People's Republic of China's GONG Lijiao wins gold in women's shot put
Gong throws a massive 20.58m to secure a spectacular gold. The USA's Raven Saunders wins silver and New Zealand's Valerie Adams bronze.
Athletics
People's Republic of China's GONG Lijiao lit up the Olympic Stadium with a mammoth throw of 20.58m to win the Tokyo 2020 women's shot put competition.
The 32-year-old Gong dug deep to throw a personal best that saw her breeze to gold. The USA's Raven Saunders - who battled depression after Rio 2016 - won an impressive silver medal (19.79m) with New Zealand's throwing legend Valerie Adams (19.62) winning bronze.
Gong won bronze at Beijing 2008, silver at London 2012 and came fourth at Rio 2016. She now takes the top step on the podium after a spectacular showing at Tokyo 2020.
After her gold medal-winning performance, Gong said: “I’m really, really excited to win this gold medal, I’m not only winning this gold medal, I’m also getting my personal best. I think all my efforts were really worth it.”
She also acknowledged how proud she was to win the title for the people back home: “I’m really proud to win this competition for my country and not only for myself but also for all the people in China who supported me."