The men’s and women’s 20km race walk events took place on Thursday at the Paris Olympics and fans watching at home were full of admiration for the competitors

On the sixth day of the Paris Olympics, race walking attracted some surprising attention. The 20km races for both men and women attracted spectators to the event, which is frequently disregarded.

It’s possible that more viewers were able to tune in as a result of the later start timings. In the men’s race, Ecuador’s Brian Pintado triumphed, earning the nation’s first medal in athletics since Jefferson Perez did so in 1996. In his victory lap, he honored Cristiano Ronaldo.

Pintado finished ahead of world champion Alvaro Martin and Brazil’s Caio Bonfim with a time of 1:18:55. The Italian Olympic champion from Tokyo, Massimo Stano, was only one second away from taking home bronze.

China’s Yang Jiayu dominated the women’s race, breaking away to win gold after just 5km. According to the Mirror, she finished ahead of Australia’s Jemima Montag and Spain’s Maria Perez, who earned second and bronze, respectively, with her time of 1:25.54.

In memory of her late father, Jiayu vowed to reach the Olympic podium. She stated of her victory in Paris, following her 12th-place result in Tokyo, “Yeah, I’m quite happy about today’s race.” “I was penalized in the backstretch when I was fighting for this medal in Tokyo, and it was unfortunate that I didn’t make it to the podium,” she continued. I’m happy I did, as I’ve been trying over the previous three years to blossom in Paris for the Olympics.

“Previous interviews did not bring it up,” she continued. “However, I kept my word to him earlier and stood on the top podium today.”

There were undoubtedly many people who valued the racers’ efforts. One person on X said, “It’s unbelievable that the race walk is an actual Olympic sport, but it’s really exciting.”

Picture: Lu LinIt was also stated that they walk faster than most people run and can reach certain true speeds. “They walk at a pace of 4 min/km! While I work in a running store, I hardly know 10 people who can run so fast over a 20-kilometer distance,” another user commented.

However, others believed they ought to have competed in the Games. “I think I could do well in the Olympic event of the fast walk,” one individual stated. Even the cities I’ve visited, I can walk around in a single day. I could easily finish the race in twelve hours and just keep going. See the remainder of the city.

Many others also appreciated Pintado’s post-race festivities. After celebrating through the line, the Ecuadorian player mimicked Cristiano Ronaldo’s “siuuu” and released an incredible raw.

“The winner of the walk race at the Paris Olympics just achieved a stunning feat.” Clearly a fan of the soccer legend, another user noted that “Cristiano influences everyone.”