Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas (L) dives over the finish line to win the gold medal in the Women’s 400m Final ahead of silver medalist Allyson Felix of the United States (C) and bronze medalist Shericka Jackson of Jamaica (R), August 15, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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No, that’s no error.
Miller’s dive caused a lot of controversy on social media, with some fans insisting divers should stick to the swimming pool, while others saying she should be praised for doing anything for the gold.
Miller, who won the 2013 NCAA indoor title and was second at the national outdoor meet that year, came into the Games with two of the world’s top three 400m times this year.
While Felix completed the race on her feet, internet users poked fun at Miller for diving, and literally snatching the gold from her opponent.
She further added ” I think (the dive) was just a reaction, my mind went blank, the next thing I knew I was lying on the ground.
When I was on the ground I didn’t know I’d won. She rocketed from fourth place to third, then from third place until she was neck-and-neck with Miller for first, speeding toward the finish line.
“Coming home, that’s when I tried to give all I had”, she said.
Felix has four Olympic gold medals to her credit, and her silver in the 400-meter is her third, dating back to the 2004 Games in Athens. Miller’s victory in this event gave the sprinter her first Olympic medal. “I really wanted it, it’s painful”. “I wish things would have gone differently for me but that’s just a part of work and things you have to deal with and I just had to regroup and keep moving on”.
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How hard must it be for an athlete to overcome an ankle injury, as Felix did, to finally run her best race of the year, only to still lose?
