Cui Zhide of China won the men's 20 kilometers walk race, taking the first gold at the 4th Military World Games in Hyderabad, India on Monday.

The Asian champion clocked one hour 23 minutes and 31 seconds to take the title, beating Ivan Trotski of Belarus to the second place in 1:23:43.

Following the leading group from the very beginning, Cui demonstrated his endurance and speed to pull away at the last 12 kilometers to claim the first gold of the tournament.

"The weather was really hot today, but I carried out my strategy well and took the chance in the crucial moment," said Cui, who broke the Asian record in 2005.

The bronze medal went to Mapi Toth of Slovenia with a time of 1:25:22.

Only 16 athletes participated in the event.

(Xinhua News Agency October 15, 2007)