Imperious Yang wins women's 20km walk Olympic gold, dedicates medal to late father

Yang Jiayu wins Olympic gold in women's 20km walk in Paris, beating Spain's Perez and Australia's Montag.

China's Yang Jiayu produced a dominant performance to win the women's 20 kilometres walk Olympic title in Paris on Thursday.

The 28-year-old world record holder timed 1 hour 25 minutes 14 seconds coming home clear of Spain's Maria Perez (1:26:19) with Jemima Montag of Australia taking the bronze (1:26:25).

Yang is the fourth Chinese woman to win the Olympic title in the seven times it has featured at the Games.

The race was delayed half an hour due to a thunderstorm but once they started, Yang seized control as temperatures soared.

The 2017 world champion was always in command as the 20-lap race wound its way through Paris along the banks of the Seine and sweeping past landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and Trocadero.

Yang Jiayu at the 8km mark had opened up a 13 second lead on a group of 11 including Commonwealth Games champion Montag and defending champion Antonella Palmisano.

She had extended it to 40sec with eight kilometres remaining, her only concern having been given a warning.