COLCHESTER race walker Dominic King says he is on the right track for this summer's World Championships after smashing his personal best.

The two-time Olympian clocked a new 20 kilometre best time of one hour 27 minutes 20 seconds at the the Spanish leg of this year’s IAAF Race Walking Challenge.

King was in fine form, finishing 34th at the La Coruña race walking event, which was contested by a world-class international field.

And the Colchester Harriers athlete says it is now onwards and upwards ahead of representing Great Britain in the 50k race walk at the World Championships which start in London, in August.

King told the Daily Gazette: "It was my fastest-ever time over 20k.

"It beat my previous fastest time over that distance, which I think I achieved about 13 years ago.

"I was nearly two and a half minutes quicker than my previous best time, at 20k.

"My next goal now is to go under 87 minutes.

"I was pleased to break what is an old PB and that gives me confidence which I can take into the World Championships, in August.

"It was a big step forward for me and I think it shows that training is going really well at the moment.

"Now is a critical period in terms of my preparation for the World Championships.

"I think I'm on the right track, providing I keep knuckling down and working hard.

"Potentially, there's a little more to come and I'm progressing all of the time, which is what you want when you're building up to a major event."

King's time surpassed the time of 89m 28s he posted in a 20k event in the Czech Republic, last month.

"I was pleased with the walk," said the 34-year-old, who previously competed for Great Britain at both the Rio and London Olympic Games.

"I only got one warning in the latter half of the race but technically, I felt stronger and I'll keep working on that.

"The conditions were good - it was an evening race about 16 or 17 degrees out there.

"It was a world-class field that competed and most of those guys will be racing in the 20k at the World Championships.

"I think that certainly helped in terms of my own performance.

"It's good to go abroad and race and be in and around the other athletes who will be competing in London."

King will compete in one final 20k race walk in Leeds on June 25, before concentrating fully on his training and travelling for altitude training.

He said: "The Leeds event will be a good opportunity to put in as good a performance as the one in Spain, if not better.

"It's about getting the most I can out of myself."

Dominic's twin brother Daniel also competed in La Coruña, clocking a time of 1h 29m 10s in his comeback race after injury.

"Dan put in a really good performance and finished in 89m 10s," added King, who works at the University of Essex.

"It was a good time for him and he has a faster personal best time over 20k than me.

"He set 86m 14s in 2008, so that's another target for me to beat!

"Six guys from Great Britain finished under 90 minutes, which is the first time that's happened for a long time.

"I think that shows how good a state race walking is in at the moment, in Great Britain.

"Having more people competing at this level is the best thing and shows that progress is being made."