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Moments after Brian Pintado of Ecuador had blazed to a glorious gold medal in the 20km race walk at the Paris Olympics, he pulled out a tiny photo of his two children from his waistband pocket - his inspiration, he said, for when the going got tough.
The 29-year-old pulled away from the field over the final kilometre for the victory on Thursday, crossing the finish line in a time of one hour, 18 minutes and 55 seconds.
"It motivated me to really give everything," Pintado said of the photo of his son Nicolas and daughter Montserrath.
Caio Bonfim of Brazil raced to silver in 1:19.09, while 2023 world champion Alvaro Martin of Spain was third in 1:19.11 to kick off the Olympics athletics competition.
The victory was Pintado's first in a global competition after he raced to silver in the 35km distance at the 2022 world championships.
"It was insane," Pintado said. "In the last few metres, I realised I was completely alone, and seeing the finish line I just kept thinking, 'I'm the Olympic champion, it's me.'
"It has been tough to be away from my family for four months," added Pintado.
"But they were with me throughout the race."
The lead changed hands numerous times among a tight lead group of 15 walkers through the first 13km, but the group started to spread out at the 15km mark.
The top four had pulled away from the field by the final lap, with Pintado - wearing mirrored sunglasses, a scarf that was a gift from his grandmother, and a silver necklace with a pendant of two runners, he and his son - increasing his lead over the final gruelling kilometre.
The Ecuadorian shook two fists in celebration after crossing the finish line.
"I don't remember how the competition went, I was just focused on my walking and listened to my trainer, the ones giving advice to me," Pintado said.
"Yesterday I cried because I was scared, but then I connected with my family, and my mother, and they motivated me. I only slept four hours last night because I was so excited."
The course was a 1km loop along the picturesque Pont d'Alene and under the Eiffel Tower.
An early-morning thunderstorm had pushed back the start by 30 minutes, but by the time the walkers took to the line, the clouds had given way to blue skies and a comfortable temperature of 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit).
The Olympic race walks returned to the host city of Paris three years after the Olympic walks were held in Sapporo to beat the sizzling Tokyo heat.
China's Yang secures women's race walk gold
China's Yang Jiayu claimed 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 en route to a victory that fulfilled a promise made to her late father.
Yang crossed the finish line in one hour 25 minutes and 54 seconds, Spain's Maria Perez secured the silver medal in 1:26.19 and Australia's Jemima Montag won bronze in 1:26.25.
"I never mentioned this before but I promised him (her father) I would win gold," Yang said. "Now I have finally done it, I am very proud of myself."
Yang is the fourth Chinese woman to win the event in the seven times it has been contested at the Olympics.
With her victory, Yang added Olympic champion to a sparkling resume that already included world record holder and 2017 world champion.
The 28-year-old's bold race tactics to surge into an early lead paid off in emphatic fashion as she already had half a minute on the field by the 10km mark.
Perez, the 2023 World champion who finished fourth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, 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.
Yang's father died of illness while she was competing at the 2015 World University Games and when she won the 2017 Worlds in London she dedicated the victory to her dad saying: "I wanted to make my father in heaven proud of me."
She went on to chop a whopping 49 seconds off the world record in March 2021, but struggled to a 12th-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics four months later.
"Tokyo was very tricky for me, so I worked very hard to come back and get the best results in Paris," she said.
Thursday's race was more about placing than times, particularly in the sizzling 28 Celsius heat.
The women doused their heads with water at every aid station and many wore scarves full of ice to keep their body temperature from rising dangerously.
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.
The athletics competition now shifts to Stade de France beginning on Friday.
