Ecuador's Brian Pintado won his first Olympic medal on Thursday morning, breezing to victory in the men's 20km race walk. Pintado, 29, finished in 1:18.55, just off the Olympic record set by China's Chen Ding at the 2012 London Games.
China's Yang Jiayu won the women's 20km race walk in 1:25.54, showcasing elite race walking on Thursday morning through the streets of Paris.
Men's race walk
Pintado took the lead 17km in and held his advantage to the finish line. The Ecuadorian graces a podium for the first time — he placed just 37th at the Rio Olympics, 12th in Tokyo and is now an Olympic champion.
"It was insane," Pintado said. "In the last few meters, I realized I was completely alone, and seeing the finish line I just kept thinking, I'm the Olympic champion, it's me."
Pintado wore a scarf given to him by his grandmother years ago. He also carried a photo of his family on him as he walked to Olympic gold.
Pintado's win also marks the latest triumph for a proud race walking nation. Ecuador now has three medals (2 gold, 1 silver) in the men's race walk, becoming one of just five nations with multiple gold medals. The men's 20km race dates back to the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
Brazilian Caio Bonfim took silver with a time of 1:19.09 for his first Olympic medal.
“It is too soon to understand how it feels to win an Olympic medal," Bonfim said. "I am so happy. I want to go and celebrate making Olympic history with my family."
Reigning world champion Alvaro Martin of Spain secured bronze. The 30-year-old veteran is finally on an Olympic podium after improving at each Olympic Games: Martin didn't finish at London 2012, placed 22nd at Rio 2016 and was fourth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Defending Olympic champion Massimo Stano of Italy missed the podium by a second, finishing in 1:19.12.
Women's race walk
The gold for China's Wang is her first Olympic medal.
The 28-year-old is the current world record holder (1:23.49, set in 2021), but she placed just 12th at the Tokyo Games. Now, she's on top of the podium. Her victory also gives China its 11th medal in the event and fourth gold, both the most all time.
Spain's Maria Perez took silver with a time of 1:26.19, earning her first Olympic medal. Perez is the reigning world champion and entered Paris with the fastest 20km walk time in the qualifying window.
And the bronze medal went to Australian Jemima Montag, who finished sixth at the Tokyo Games and has now secured an Olympic medal for the first time.