China's Yang blazes to women's race walk gold

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.

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.