The 22-year-old was leading but was struggling to hold off favourite Allyson Felix as the race neared its end in Rio, and dived across the line to claim gold.
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With a second-place finish, she did miss out on become the first track and field athlete to win five gold medals overall.
“My mind went completely blank, and the next thing I was on the floor”, she said.
Needing every tool at her disposal to sneak past Allyson Felix and into gold, the Bahamas’ Shaunae Miller pulled out her final trick.
According to Yahoo, “the rules say a runner can go to the ground across the finish line as long as he or she doesn’t impede another in the process”.
Preliminary round races will be run today, with the finals set for Wednesday night. I just really wanted it.
The result popped up on the scoreboard: Miller won in 49.44 seconds. Just disappointment, you know.
A dive across the finish line is perfectly legal, which means Miller is the appropriate champion despite how some individuals perceived her act.
Miller competed in London in 2012 but did not finish the race, but four years on she finished in style to upset the American whose silver medal was her seventh overall in four Olympic campaigns.
Felix, at some point, reached top speed, and started gaining on Miller.
Her winning time was 49.44 seconds.
Akron University’s Clayton Murphy ended a 26-year USA medal drought in the men’s 800 meters by finishing third in a personal best of 1:42.93.
Lavillenie, of France, took silver with 19-7½ and American Sam Kendricks had bronze with 19-2¼.
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Her plans changed when tearing ankle ligaments during an accident at a Los Angeles fitness center. Now, 30 years old, she entered the 400m sprint in Rio for what would likely be her last Olympics.
