Felix, long jump gold medallist Tianna Bartoletta, English Gardner and Tori Bowie, who won 100m silver and 200m bronze in Rio, combined to clock the second fastest 4x100m relay time ever run, in 41.01 seconds.
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Felix had been bumped in the preliminary heats and lost the baton, but the USA team protested and got a second chance – a solo re-run that allowed them to qualify on times. Felix, who ran the anchor leg, now has six gold medals, improving her all-time record for women in Olympic track and field.
It was Bartoletta’s second gold medal of the Rio Games.
The United States successfully defended its Olympic gold in the women’s 4×100-meter relay. Britain won bronze in a national record 41.77.
Women from the OR track and field program had combined for just two Olympic medals before this year but won three more in Rio. It was the fastest time in the world since the US won gold in 2012.
The U.S. team has been on such a run, that Bowie takes it in stride. But on back-to-back nights, she took relay gold, starting with the 4×100 on Friday.
The U.S. finished in 3 minutes 19.06 seconds. The women re-ran on the track by themselves, and bumped team China from the final (the Brazilian team was disqualified). “Two golds, a silver, I can’t complain”, she said. Centrowitz then made an early move on the final lap, perhaps catching some of his opposition off guard, and by the time the field responded is was too late. “I just want to go home now and see my attractive kids and hang my medals around their necks”.
Her five medals matches marks set by Nastia Liukin in 2008, Shannon Miller in 1992 and Mary Lou Retton in 1984.
Jamaica’s second place meant 100-meter and 200-meter victor Elaine Thompson added to her Rio medal collection, although not with the gold she desired.
Kenya’s Vivian Cheruiyot smashed the Olympic 5,000-meter record earlier Thursday night.
The US women were the leaders going in to the event with a time of 3:21:42 in the preliminaries while Jamaica came in just under a second behind them with 3:22:38.
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“I gave it the best that I have and to come up short it’s hard but I have such an fantastic support group”, Lowe said.
