rushed in to embrace him, sharing the triumph. It had been a decades-long pursuit of gold, a journey filled with setbacks and perseverance, but at last, the wait was worth it. With this victory, the athlete will be collecting $70,000 in prize money, and guess what  — he needed it. He’s getting married in a few months and has been working on building a home.

This breakthrough performance is followed by his historic bronze at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, where he became Canada’s first-ever medalist in the 50km race walk. Battling the oppressive heat and humidity, the race began just before midnight on his 29th birthday and ended around 4 a.m. The athlete carved his way through the field, climbing from 30th to 15th by halfway, then to fifth with 10km remaining.

It was his redemption after his heartbreaking performance at the Rio 2016 Olympics, where he led at the 35km mark of the Olympic 50km race walk and finished fourth for his nation, clocking 3:41:38, the nation’s best result in the event. Well, he was receiving the bronze medal after Japan’s Hirooki Arai was disqualified for contact in the closing stages. The Japanese federation filed a successful appeal, leading to the reversal of Arai’s disqualification and the reinstatement of his bronze medal. Consequently, Dunfee was returned to fourth place.

He also finished 10th in the 20km race at the 2016 Rio Olympics, showcasing his consistency across distances. Redemption came at the Tokyo Olympics, where he avenged his Rio heartbreak with a brilliant bronze in the 50km walk. Race walking has always been his passion, and just before his World Championship triumph, he fiercely defended the sport with all his might.

“Race walking is no different,” said Evan Dunfee about its criticism

Many dismiss race walking as “not a real sport,” and Evan Dunfee knows it well. Speaking to The Japan Times, he defended his craft with conviction, explaining that it stands on equal footing with any discipline: “Race walking is no different. We’re slower than the top runners; we’re faster than a lot of runners. Just as the best breaststrokers are quicker than your average swimmer. We can still walk faster than most people can run.”

Race walking’s signature “awkward” style isn’t for show; it’s the result of two strict rules: one foot must always stay grounded, and the leading leg has to remain straight until it passes under the body. While it may not win points for elegance, the sport thrives on grit and rivalry. With races often held on closed loops and open to the public, Evan Dunfee thinks fans will be drawn to race walking if they give it a chance.”When you’re on that closed loop, you can actually rock up and watch a whole race unfold,” he said.

He further added, “You never really see a tactical race walk. And that’s one of the things I love about the race walk, is that guys go, ‘I’m fit enough to do this time, so I’m going to go out, I’m going to do this. And if you’re fit enough to come with me, come with me.’ Whereas you’ll see in the marathon, it’ll kind of plod along. A lot of times, it’ll go out quite slow, and it won’t really be until that sort of last third of the race that maybe things start to really ramp up in a championship race.”

On the course, judges keep a sharp eye for any missteps. A single violation earns a red card, and three from different judges means instant disqualification—an outcome that can flip the race on its head in a heartbeat. All in all, as per Dunfee, the sport is as difficult as other sports, and he proved it by winning the gold at the World Championships.