Allyson Felix and LaShawn Merritt are two savvy track stars who’ve been around long enough to know that not everything always goes to plan.
Advertisement
Over the final 30 minutes of Saturday’s topsy-turvy night at the Olympic track, both Americans came away with prizes they’d been wishing for all along.
One of those moments looked like it might belong to 41-year-old Bernard Lagat in the 5,000 meters.
Before the 2012 Games, the United States of America had won the previous two gold medals, and six of the previous seven.
“I can look back at the things I’ve accomplished and be really proud”, she said.
Felix expects to race once more in Europe this year before turning her attention to the World Championships in London next August when she will be 31.
Allyson Fenix anchored the USA 4×400-meter relay team on their sixth Olympic gold medal.
Felix, who also won gold in the 400 relay and silver in the 400 meters, ran the final leg of the race as the Americans won in 3 minutes 19.06 seconds.
American Courtney Okolo grabbed the lead in the opening stage and her team never relinquished it, opening a big gap on the rest of the field with Jamaica by the halfway point.
Arman Hall, Tony McQuay, Gil Roberts and Merritt returned the Olympic title to American hands.
Jamaica’s silver was their fifth straight medal in the event, following silver in 2000 and bronze in 2004, 2008 and 2012 while Britain claimed their first medal since 1992.
The crowd at iconic Maracana Stadium roared and Neymar fell to the field sobbing after he was mobbed by his teammates. As Felix had done minutes earlier, Merritt took a narrow lead and opened it way up. Max Meyer scored the equalizer for Germany in the 59th.
An hour after competing in her fourth Olympic Games, U.S. high jumper Chaunte Lowe was asked if she would be around for a fifth Games in Tokyo in 2020.
Advertisement
There are no Americans in the final of the men’s javelin throw.
