Ecuador’s Brian Daniel Pintado won gold in the men’s 20-kilometer walk on Thursday morning in Paris and celebrated by copying Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic “SIU” celebration as he crossed the finish line.
Pintado, 29, crossed the finish line and took a moment to catch his breath before jumping into the air and throwing his hands out to his sides, emulating the Portuguese football icon.
The Ecuadorian, who took silver in the men’s 35km race walk at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, had also competed at the 2016 and 2020 Games.
In Rio, she finished 37th with a time of 1:23:44, but on Thursday she moved ahead of the chasing pack to record a time of 1:18:55 in Paris.
Brazilian Caio Bonfim took second place, 14 seconds behind the Ecuadorian, while Spaniard Álvaro Martín took bronze with a time of 1:19:11.
Ecuadorian Brian Daniel Pintado (pictured) won gold in the men’s 20km race walk on Thursday
Pintado (left) celebrated by performing Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic ‘SIU’ celebration (right)
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Team GB were represented in the race by Callum Wilkinson, winner of the 10km walk gold medal at the 2016 World Junior Championships.
But the 27-year-old finished in 39th place with a time of 1:20:31, one minute and 36 seconds behind Pintado.
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However, it was a historic achievement for Ecuador, as Pintado earned her first medal at the Paris Olympics and the delegation’s fourth gold medal in Olympic history.
Pintado had an excellent race, finishing well ahead of his competitors.
Emotion swept over him upon learning of his achievement and the Ecuadorian let out a loud roar, before heading to a television screen where he celebrated with his family via video call.
Race walking is one of the most unique events at the Olympic Games. In it, competitors cover long distances as fast as they can along a 20 km course.
In previous editions of the Games, some races had been contested over a gruelling 50km, but that format has since been scrapped for the 2024 Olympics.
This sport is believed to have originated in Victorian times, when punters would bet on a competitor walking alongside horse-drawn carriages to see who would win.
Pintado (bottom left) crossed the finish line before leaping into the air to copy the iconic celebration.
The Ecuadorian (pictured) took silver in the men’s 35km race walk at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest
She also claimed her country’s first medal at the 2024 Games with a time of 1:18:55.
There was a touching moment at the end of the race when he proceeded to make a video call to his family via one of the television screens at the finish line.
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However, the format of this sport has strict rules. Competitors are not allowed to run. Competitors must always have one foot in contact with the ground at all times, so that it is “visible to the human eye.”
When athletes run, competitors are likely to often lift both feet off the ground during their sprint.
During race walking, athletes will be penalized if they are seen to “lift” both feet off the ground at the same time.
