China’s Yang Jiayu blazed to gold in the women’s 20km race walk at the Paris Olympics on Thursday, pulling away from the field after the 5km mark and barely looking back to cross the finish line in a time of one hour 25 minutes, 54 seconds.
Spain’s Maria Perez captured the silver medal in 1:26.19, while Australia’s Jemima Montag won the bronze in 1:26.25.
Brian Pintado of Ecuador won the men’s race earlier in the day for the first athletics medal of the Paris Olympics.
With her victory, Yang added “Olympic champion” to a resume that already included world record-holder and 2017 world champion.
The 28-year-old’s bold race tactics to surge to an early lead paid off in emphatic fashion as she had already put half a minute on the field by the 10km mark.
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Perez threatened to chip away at the difference around the 18km mark, but Yang responded in spectacular fashion and was unchallenged the rest of the way.
Montag added bronze to her silver medal performance from last year’s world championships.
Yang had chopped a whopping 49 seconds off the world record in March, but Thursday’s race was more about placing than times, particularly in the sizzling Paris heat.
The walkers doused their heads with water at every aid station and many wore scarves full of ice to keep their body temperature from rising.
Hundreds of fans, six deep in some places, lined the course that travelled in 1km loops along the Pont d’Iena and under the base of the Eiffel Tower. They banged loudly on the cardboard barriers each time the walkers passed by.
Pintado reveals inspiration behind his gold medal-winning run
Moments after Pintado had blazed to a glorious gold medal in the men’s event, he pulled out a tiny photo of his two children from his waistband pocket - his inspiration, he said, for when the going got tough.
The 29-year-old pulled away from the field over the final kilometre for the victory, crossing the finish line in a time of one hour, 18 minutes and 55 seconds.
“It motivated me to really give everything,” Pintado said of the photo of his son Nicolas and daughter Montserrath.
Caio Bonfim of Brazil raced to silver in 1:19.09, while 2023 world champion Alvaro Martin of Spain was third in 1:19.11 to kick off the Olympics athletics competition.
The victory was Pintado’s first in a global competition after he raced to silver in the 35km distance at the 2022 world championships.
“It was insane,” Pintado said. “In the last few metres, I realised I was completely alone, and seeing the finish line I just kept thinking, ‘I’m the Olympic champion, it’s me.’
“It has been tough to be away from my family for four months,” added Pintado.
“But they were with me throughout the race.”
The lead changed hands numerous times among a tight lead group of 15 walkers through the first 13km, but the group started to spread out at the 15km mark.
The top four had pulled away from the field by the final lap, with Pintado - wearing mirrored sunglasses, a scarf that was a gift from his grandmother, and a silver necklace with a pendant of two runners, he and his son - increasing his lead over the final gruelling kilometre.
The Ecuadorian shook two fists in celebration after crossing the finish line.
“I don’t remember how the competition went, I was just focused on my walking and listened to my trainer, the ones giving advice to me,” Pintado said.
“Yesterday I cried because I was scared, but then I connected with my family, and my mother, and they motivated me. I only slept four hours last night because I was so excited.”
The course was a 1km loop along the picturesque Pont d’Alene and under the Eiffel Tower.
An early-morning thunderstorm had pushed back the start by 30 minutes, but by the time the walkers took to the line, the clouds had given way to blue skies and a comfortable temperature of 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit).
The Olympic race walks returned to the host city of Paris three years after the Olympic walks were held in Sapporo to beat the sizzling Tokyo heat.
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