5 gold medals in shot put? China's Gong Lijiao records 5 valid throws that could have all clinched her Olympics 2021 gold

China's Gong Lijiao clinched the gold medal at the Olympics 2021 in the women's shot put final with a personal best throw of 20.58m. Gong's performance in today's final was the personification of dominance.

In the six throws that are allowed for each finalist, Gong's throws reached 19.95m, 19.98m, 19.80m, 20.53m and 20.58m. Her second throw was red-flagged. All five of her valid throws would have won the gold medal at the event. If Gong was in a video game, she'd be the cheat-code. She was that good!

2️⃣0️⃣.5️⃣8️⃣m🇨🇳 Gong Lijiao is the #Olympics shot put champion with a sensational series:19.95mX19.98m19.80m20.53m20.58mEach of her valid throws would have secured her 🥇#Tokyo2020 #athletics pic.twitter.com/sQhBdyEbrV

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 1, 2021

The second-best throw in the event came from United States of America's Raven Saunders, who threw a 19.79m. While no other shot-putter managed to breach the 20m mark, Gong Lijiao did it twice and stayed way ahead of her Chinese compatriots in the event. The other two shot-putters from China, Song Jiayuan and Gao Yang, threw 19.14m and 18.67m respectively and finished outside of the medal places.

Another Olympics, another medal for Gong Lijiao

Success at the Olympics is not new for Gong. The gold medal marks yet another feather in the cap for the Chinese shot putter who claimed her third Olympic medal in the event. Gong Lijiao won a bronze on her debut at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a silver at the London Olympics. She was left heartbroken in Rio after missing out on a podium place by a whisker, but made up for the lapse with a sensational finish in her fourth Olympic appearance.

The competition also featured New Zealand's star shot put athlete Valerie Adams. Adams debuted at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Since then, she has claimed gold medals in Beijing and London, a silver in Rio, and finally a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, apart from winning several world championship titles.

Check out the medal tally.