Russian Olimpiada Ivanova struck gold in more than one sense at the Goodwill Games today with a US$120,000 world-record win in the 20km walk.
The 31-year-old Ivanova set the first world record in the athletics competition at the Games with 1:26.52 to shatter the existing 50-lap walk track record of 1:29.36.4 set by Portugal's Susanne Feitor in Lisbon in July.
World champion Ivanova, who set a blistering pace from the opening gun, claimed US$20,000 for winning the gold medal and a US$100,000 bonus for breaking the world record.
"First of all I would like to help my parents because it is not very easy to live in Russia and they are poor," she said.
"For myself I have nothing special planned. I will save it and think about it. Yesterday I was poor and today I am rich. It's very difficult to switch from no money to big money."
AFP