Ecuador’s Brian Pintado has won the first athletics gold medal of the Paris Olympic Games with victory in the men’s 20km (12.4-mile) race walk.

Brazil’s Caio Bonfim improved on his fourth-place finish in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 by taking silver, and Spain’s world champion Alvaro Martin took the bronze as the track and field events got under way in the French capital on Thursday.

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In the women’s category, China’s Yang Jiayu claimed gold by 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 [my 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 halfway 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 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.”

Yang Jiayu of China celebrates after winning gold at the Eiffel tower [Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters]

Earlier, Pintado won the first medal of the day and Ecuador’s second Olympic title in the event after Jefferson Perez took gold in 1996.

As he crossed the finish line, Pintado was clutching a family photograph and was immediately linked via a TV feed with them.

The race was delayed half an hour due to a thunderstorm, but once the athletes started at the Trocadero, Bonfim took off as if he wanted to make up for the lost time.

He was gradually reeled in but stayed among the leaders and was ahead at the halfway mark.

He held only a slight advantage, and the lead began to change on a regular basis with China’s Zhang Jun, Spaniard Paul McGrath, defending champion Massimo Stano from Italy and Martin all heading the pack at times.

The field got strung out with many of the walkers getting on the wrong side of race judges and being put into the penalty zone.

The spectators who had turned out at an early hour to watch the event were a colourful bunch, including a vociferous group of sombrero-wearing Mexican supporters.

With under 6km to go, a group of 10 broke from the pack and spreadeagled the field.

Stano led at the 16km mark, but he too incurred the wrath of the judges and received a warning.

The irrepressible Bonfim, however, then injected some pace and split the leading pack.

Just three were able to go with him: Stano, Martin and Pintado.

On the penultimate lap, Stano’s dreams of making history in becoming the first Olympic champion to successfully defend his title evaporated as Pintado moved up a gear.

From then on, he ruthlessly dispensed with Bonfim and Martin, who had nothing left in the tank.

The athletics competition now shifts to Stade de France beginning on Friday.