Bahamian Shaunae Miller launched herself over the finish line with a desperate dive to take Olympic 400 metres gold by the slimmest of margins in a thrilling final on Monday.
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No, that’s no error. A fellow native of the Bahamas, five-time Olympian Debbie Ferguson, was the last current or former competitor from the Georgia women’s team to win a gold medal (4x100m relay, 2000).
Miller was timed in 49.44 seconds; Felix in 49.51 for the silver. ‘I still don’t know how it happened.
“‘I’ve never done it before”, Miller said.
One tweeter wrote, “Allyson Felix got robbed, if you wanna dive do it in the pool”, while another added, “So Shaunae Miller won a gold for the new event of land diving, apparently”.
As for how a photo finish works, though, Miller’s extended arms didn’t help her win.
“It wasn’t my best race”, Felix, now the most decorated woman in American track and field history, said during a Tuesday appearance on the Today show.
It’s unclear whether Miller meant to dive across the line or whether it was her momentum causing her to fall.
The Los Angeles Times reported that no one initially knew who won the race, and that the crowd paused until Miller’s name appeared on the scoreboard as the victor. The only difference is that instead of putting her feet forward first, she went belly first, and that doesn’t make her any less of a victor.
Second behind Felix at the world championships in Beijing past year when her strong finish was not enough to rein in the American, Miller had clearly learned her lesson.
“Coming home, that’s when I tried to give all I had”, she said. However, Felix barreled her way through and came head to head with Miller.
“Four years ago I was a sophomore and didn’t even make it out of the semifinals at the Olympic trials. I really wanted it, it’s painful”.
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Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson finished third place.
