“I dreamt of being Olympic champion once, and then I did it in London and that was incredible”.
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Action in the Olympic Stadium concluded with U.S. victories in the men’s and women’s 4x400m relays. His arms open wide, his eyes closed in ecstasy, Farah crossed the line as the first runner in 40 years to win back-to-back long-distance doubles at the Olympics.
While British athletics fans – who have taken Somalia-born Farah to their hearts – will be on the edges of their seats, Brazilians will equally be on tenterhooks. Ahmed, too, was later reinstated, putting him back in fourth place.
“I want to keep running”, said Farah.
He entered the home straight, as so often before, trailing challengers who remained only that before crossing in 13min 03.30sec for gold.
“I thought he was joking”, Chelimo said.
“That’s why I was so emotional at the end, it nearly went”. “In the 10k I was on the edge – nothing was going to get in my way”.
Felix, who 24 hours earlier helped the United States of America win 4x100m relay gold, has now won more track gold medals than any other woman athlete in history.
‘Good things must come to an end, right?’ he said.
Centrowitz, victor of the world indoor 1500m title in March, was part of the giant pack which had been trundling round the track for 1,000m before the racing began in earnest at the bell.
Since he was shocked by an Ethiopian he had never even heard of, Ibrahim Jeilan, in the 10,000m final at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu – his last loss at a major – he has left no stone unturned in his preparations.
New Zealand’s Nicholas Willis took the bronze medal in 3:50.24.
The last American to win the Olympics 1500m was Mel Sheppard in the 1908 London Games.
“It doesn’t compare to anything else I’ve won in my life”.
“It was really tactical and they (the Ethiopians) kept pushing me because they were working as a team”.
Semenya was in full control of the women’s 800m final at the bell, leading on the inside with her big rival Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi at her shoulder.
The 25-year-old has hyperandrogenism – meaning elevated testosterone levels – and there has been public and often bitter controversy about whether she should be competing in female athletic events.
Bronze went to Margaret Wanbui of Kenya in a personal best of 1:56.89, ahead of Canada’s Melissa Bishop, who ran a national record of 1:57.02. Julius Yego of Kenya claimed silver in the men’s javelin – the first medal by an African in the event.
There was disappointment to follow for Chelimo, who would have been the first American since 1964 to take silver in the 5000m, as he was stripped of the silver medal.
Beitia, three times European champion used all her experience in reaching the relatively modest winning high jump height of 1.97m with least fouls.
Centrowitz’s win was one of three golds won by the United States, who also took the 4x400m relays.
Bronze was a triumph for the vivacious Vlasic after the serious inijuries she has suffered in the last couple of years.
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The Londoner knows, though, this one will be the toughest test of his career. Semenya won’t have to be much below her best to get beaten here.
