Ecuador’s Brian Pintado dedicated the first Olympic athletics gold medal of the Paris Games to his loved ones back home after powering to victory in the men’s 20km walk on Thursday.
The 29-year-old’s beloved family may not have been present in Paris as he strolled to victory in 1hr 18min 55sec but he wore a “necklace of my son running beside me” and “a scarf that my grandmother gave me.”
Brazil’s Caio Bonfim improved on his fourth from Rio in 2016 taking silver with Spain’s world champion Alvaro Martin taking the bronze.
It was Ecuador’s second Olympic title in the event after Jefferson Perez’s gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games, and only the South American country’s fourth ever gold.
Pintado clutched a family photograph as he crossed the line before being connected to loved ones via a live link.
“It has been tough to be away from my family, my wife, my kids, for four months and just seeing them through a screen,” said Pintado. “But they were with me throughout the race. I have a picture of them with me.”
Pintado quipped that he hoped his gold medal would earn him a house from Ecuador’s government. “I want my country to give me a house for my children and I don’t want anything more,” he said.
The race was delayed half an hour due to a thunderstorm but once they started at Trocadero, Bonfim took off as if he wanted to make up for the lost time.
The 33-year-old and his rivals may not have had the time to take it in but for spectators and viewers the race was a splendid spectacle as they did 20 laps, along the banks of the Seine and passing by the Eiffel Tower as well as Trocadero. He was gradually reeled in but stayed amongst the leaders and was ahead at the halfway mark. He only held a slight advantage and the lead began to change on a regular basis with China’s Zhang Jun, defending champion Massimo Stano from Italy and Martin all leading at times.
China’s Yang secures
women’s race walk gold
China’s Yang Jiayu claimed 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 en route to a victory that fulfilled a promise made to her late father. Yang crossed the finish line in one hour 25 minutes and 54 seconds, Spain’s Maria Perez secured the silver medal in 1:26.19 and Australia’s Jemima Montag won bronze in 1:26.25.
“I never mentioned this before but I promised him (her father) I would win gold,” Yang said. “Now I have finally done it, I am very proud of myself.”
