PARIS — A magical Thursday evening at the Stade de France produced a trio of outstanding gold medal performances by Team USA athletes, including another world record for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
In addition to the three gold medals, the Americans won five more medals, giving the USA a total of 27 medals. With an incredible 238 points, the country sits alone at the top of the team points standings, 177 ahead of the next best nation.
The women’s 400m hurdles final was one of the most eagerly awaited events in recent athletics history, pitting reigning Olympic champion and world record holder McLaughlin-Levrone against last year’s world champion and second fastest woman of all time, Femke Bol of the Netherlands.
McLaughlin-Levrone had improved her own world record of 50.65 at the U.S. Olympic qualifiers, and Bol’s 50.95 was her first sub-51 time before the Swiss Games. Combined with an impressive final leg of 47.9 in the Dutch mixed 4×400 relay, all the ingredients were there for a classic battle.
The two women were neck and neck, with the American having a lead through the first five hurdles on the back straight. McLaughlin-Levrone seemed to be on the attack on the final bend, and was half a second ahead of Bol by hurdle eight. From then on, McLaughlin-Levrone was all her own, as her superior speed took her across the line in a time that most women would have been happy with minus the 10 hurdles.
As Bol saw her chances of winning gold dwindle, Anna Cockrell pushed past her on the outside and sprinted to the finish in 51.87 seconds, making her the fourth fastest woman in history to take silver, while Bol took bronze in 52.15 seconds. NCAA Champion Jasmine Jones nearly gave the USA a medal sweep when she ran a personal best of 52.29 in fourth place, making her the fourth fastest American woman of all time.
Crown the evening, Grant Holloway dominated the men’s 110m hurdles to claim the gold that had eluded him despite three consecutive world titles. Holloway came out of the blocks with an explosive start, left the field behind at the third hurdle and was in complete control from then on. Holloway made no mistakes, leaning back at the finish line to stop the clock at 12.99, and behind him Daniel Roberts took silver by 0.003 seconds over Rasheed Broadbell of Jamaica, with both men running a time of 13.09. Freddie Crittendenwho had to complete the repechage round beforehand, finished sixth with 13.32.
Indoor World Champion Tara Davis Woodhall secured her claim to gold on her first attempt in the women’s long jump, jumping 6.93/22-9 to take the lead, then improved to 7.05/23-1.75 in the second round. She cleared the board on her fourth attempt and landed at 7.10/23-3.5, leaving the competition behind and winning by more than ten centimetres over Germany’s Malaika Mihambo. Bronze medalist in the triple jump Jasmine Moore jumped 6.96/22-10 on her first attempt, winning another bronze medal and becoming the first American woman to win a medal in both horizontal jumps at a single Games. Sixth place went to Monae’ Nichols with a best score of 6.67/21-10.75 in round five.
Just like in Tokyo three years ago, Kenny Bednarek, Noah Lyles And Erriyon Knighton In the men’s 200m final, the score ended 2-3-4, but this time it was Letsile Tebogo of Botswana who took the gold medal. He raced down the straight to win in 19.46 seconds, becoming the fifth fastest man ever. Bednarek defended silver in 19.62 seconds, Lyles took bronze again in 19.70 seconds, and Knighton just missed the podium with a time of 19.99 seconds.
Elle St. Pierre made an aggressive push to the outside at the bell in the first semifinal, putting herself in a position to secure a top-six finish needed to advance to the final. St. Pierre followed world record holder Faith Kipyegon of Kenya and Britain’s Laura Muir around the final corner and secured third place in 3:59.74, securing her place in the final.
In the much faster second semi-final, six women managed 3:57 and twelve under 4:00, and the Trials champion Nikki Hiltz was comfortably third in this faster sextet with a time of 3:56.17, the fastest time ever achieved by a US participant at the Games. Emily Mackay never looked really relaxed and finished 13th in 4:02.03. Ethiopian Diribe Welteji won this semi-final and ran the fastest time overall with 3:55.10, also the fastest semi-final time ever achieved at the Olympic Games.
Solid performances at all levels on the first day of the women’s heptathlon ensured Anna Hall Third in the points classification with 3,956 points, 99 behind leader Katarina Johnson-Thompson from Great Britain, and Taliyah Brooks took seventh with 3,810. Hall ran the 100m hurdles in 13.36 and then topped 1.89/6-2.25 in the high jump. 14.11/46-3.5 in the shot put and 23.89 in the 200m rounded out her day. Brooks ran the hurdles in 13.00, topped 1.77/5-9.75 in the high jump, threw the shot put in 13.58/44-6.75 and reached 24.02 in the 200m. Chari Hawkins Her medal hopes were dashed by a miss in the high jump, but she was able to complete the remaining two events and now has 2,804 points.
Joy and relief flowed through the fans of the US 4×100 relay team as both won their heats and safely advanced to the final. The women’s quartet of 100-meter bronze medalists Melissa Jefferson, Terry, the motherGold medalist in the 200 Gabby Thomasand 100 silver medalists Sha’Carri Richardson brought the baton across the finish line in 41.94 seconds, the fastest of the two sections.
The men of the US team ran with a foursome of Christian Coleman100 Bronze medalists Fred Kerley, Kyree KingAnd Courtney LindseyThe United States dominated proceedings, winning the first heat with a time of 37.47 seconds, the ninth fastest time in American history and nearly half a second better than the next fastest nation.
He ran the fastest time in all four repechages of the men’s 800 m. Brandon Miller’s With a time of 1:44.21 he won the fourth section and thus secured his place in the semi-finals on Friday.
The qualification in the women’s shot put was one of the biggest surprises of the competition so far, as the two-time world champion and American record holder MichaelJackson could only achieve a personal best of 17.60/57-9 after two fouls and did not advance. The silver medalist from Tokyo Raven Saunders She made it to the final with 18.62/61-1.25 in her third attempt and Jaida Ross managed it easily with a throw in the first round of 18.58/60-11.5.
MEDALS FOR TEAM USA (27)
Gold (9)
- Shot put, men – Ryan Crouser, 22.90/75-1.75
- Men’s 100 – Noah Lyles, 9.79
- Discus throw, women – Valarie Allman, 69.50/228-0
- Men’s 1500 m – Cole Hocker, 3:27.65 (Olympic record)
- 200 m, women – Gabby Thomas, 21.83
- Men’s 400 m – Quincy Hall, 43.40
- Long Jump Women – Tara Davis-Woodhall, 7.10/23-3.5
- Women’s 400m hurdles – Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, 50.37 WORLD RECORD
- 110 m hurdles, men – Grant Holloway, 12.99
Silver (10)
- Shot put, men – Joe Kovacs, 22.15/72-8
- Mixed 4×400 Relay – 3:07.74 (Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon, Kaylyn Brown)
- Women’s 100m – 10.87, Sha’Carri Richardson
- Men’s Pole Vault – Sam Kendricks, 5.95/19-6.25
- Women’s hammer – Annette Echikunwoke, 75.48/247-8
- Women’s Pole Vault – Katie Moon, 4.85/15-11
- Men’s 3000m steeplechase – Kenneth Rooks, 8:06.41
- Men’s 200 – Kenny Bednarek, 19.62
- Women’s 400m hurdles – Anna Cockrell, 51.87
- 110 m hurdles, men – Daniel Roberts, 13.09
Bronze (8)
- 10,000 m, men – Grant Fisher, 26:43.46
- 100 m, women – 10.92, Melissa Jefferson
- Women’s triple jump – Jasmine Moore, 14.67/48-1.75
- Men’s 100 m – Fred Kerley, 9.81
- 1500m, men – Yared Nuguse, 3:27.80
- 200 m, women – Brittany Brown, 22.20
- 200m, men – Noah Lyles, 19.70
- Long Jump Women – Jasmine Moore, 6.96/22-10
RECORDS SET
World record
- Mixed 4×400 Relay – 3:07.41 (Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon, Kaylyn Brown)
- Women’s 400m hurdles – 50.37, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
American record
- Mixed 4×400 Relay – 3:07.41 (Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon, Kaylyn Brown)
- Women’s 400m hurdles – 50.37, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
Olympic record
- Men’s 1500 – Cole Hocker, 3:27.65
- Women’s 400m hurdles – 50.37, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
American Olympic best
- Women’s discus – Valarie Allman, 69.59/228-3 (in qualification)
- Mixed 4×400 Relay – 3:07.41 (Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon, Kaylyn Brown)
- 10,000 m, men – Grant Fisher, 26:43.46
- Women’s 1500 m – Emily Mackay, 3:59.63 (semi-final)
- Women’s hammer – Annette Echikunwoke, 75.48/247-8
- Men’s 1500 – Cole Hocker, 3:27.65
- Men’s 400 m – Quincy Hall, 43.40
- Women’s 400m hurdles – 50.37, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
