Lasitskene went over at a height of 2.04m to edge out Australian rival Nicola McDermott, who managed 2.02m, and Ukrainian teenager Yaroslava Mahuchikh, whose best effort was 2.00m.
The gold for Lasitskene cemented her dominance as the best female competitor in her sport in recent years, and meant she added a long-awaited Olympic title to her impressive career achievements, having been unable to compete in Rio five years ago due to the ban slapped on Russian track and field athletes.