LaShawn Merritt ran a blistering anchor leg to return the men’s 4x400m title to the United States, and win his third Olympic gold medal, in the final track and field event of the Rio Games on Saturday. A review ensued, Chelimo was reinstated to silver and Lagat dropped to fourth a bummer for the elder statesman of the USA track team, but some sort of sign for the team as a whole: Even when it lost, it won. Great Britain’s Mohamed Farah finished in first place for a gold medal in the event, while Ethiopia’s Hagos Gebrhiwet won a bronze medal for his efforts.
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She suffered an agonising defeat in the final of the 400m and failed to qualify for the 200m after missing out at the United States trials. “It’s just a very unique experience”, Felix said of her milestone.
South Africa’s Caster Semenya won the 800 meters with no one close to challenging her, a result that will only stoke the complex debate over whether women with much higher levels of testosterone than normal should be allowed to compete unchecked.
The US team were forced into a solo re-run of their qualifier on Thursday, having overturned a disqualification for a dropped baton exchange between Felix and Gardner. Leadoff runner Tianna Bartoletta was already waiting for Bowie for an embrace and to celebrate the second-fastest time in history behind the world record that Felix and company set to win the gold at London in 2012. But sometimes adversity makes you stronger.
“It was a insane, freak accident what happened in the first round”.
“It’s really neat sharing with these special ladies”. We had fun out there. “Track and field is such a big part of my life”.
Bartoletta, whose two world long jump titles remarkably came 10 years apart, with a stint on the U.S. bobsleigh team sandwiched in between, was delighted with her double gold. “I mean, considering how big our country is, I’m not too surprised”, she said with a laugh. “The journey to this point has been tumultuous”.
It puts Jamaica, and Bolt, in position for a third straight title in the sprint relay.
The native Mississippian will be bringing home a trio of colors; bronze, silver and, now, gold.
(AP Photo/Matt Dunham). United States’s Allyson Felix, right, gives the baton to English Gardner in the women’s 4 x 100-meter relay final, during the athletics competitions of the 2016 Summer Olympics at the Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, F.
With nine Olympic medals, Felix moved into a tie for most decorated among all women in track and field, equaling Jamaican sprinter Merlene Ottey – although Ottey never won any Olympic gold medals.
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Felix had previously won golds in the 200m and the 4×100 and 4×400 relays in 2012, and the 4×400 in 2008, and was narrowly denied in the 400 earlier this week when Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas defeated her with a desperate dive for the line. But Beitia won the gold medal because she had no misses until 6-6 3/4, which all four jumpers failed to clear.
