Olympic track & field begins with 20km race walk. Why event is difficult?

PARIS – The official start of the Olympic track and field competition began Thursday with the men’s and women’s 20km race walk.

Stade de France is the home for track and field during the Paris Olympics, but the race walk was held at the Trocadéro adjacent to the Eiffel Tower, which offered a spectacular view for spectators and athletes.

The men’s competition was delayed 30 minutes to 2 a.m. ET due to rainy conditions. The women’s competition started at 3:50 a.m. ET.

On the men’s side, Ecuador’s Brian Daniel Pintado won the gold easily in 1:18:55 and celebrated as he crossed the finish line. Caio Bonfim of Brazil came in second at 1:19:09 and Spain’s Álvaro Martín finished third with a time of 1:19:11.

"I have competed in three Olympic Games, and now I'm an Olympic champion. It's a dream come true," Pintado said. "It was insane. In the last few meters, I realized I was completely alone, and seeing the finish line I just kept thinking, I'm the Olympic champion, it's me."

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For the women, China’s Yang Jiayu won the competition with a winning time of 1:25:54. Spain’s Maria Perez took the silver medal, posting a time of 1:26:19 and Australia’s Jemima Montag came in third at 1:26:25.

What makes race walk difficult?

The 20km race walk is a little over 12.4 miles, so the speed walkers aren’t walking a short distance. But the race is also very technical.

In race walking, athletes must have one foot in contact with the ground at all times, which has to be visible to the human eye. Officials are present at the competition to ensure the rule is enforced. If there is no visible contact, it is called lifting and an athlete will be penalized.

In addition, an athlete’s knee of their advanced leg must not bend and the leg must straighten as the body passes over it. A penalty can be enforced if an athlete bends his knee.

Race walk judges carry paddles with symbols for "loss of contact" and "bent knee."

Did Team USA have any 20km race walk athletes at Paris Olympics?

Team USA didn’t have a single 20km race walk athlete (male of female) compete at the Paris Olympics. In fact, the U.S. has never won an Olympic medal in the 20km race walk.

Larry Young was the last U.S. athlete to win an Olympic medal in any type of race walk event. Young placed third in the 50km race walk at both the 1968 and 1972 Games. The 50km race walk was dropped as an Olympic sport after the Tokyo Olympics.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Olympic track and field begins: Why is 20km race walk difficult?