TOKYO -- Allyson Felix raced into the history books as the woman with the most Olympic track and field medals ever and Team USATF claimed a silver in the women’s 4x100m relay and bronze in the men’s 5,000m to take the total medal count to 23 after eight days of competition at National Stadium.
Fans in the U.S. can watch on demand video here via NBC properties.
Women’s 4x100m relay final
Javianne Oliver (Clermont, Florida / USATF Florida) pushed hard from the blocks and ran a superb opening leg but had to stretch the handoff zone with Teahna Daniels (Austin, Texas / USATF Texas Southern). Daniels made up for the brief slowdown with a storming backstretch run and Jenna Prandini (Pflugerville, Texas / USATF Central California) kept the U.S. in contention around the final curve, surging past Switzerland and staving off Great Britain. 2020 Tokyo 200m bronze medalist Gabby Thomas (Austin, Texas / USATF Texas Southern) had a lot of ground to make up on leaders Jamaica, a quartet boasting the reigning 100m/200m champion as well as a two-time 100m gold medalist, and acquitted herself very well to give Team USATF silver in 41.45, the sixth fastest time in Olympic history.
Women’s 400m final
Winning her 10th medal in Olympic competition, Allyson Felix (Los Angeles, California / USATF Southern California) showed the determination that has made her the most-decorated American woman in track and field history and ran to bronze in a season best 49.46, the second fastest time of her storied career.
Running in lane nine with no one to key off, Felix kept herself in the medal hunt down the backstretch and felt Britain’s Jodie Williams creeping up on her inside as they came off the final turn. Digging deep in the final 50m she edged past Jamaica’s Stephenie Ann McPherson to add one more entry to the history books.
Since her Games debut as an 18-year-old in 2004, Felix has medaled in five of the six individual event finals she has contested and has five golds in the 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay. She now stands alone atop the list of medal winners in Olympic women’s track and field history and has won medals in five straight Games.
Quanera Hayes (Hope Mills, North Carolina / USATF North Carolina) finished seventh in 50.88.
Men’s 5,000m final
Using the racing savvy that helped him to silver at Rio and a bronze at the 2017 World Championships, Paul Chelimo (Colorado Springs, Colorado / USATF Colorado) earned his second straight Olympic medal with a late surge to claim bronze in 12:59.05.
Chelimo was third at the 1K mark in just over 2:38.6 and then settled into second. A steady if not very speedy pace over the next kilometer put the pack through 2K in 5:14.4, with Chelimo holding his position as the field was almost in single file. Tempo slowed in the next circuits and Chelimo dropped back to mid-pack just in front of Grant Fisher (Portland, Oregon / USATF Oregon) and Woody Kincaid (Portland, Oregon / USATF Oregon) at 3K, going through in 7:55.8.
Chelimo started to move forward with three to go and took over second again, and Fisher went with the lead group of 10 while Kincaid was laboring in the back of the field. Fighting for position in the final bend on the bell lap as he was cut off at two points, Chelimo expended his final pool of energy to outkick Nicholas Kimeli of Kenya for the bronze in a season best. World record holder Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda won in 12:58.15, while Fisher was ninth in a very respectable 13:08.40, doubling back after a fifth-place effort in the 10,000m earlier in the week. Kincaid was 14th in a season best 13:17.20.
Women’s 1,500m final
A rapid early pace didn’t drop anyone and Elle Purrier St. Pierre (Brighton, Massachusetts / USATF New England) was sixth at 400m, just ahead of Cory McGee (Boulder, Colorado / USATF New England). Seventh with two laps to go, Purrier St. Pierre dropped back in the next 200m and was 11th with McGee 12th. After the bell McGee was in 11th ahead of Purrier St. Pierre, but the Trials champion had the better finish and crossed the line in 10th in 4:01.75 with McGee 12th in 4:05.50. Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon defended her title with an Olympic record 3:53.11 and the top eight women broke 4:00.
Women’s Javelin final
Trials champion and American record holder Maggie Malone (Vestavia Hills, Alabama / USATF Gulf) had a best of 59.82m/196-3 and placed 10th, the highest U.S. placing in the event at an Olympic Games since Donna Mayhew’s seventh at Seoul in 1988.
Women’s 20K Race Walk
Starting near the back of the pack for the opening five kilometers in very difficult heat conditions, Robyn Stevens (Vacaville, California / USATF Pacific) steadily moved up through the field over the next 5K to pick up 14 places as she passed 10K in 47:56 in 39th. Stevens, the Trials champion, walked past four more competitors to go through 15K in 1:17:53 and she had a strong finish to place 33rd in 1:37:42.
Men’s 4x400m Relay 1st round
Running the fastest prelim time in Olympic history, the quartet of Trevor Stewart (Spotsylvania / USATF Virginia), Randolph Ross (Burlington, North Carolina / USATF North Carolina), Bryce Deadmon (Houston, Texas / USATF Gulf) and Vernon Norwood (Baton Rouge, Louisiana / USATF Southern) easily won the first heat in 2:57.77. Stewart ran a commanding leadoff leg of 44.79 to give his college teammate, Ross, the baton with a slight lead. Ross added some meters to the margin with a 44.56 carry and Deadmon showed his poise after having his heel clipped coming into the final stretch to split 44.08. Norwood protected the lead and brought it home with a 44.34 to seal an impressive win. Only two other nations have ever run faster in any round at the Games.
The final will be contested Saturday at 8:50 A.M. ET / 9:50 P.M. in Tokyo.
Full session results are available on the World Athletics website. The next event begins Friday at 5 P.M. ET / 6 P.M. local with the Women’s Marathon.
Stay up-to-date by following USATF on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok and using the hashtag #TeamUSATF.
USATF Medal Count (23)
Gold (5)
Women’s Discus Throw - Valarie Allman
Women’s 800m - Athing Mu
Women’s 400m Hurdles - Sydney McLaughlin
Men’s Shot Put - Ryan Crouser
Women’s Pole Vault - Katie Nageotte
Silver (12)
Women’s Shot Put – Raven Saunders
Men’s 100m – Fred Kerley
Women’s 100m Hurdles - Keni Harrison
Women’s Long Jump - Brittney Reese
Men’s 400m Hurdles - Rai Benjamin
Men’s Pole Vault - Chris Nilsen
Women’s 400m Hurdles - Dalilah Muhammad
Women’s 3,000m Steeplechase - Courtney Frerichs
Men’s 200m - Kenny Bednarek
Men’s 110m Hurdles - Grant Holloway
Men’s Shot Put - Joe Kovacs
Women’s 4x100m - Javianne Oliver, Teahna Daniels, Jenna Prandini, Gabby Thomas (Prelims: Javianne Oliver, Teahna Daniels, English Gardner, Aleia Hobbs)
Bronze (6)
4x400m Mixed Relay – Trevor Stewart, Kendall Ellis, Kaylin Whitney, Vernon Norwood
Women’s 800m - Raevyn Rogers
Women’s 200m - Gabby Thomas
Men’s 200m - Noah Lyles
Men’s 5,000m - Paul Chelimo
Women’s 400m - Allyson Felix
World Records (1)
Women’s 400m Hurdles - Sydney McLaughlin (51.46)
American Records (3)
Men’s 400m Hurdles - Rai Benjamin (46.17)
Women’s 800m - Athing Mu (1:55.21)
Women’s 400m Hurdles - Sydney McLaughlin (51.46)
Olympic Records (1)
Men’s Shot Put - Ryan Crouser (23.30m/76-5.5)
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