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.
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.
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. 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.
SEE MORE: Olympics 101: Race walking at Paris 2024
Women’s race walk
In progress, more to come.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.