Paris, France, August 1, 2024: On a fine summer’s day, there’s nothing better than a brisk walk around Paris.
Just ask Yang Jaiyu.
The Chinese world record holder marked the first day of the Paris 2024 athletics competition by walking to gold in the women’s 20km race walk at the Trocadero – grand venue of the closing stages of the opening ceremony on July 26.
Yang produced a season’s best 1 hour, 25 minutes and 54 seconds to beat Spain’s Maria Perez, who was second in 1:26.19. Jemima Montag of Australia took bronze in 1:26.25.
Yang, 28, had finished 12th in this event at Tokyo 2020 and gave a lot of credit to her coach, Zhang Fuxin, for the victory.
"In December last year, I started training with a new coach. During this short period, the training has completely transformed me,” Yang said.
“My capabilities and endurance have all gone up. Of course there are specifics. For example, psychologically; my coach has been encouraging us a lot, which has helped me make a breakthrough."
The field in Paris also included Chinese veteran Liu Hong, competing in her fifth Olympic Games at the age of 37. She finished in 21st place with a time of 1:31.24, 5 minutes and 30 seconds behind Yang.
"As a five-time Olympian she has had a lot of injuries come into play. She is a role model for all of us. We will continue to learn from her spirit and maintain our good performance,” Yang vowed. "Hopefully, we will bring more good results to Team China."
Regarding the hot and humid weather, the new Olympic champion added: “The temperature was on the rise, bringing us significant challenges. I believe, as long as you have done a good amount of training, I don't think this will be a problem during the race."