Athens, Greece - Robert Korzeniowski of Poland added to his record collection of gold medals in race walking with his unprecented third consecutive Olympic victory in the 50-kilometre walk on Friday.
It was a final triumph for the Pole, who says he is retiring after the Olympics.
With the Polish flag clenched between his teeth, Korzeniowski crossed the finish line in the virtually empty Olympic Stadium on Friday morning in 3 hours, 38 minutes and four seconds - more than four minutes ahead of silver medallist Denis Nizhegorodov.
Nizhegorodov, moving slowly and seeming disoriented over the final few hundred metres, finished in 3:42.50, then lay face-down on the track in exhaustion.
Another Russian, Aleksey Voyevodin, overtook Yu Caohongof China just outside the stadium to claim the bronze in 3:43.34.
In all Korzeniowski, 36, has won four Olympic golds - the last three in the 50-kilometre walk and the 20-kilometre event in Sydney four years ago. No other walker has won more than one gold medal.
Nizhegorodov, 24 and fifth at last year's world championships, stayed with Korzeniowski through most of the race and was just 30 seconds behind the leader with 15 kilometres to go.
The lead was one and a half minutes after 45 kilometres, then the pace proved too much for the Russian, who barely managed to make it the rest of the way.
Korzeniowski, who has lived and trained in France since 1992, looked as if he was ready for another 50 kilometres.
Someone gave him his country's flag as he entered the stadium. First he waved it with one hand, then grabbed it with his teeth so he could keep in his walking form across the line.
He and Voyevodin hugged, then Korzeniowski ran around the track in a victory lap.
The event - the longest in track and field - began at 07:00 local time to avoid the intense afternoon heat.
