They stormed to victory in Friday night’s final, winning in 41.01 seconds, the second-fastest time ever.
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NPR reports that at the Beijing 2008 Summer Games, the team dropped the baton and didn’t reach the final; the squad’s silver medal finish in the London 2012 Olympics was voided previous year over the doping suspensions (both Gay and Gatlin); and Gay was disqualified in 2009 for a bad handoff.
Team USA’s women’s basketball team beat Spain 101-72 to win the gold medal in the Summer Games.
Getting the baton with a slim lead, Bolt powered away from the rest of the field with his huge strides.
Initially it was suggested that there might be a second run-off between China and Canada, who both clocked 42.70, but the IAAF took the time out to the thousandths, which places Canada seventh.
After the race, the Jamaican team circled the field, danced the samba and basked in the adoration of the crowd.
Disqualified, the USA filed a protest, claiming interference by Brazil. “It was a nightmare”. You work so hard with your teammates, guys you compete against nearly all year long.
The women had no such problems after trying run in the prelims.
Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson, running the second leg after Christania Williams before handing over to Veronica Campbell-Brown and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, narrowly missed out on matching compatriot Usain Bolt’s sprint treble after her victories in the 100 and 200. When the US was knocked out of the women’s 4×100 after dropping the baton, it appealed to get back in, ran a one-team race against the clock and earned a spot.
It didn’t bother the Americans as they brought it home in 41.01 seconds, 0.35 seconds ahead of the Jamaicans.
In a odd scene in a sparsely filled Olympic Stadium, the USA women’s 4×100 relay stepped on the track and ran a solo time trial. Earlier this week, Bartoletta claimed another gold winning the long jump with a leap of 7.17m.
Felix had previously won golds in the 200 and the 400 and 400 relays in 2012, and the 400 in 2008, and was narrowly denied in the 400 earlier this week when Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas defeated her with a desperate dive for the line.
“London is next on the agenda”, she said. “We each have had a rocky road here, a different journey, a unique experience and we just came together”, said Felix, whose team won gold from the inside lane, with its tight corners. This win is Felix’s sixth gold in track and field. She successfully completed only one vault, at 4.60m, after her husband and coach Rick Suhr reported on Twitter on Friday morning that she had woken up “coughing up blood”.
Gatlin ran the second leg for the U.S., stepping into the spot that Christian Coleman ran during the semifinals which helped the team qualify for the finals.
That was wacky. But the night’s biggest surprise came from Matthew Centrowitz, who shocked the field in a slow 1,500-meter final and became the first American to win a gold in the “metric mile” since 1908.
Later, two-time former world champion Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya rained on Ethiopian Almaz Ayana’s bid for an Olympic distance double, kicking with two laps to run to seal gold in the women’s 5000m.
The U.S. men have either been disqualified or failed to get the baton around the track eight times at Olympics or world championships since 1995.
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The U.S. team has been on such a run, that Bowie takes it in stride.
