But the way she did it was controversial: She stumbled, then dove over the finish line.
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Miller, racing for her native Bahamas, flung herself to the finish to hold off Team USA’s Allyson Felix by.07 seconds.
Felix, who finished in 49.51, was also sprawled on the ground trying to come to terms with what had just happened.
“I don’t know”, she said. So in all fairness, Miller did just that.
Felix, who had battled back from injury to make the United States team for Rio, said her record haul of medals at the Olympics and world championships was little consolation for the loss. I was just thinking “disappointment”. “I didn’t really have too many thoughts on it”. They finished in the opposite order at the world championships in Beijing past year.
A four-time gold medalist, Felix had represented her country proudly on the podium in Athens, Beijing and London.
Some US fans questioned the legitimacy of Miller’s move but Olympic champion and former 400m world record holder Michael Johnson said the dive was to “recover from falling”. She may be lining up for the U.S.in both relays, which could bring her gold-medal count higher.
Miller was in the lead for the majority of the race, until Allyson Felix made a late surge that put the two runners side by side in the final stretch.
Miller isn’t much of an underdog, but Felix, even with her recent injuries, was favored to win the race.
Miller and her coach, however, insist that this dive was not intentional.
The rules say the victory is determined by which athlete has any part of her torso cross the line first.
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“I know it’s an accomplishment when I’m looking back but tonight the goal was to win and I fell short of that”, she explained. Exhausted, she laid on the track, breathing heavily, as judges sorted out the photo finish and she was declared the victor.
