Olympic Track and Field 2016: Women's 20KM Walk Winners, Times and Results

China's Liu Hong won gold in the women's 20-kilometre walk final at the 2016 Rio Olympics on Friday. She beat a brave and determined race walk from Mexico's Maria Guadalupe Gonzalez to cross the line in less than 90 minutes.

Liu's countrywoman Lu Xiuzhi took bronze after she couldn't quite stay on the front with the leading two. Prior to Lu's late drop, this trio dominated the race, with the gold far from being certain even on the final circuit.  

Here are the medal winners from the race:

Gold	Silver	Bronze
Liu Hong (CHN) 1:28:35	Maria Guadalupe Gonzalez (MEX) +0:02	Lu Xiuzhi (CHN) +0:07

Recap

Naturally, the race proved to be a gruelling event, as several competitors dropped out even before the proceedings reached the halfway stage, with 63 runners eventually managing to finish. A notable drop came when China's Qieyang Shijie dropped off the pace late on after a solid period on the front.

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Her decline helped give the initiative to Gonzalez. She was doing her best to keep pace with several athletes from China, including Liu and Lu.

That trio was setting the clear pace as the medal picture started to become clearer. It was Lu who received a yellow card warning, as Qieyang battled to try to overcome being dropped for a second time further back.

With the Rio heat showing no mercy, the predicted winning pace wasn't as fast as it might have been. Still, the leading three entered the last circuit with plenty of room to spare.

They still couldn't be separated inside the final 1,500 metres, with Gonzalez holding the slightest edge, if there was one at all. There was another yellow card for Liu, as each leading runner was understandably struggling somewhat ahead of the final surge.

Gonzalez didn't lose her minute-leading margin around another hairpin turn. However, Lu began to fall slightly and crucially off the pace, losing nearly one metre on her team-mate and rival.

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Toward the end, it was shoulder-to-shoulder between Gonzalez and Liu. The latter made her move at the perfect moment, muscling ahead of her Mexican competitor.

Gonzalez didn't have enough left to match the sudden and strong final surge. She had to settle for silver, as Liu willed herself over the line first to collect a worthy gold.