“I am so blessed”, she said afterwards. The Jamaicans brought the baton home 0.86 seconds later.
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The look on Felix’s face as she crossed the line and waved the green baton said what words could not: Thank goodness, it’s finally over.
In the final night of Olympic track and field in Rio, the USA women’s 4×400-meter team won its sixth consecutive Olympic gold medal.
“This completes my set”, the sprinter said after anchoring the USA team to the title in the women’s 4×100-meter Olympic relay Friday. Arman Hall, Tony McQuay, Gil Roberts and LaShawn Merritt were timed in 2:57.30, ahead of Jamaica (2:58.16) and the Bahamas (2:58.49).
United States’ Allyson Felix finishes the women’s 4x400meters relay during the athletics competitions of the 2016 Summer Olympics at the Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016.
But after the baton was dropped, an appeal over Brazilian interference lodged and a weird solo re-run against the clock undertaken, Friday’s final saw the Americans surge home to claim gold ahead of Jamaica and Great Britain in far more orthodox style. The team from America, anchored by Allyson Felix, won big in a great race on August 20.
Doing my victory lap, I literally kept screaming to everyone I know, Are you kidding me? Centrowitz said.
In a unusual scene in a sparsely filled Olympic Stadium, the US women’s 4×100 relay stepped on the track and ran a solo time trial.
First thing I did is told the young guys, We got this, veteran Tyson Gay said after running the mens third leg. Youve got to be positive. With nine medals (six gold and three silver) she tied Merlene Ottey (three silver and six bronze) for the most Olympic track and field medals won by a female athlete.
In addition to the United States victory in the 4x100m in Brazil, her three silvers – the 400m in Rio and the 200m in both Athens and Beijing – give her an overall Olympic tally of eight medals, breaking her tie with former USA star Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who has a total of seven medals. Stars! They’re just like you and me!
The IAAF said Mohammed Ahmed of Canada and Muktar Edris of Ethiopia also were disqualified for the same reason.
Semenya won in a South African national record 1:55.28, while Niyonsaba was 1.21 seconds behind. Margaret Wambui of Kenya took bronze in 1:56.89. Somebody might have gone through a possible Olympic medalist’s bag moments before her race and stole one of her shoes.
Briton Mo Farah became only the second man to retain both Olympic track long distance titles on Saturday when he produced an utterly dominant performance to add the 5,000m gold to the 10,000 he collected a week ago.
The British team of Asha Philip, Desiree Henry, Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita came third to take their country’s first medal in the event since 1984.
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Paul Kipkemoi Chelimo won a silver medal after finishing in second place in the men’s 5,000-meter final.
