China's Liu Hong's dream to win an Olympic medal was finally fulfilled on Friday as she claimed gold in the 20km race walk event at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The 29-year-old Chinese athlete beat Mexico's Maria Guadalupe by just two seconds, clocking one hour, 28 minutes, and 35 seconds to win the thrilling race. China's Lu Xiuzhi secured the bronze medal after finishing just seven seconds behind Liu Hong. Italy's Antonella Palmisano finished fourth, while China's Qieyang Shijie had to contend with the fifth position.

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Liu Hong and Maria Guadalupe led the race from the start, with Guadalupe taking an impressive lead in the final stage. At one stage, it looked like Guadalupe will scoop the gold medal, but Liu staged a stunning comeback in the final lap to win the race in thrilling fashion.    

"It was hard because the weather wasn't that good. The only thing I could do was keep going, do my best and try to make it perfect," Liu said after the winning race.   

Liu Hong was left heartbroken at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympics as she narrowly missed on winning a medal after finishing in fourth place. However, Liu made a bold statement ahead of the Rio Olympics after winning the 2015 World Championships in Beijing with a record time of 1:24:38.

Last week, China's Wang Zhen and Cai Zelin won gold and silver medals in the men's 20-kilometer walk event. Over the years, China has become dominant in the race walking sport, with many top racers hailing from the country.

TagsLiu Hong, china, Rio Olympics 2016, China Rio Olympics, Race Walking