Spaniard hangs on to edge Wang for gold

Spain's Miguel Angel Lopez hauled in Wang Zhen to win the men's 20 kilometre race walk on Sunday and deny China its first gold medal at the world athletics championships in Beijing.

The 27-year-old European champion hung tough as a group of five Chinese walkers, led by Wang, tried to stretch the pace from the start but the group splintered under the strain and Lopez had enough stamina to hit the front in the closing stages.

He passed Wang at the 18-km mark and pumped his fist in delight as he crossed the line in a personal best time of one hour, 19 min and 14 sec - 15 seconds ahead of the Chinese - to become the first Spanish winner since Valenti Massana in 1993.