Gardner discreetly told a Team USA assistant coach about her conundrum, and they searched for an athlete with size 7.5 feet.
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“Of course [we have sympathy]”, said Felix, who became the first woman to win five gold medals in track. Felix grabbed the baton and got it to Gardner, who ran her leg and handed off for the final leg, and the USA finished the race. They sailed through in the final despite the disadvantage of racing in the tightest lane, number one.
It didn’t bother them.
After a clean exchange from Gardner to Bowie, Bowie put the finishing touches on the gold medal victory, stopping the clock at 41.01, the second fastest time ever run in the world, and the 2nd fastest time in Olympic history. Her gold as part of the relay is the second in as many nights for Ducks, as Ashton Eaton emphatically repeated as decathlon gold medalist Thursday.
As so often, Felix’s celebrations were mostly muted but her smile told it all.
Felix had been through injury, the inability to defend her 200-meter title because she didn’t qualify at the U.S. Trials, a narrow loss to the Bahamas Shaunae Miller on a dive in the 400 meters and, almost, a disqualification in the relay heats. “The adversity yesterday made us even more determined and we kept fighting the whole way through”, said Felix after the triumph late Friday in the Rio Olympic stadium.
The relay win served as redemption for the four American women. Britain won bronze in a national record 41.77.
It was not all perfection for the Americans though.
Earlier Friday, Ekaterini Stefanidi of Greece won gold in the women’s pole vault after recording a height of 4.85m.
“There you go, I am the greatest”, Bolt said of his nine gold medals, which ties him with Finnish distance runner Paavo Nurmi and US sprinter/long jumper Carl Lewis for the most gold won by an Olympian in track and field. The U.S. team lodged a protest, hoping to get the medal back.
Still, the USA added to their haul. It marked the first British medal in the event since 1984.
Asha Philip added: “I had seen our team not make London 2012 so we have come a long way to get here and it has been a long journey for us”.
Still, barring a odd set of circumstances, the Americans could wind up with the highest total since the team had 40 at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, where the Soviet Union didn’t compete.
China had qualified eighth for the final but were bumped after the United States re-run, sparking fury among their team and its fans.
“I glanced. I mean, I realize we’re leading the medal count”. There was an upset as Vivian Cheruiyot powered past slumping favorite Almaz Ayana of Ethiopia and set an Olympic record of 14 minutes, 26.17 seconds.
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The 32-year-old Cheruiyot adds the Olympic title to two world championships in the 5,000 and one in the 10,000. But fatigue caught up with her and Cheruiyot and compatriot Hellen Obiri, who won silver, saw their chance.
