Ecuador’s Brian Daniel Pintado secured the gold medal in the men’s 20km race walk on Thursday morning in Paris, celebrating by mimicking Cristiano Ronaldo’s famous ‘SIU’ celebration as he crossed the finish line.
Pintado, 29, paused to catch his breath momentarily before leaping into the air and thrusting his hands down by his sides, emulating the Portuguese football superstar.
The Ecuadorian athlete, who earned silver in the men’s 35km race walk at the 2023 World Championships held in Budapest, also participated in the 2016 and 2020 Games.
He finished in 37th place in Rio with a time of 1:23:44, but on Thursday, he surged ahead of the competition with a remarkable time of 1:18:55 in Paris.
Caio Bonfim from Brazil took home the silver medal, finishing 14 seconds later than Pintado, while Spain’s Alvaro Martin claimed the bronze with a time of 1:19:11.
Ecuador’s Brian Daniel Pintado (pictured) clinched gold in the men’s 20km race walk on Thursday
Pintado (left) celebrated by performing Cristiano Ronaldo’s (right) iconic ‘SIU’ celebration
Team GB was represented by Callum Wilkinson in the event, a gold medalist in the 10km race walk at the 2016 World Junior Championships. However, the 27-year-old finished in 39th place, clocking a time of 1:20:31, which was a minute and 36 seconds behind Pintado.
This victory marked a historic milestone for Ecuador, as Pintado earned their first medal at the Paris Olympics and the nation’s fourth gold in Olympic history.
Pintado executed an exceptional race, finishing well ahead of his peers.
Overcome with emotion upon realizing his victory, the Ecuadorian unleashed a triumphant roar before heading to a television screen to virtually celebrate with his family.
Race walking is a unique Olympic event where competitors strive to walk long distances as quickly as possible over a 20km course.
In previous Olympic editions, some races were contested over a grueling 50km distance, but that format has been eliminated from the 2024 Olympics.
This sport is thought to have originated during the Victorian era, where spectators would bet on walkers racing alongside horse-drawn coaches to determine the winner.
Pintado (bottom left) crossed the finish line before jumping up in the air to copy the iconic celebration
The Ecuadorian (pictured) clinched silver in the men’s 35km walking race at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest
He also clinched his country’s first medal of the 2024 games with a time of 1:18:55
There was a heartwarming moment at the end of the race where he proceeded to video call his family via one of the television screens at the finish line
This sport has strict regulations; competitors are prohibited from running and must always have one foot in contact with the ground, as made ‘visible to the human eye’.
In running, athletes frequently lift both feet off the ground at once during sprints.
Conversely, race walkers face penalties if observed ‘lifting’ both feet from the ground simultaneously.
