American relay teams win 2 gold medals in final events of dominant U.S. track and field meet at Olympics

SAINT-DENIS, France — A runaway victory in one relay and another that came so close, a long-awaited celebration for France and a high jump competition that seemed to never end.

The unifying feature of a wild final day of track and field action at the Stade de France was that most familiar sight: the Americans in the stands to win their medals, time and time again.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Gabby Thomas finished off the track by winning the women’s 4×400 relay on Saturday, giving America its 34th track medal and 14th gold. Thomas was part of an American victory that culminated in a gold medal the previous night in the women’s 4×100 relay.

Thanks to the gold medalists in the 400-meter and 200-meter races, who turned the race into a real feast on the 2nd and 3rd laps, the Americans finished more than 4 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher and just 0.1 seconds above the world record set by the Soviet Union in 1988.

Winning time: 3 minutes, 15.27 seconds.

“I think this generation of track and field is just at a different level,” said McLaughlin-Levrone, who now has four gold medals in four events (and six world-record runs) in her career. “Everything is improving, including us, including our technique, including the way we prepare. I don’t think anything is impossible at this point.”

In another race with a difference of 0.1 seconds, American gold medalist in the hurdles, Rai Benjamin, overtook 200-meter champion Letsile Tebogo of Botswana in the men’s relay.

“I timed this race really well, down to the letter,” Benjamin said. “I have a really good, high track IQ when it comes to people, the way they run and how to run fast, so I didn’t have to go out too hard. Let’s just put it aside for later to get home.”

Two more close races led the Americans to gold and ultimately to a medal for France

Ironically, on the final day of the track and field competitions full of difficult situations and surprises, there were two more races in which the outcome was decided by 0.01 seconds – the victory of Kenyan Emmanuel Wanyonya in the 800 meters and the victory of American Masai Russell in the 100 meters hurdles.

Russell edged out Cyrena Samba-Mayela of France. It may have been a heartbreaking result, but it was the country’s first and only medal in track and field, and it drew a cheer like no other on a night that featured eight finals.

“I want to celebrate with the French public because they have supported and motivated me throughout all the Olympic Games,” said Samba-Mayela.

High Jump Madness and $50,000 Playoff

There were moments in the high jump arena when it seemed the gold medal would not be decided before Sunday’s closing ceremony.

New Zealander Hamish Kerr and American Shelby McEwen both missed three times from 2.38 metres, sending the title play-off to the same height.

Both missed, which caused the bar to start moving down. McEwen missed. Then Kerr missed. Then McEwen missed again — the 11th in a row between them.

Kerr eventually cleared 2.34 meters, left the mat, ran a large semicircle toward the javelin landing zone (fortunately long since defunct), fell onto his back, and covered his face with his hands.

In one of the most memorable moments from the last Olympics, the two best jumpers finished tied, agreed to share the gold medal, and then hugged in celebration. This time, an unprecedented $50,000 grand prize was on the line, which undermined that beautiful Olympic spirit.

Was McEwen thinking about a win rather than a draw when he thought about the $50,000?

“Definitely,” he said. “I have a family to feed. So of course it was.”

Top medal haul for US track and field at modern Olympics

McEwen’s defeat still helped the United States win 34 medals, the most of any country at a non-boycotted Games since the early 20th century, when more events were held and fewer nations participated.

The 14 gold medals are the most at a non-boycotted Olympics since Bob Beamon and Tommie Smith led the U.S. to 15 wins in 1968.

Given such a commanding performance, it seemed natural that McLaughlin-Levrone would play the role in the final act.

The 25-year-old, who holds the fourth-fastest time in the world in the 400m and the latest world record in the hurdles, covered the distance in 47.71 seconds, 0.91 seconds faster than the second-fastest athlete in the field, Femke Bol, who led the Netherlands to the silver medal.

That McLaughlin-Levrone had lightly brushed Thomas’s feet as they passed the baton between laps two and three seemed like a distant memory — long forgotten by the time the Star-Spangled Banner played its final game in the final medal ceremony of the night.

With about 200 meters to go, “Gabby and Syd started walking down the track and had to back up,” said Shamier Little, who ran the first section. “We were celebrating a little bit. Of course, anything can happen.

“But that wasn’t supposed to happen.”

Kenya’s Wanyonyi wins the men’s 800m in another race decided by 0.01 seconds

In the men’s 800-meter fast race, Wanyonyi beat Canadian Marco Aropa by 0.01 seconds in a photo finish, finishing in 1:41.19, just 0.28 seconds off the world record.

American Bryce Hoppel’s national record of 1:41.67 gave him only fourth place.

Ingebrigtsen wins, this time in the 5000m

Jakob Ingebrigtsen won the 5,000 metres in a relatively uneventful race after a thrilling 1,500 metres against Briton Josh Kerr four nights earlier ended in a disappointing fourth place.

Ingebrigtsen won with a time of 13 minutes 13.66 seconds, adding the title to his victories at the last two world championships.

Second place went to Kenyan Ronald Kwemoi, and third to Grant Fisher from the USA.

Japan wins the only medal of the competition – gold in the javelin throw

Haruka Kitguchi won Japan’s only medal at the competition — gold — with a season-best throw of 65.80 meters. She is the first Japanese woman to win a medal in any throwing event at the Olympics.