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Imperious Yang dedicates women's walk Olympic gold to late father / Photo: © AFP
Imperious Yang dedicates women's walk Olympic gold to late father
China's Yang Jiayu dedicated her women's 20 kilometres walk Olympic title on Thursday in Paris to her father, who died in 2015.
The 28-year-old world record holder timed 1 hour 25 minutes 14 seconds, coming home clear of Spain's Maria Perez (1:26:19) with Jemima Montag of Australia taking the bronze (1:26:25).
Yang is the fourth Chinese woman to win the Olympic title in the seven times it has featured at the Games.
"I never mentioned this before but I promised him I would win gold," she said of her late father.
"Now I have finally done it, I am very proud of myself."
The race was delayed half an hour due to a thunderstorm but once they started, Yang seized control as temperatures soared.
The 2017 world champion was always in command as the 20-lap race wound its way through Paris along the banks of the Seine and sweeping past landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and Trocadero.
Yang Jiayu at the 8km mark had opened up a 13 second lead on a group of 11 including Commonwealth Games champion Montag and defending champion Antonella Palmisano.
She had extended it to 40sec with eight kilometres remaining, her only concern having been given a warning.
However, three kilometres later perhaps due to the heat and her early effort the lead was down to half a minute -- Spain's two-time world champion Perez going in hot pursuit.
Perez, fourth in the Tokyo Games, was in top gear as she took a further 10 seconds off Yang's lead in one kilometre.
The Chinese woman, a towel tied round her neck to absorb the sweat, managed to stabilise the situation maintaining her 20sec lead after the next lap.
Montag broke free of a group of three at the 17 kilometre mark to move into third.
With two laps to go, Yang's lead was just 15sec over Perez with Montag a further 11sec adrift.
Both the front two took off their caps to pour water over their heads and drank from the water bottles at the water stations -- Yang dispensing with the towel round her neck.
Yang's lead at the bell was 17sec and it was Montag who was threatening Perez for silver as she was just five sec off the Spaniard.
Yang sauntered to the line in the end untroubled, while Perez had ditched her cap and hung on as Montag, world silver last year, settled for an impressive third.
H.Reyes--SFF
