Olympics 2016: China’s Wang Zhen wins gold medal in men’s 20km walk

China’s Wang Zhen won the gold medal in the 20-kilometer walk at the 2016 Olympics on Friday. Zhen finished first in 1:19.14 to beat the rest of the field. Chinese teammate Cai Zelin won the silver with a time of 1:19.26, while the bronze went to Australia’s Dane Bird-Smith with a time of 1:19.37.

This is Zhen’s second Olympic medal in the 20km walk. He also won the bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics in London when another Chinese athlete, Chen Ding, took the gold medal. Ding also competed in the event this year, but finished just 39th with a time of 1:23.54. Still, between Zhen, Zelin and Ding, the Chinese have three of the premier long-distance walkers in the world.

The end of the race was riveting walking action as Zhen, Zelin, Bird-Smith and Brazil’s Caio Bonfim were close together at the finish line. Bonfim came in right behind Bird-Smith to finish fourth with a time of 1:19.42. Only 0.28 seconds separated Bonfim from Zhen in the top spot.

While the United States sent hundreds of athletes to Rio, none of them competed in the 20km walk. It’s admittedly not the flashiest event at the Olympics, and for whatever reason (maybe because it’s walking), it’s never caught on over here. No American has ever won a medal in the 20km walk. Larry Young’s back-to-back bronze medals in the 50km walk at the 1968 and 1972 Olympics are the only two walking medals the country has.