It’s a golden upgrade for Brian Daniel Pintado.

The 29-year-old Ecuadorian race walker, who won the silver in the Men’s 35KM Walk at the 2023 World Championships, claimed the gold medal in the Men’s 20KM Walk at the 2024 Paris Games.

With his win, Pintado gave Ecuador its first medal of the 2024 Summer Olympics.

The athletes completed the 20 km on a one-kilometer circuit set at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. With three kilometers to go, a lead group of four separated themselves from the pack, battling it out for the podium.

And it was Pintado who surged ahead to upgrade his world silver to Olympic gold, finishing in 1:18:55 in his third Olympic appearance.

“In the last few meters, I realized I was completely alone, and seeing the finish line I just kept thinking, I’m the Olympic champion, it’s me,” Pintado shared.

Brazil’s Caoi Bonfim took silver with 1:19:09 while Spain’s Alvaro Martin followed closely behind at 1:19:11 to take bronze.