Australian wins race in Bird's Nest

Australian Jared Tallent won the first Olympic test event at China's National Stadium — known as the Bird's Nest.

Tallent held off local favorite Wang Hao to win the men's 20-kilometer walk race Friday in 1 hour, 20 minutes, 11 seconds.

"I was happy with the race, with the result, but the main thing is we have to do it again in August," the 23-year-old Tallent said. "To be the first to win in the Bird's Nest is a fantastic feeling. I couldn't be more happy."

Tallent said the air pollution was not a problem, although the temperatures were lower than what will be expected in August when the Beijing Olympics will be held.

Wang finished 14 seconds behind Tallent, while Mexico's Eder Sanchez was a further 32 seconds adrift.

"I was really excited to come into the stadium. It was a fantastic feeling, really special," Wang said.

In a nearly all-Chinese women's field, the hosts took the first three places with Liu Hong (1:29:33), Yang Yawei (1:29:33) and Shi Yang (1:29:39).

The IAAF Race Walking Challenge was the first event staged in the Bird's Nest, which opened this week. The women's race was later Friday.

There were about 3,000 fans on hand at the finish in the 91,000-seat stadium that has become an icon of the Beijing Games with its unusual design of twisted steel beams that wrap around the exterior to resemble silver twigs binding a nest together.

While Tallent did not have a problem with Beijing's infamous air pollution, Sanchez said it was similar to Mexico and a problem for him.

"After 15 kilometers, my eyes were hurting and my throat was sore," he said.

The $450 million stadium will be the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies and also for track and field events. Of the 37 venues for the games, it was the last to be completed.

Air quality has been a worry for some athletes, and Beijing organizers said earlier this week that stringent pollution controls will go into effect by July 20. This means closing cement factories, foundries and halting excavation at hundreds of the city's building projects. Plans are also afoot to ban about half of Beijing's 3.3 million vehicles.

The International Olympic Committee has said it will postpone outdoor endurance events if air quality is poor, and IOC president Jacques Rogge has acknowledged that athletes' performances might be "slightly reduced" because of the pollution.