PARIS — On a magical Thursday night at the Stade de France, Team U.S. athletes won three incredible gold medals and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone set a new world record.
In addition to the three gold medals, the United States won five other medals for a total of 27. The United States also holds sole possession of first place in the team points standings with an astounding 238 points, 177 points ahead of the next-placed country.
The women's 400-meter hurdles final was one of the most anticipated events in recent track and field history, pitting reigning Olympic champion and world record holder McLaughlin-Levrone against last year's world champion and the second-fastest woman of all time, Femke Boll of the Netherlands.
McLaughlin-Levrone had broken her own world record with a time of 50.65 at the U.S. Olympic Trials, and Boll had broken 51 seconds for the first time with a time of 50.95 in Switzerland prior to the Olympics. Add to that Boll's incredible 47.9 seconds as the anchor of the Netherlands mixed 4×400 relay, and all the ingredients for a legendary showdown were in place.
The two women were neck and neck, with the American leading through the first five hurdles on the backstretch, but McLaughlin-Levrone seemed to turn things up in the final corner and was half a second ahead of Boll at the eighth hurdle. From there, it was McLaughlin-Levrone in control, and she was so fast she made it to the finish line in times that most of the women were happy with for all but hurdle 10.
As Boll's gold medal hopes faded, Anna Cockrell overtook her from the outside to finish in 51.87 seconds, becoming the fourth-fastest woman in history to take the silver medal, while Boll took the bronze in 52.15. NCAA champion Jasmine Jones came in fourth in a lifetime best of 52.29 seconds, becoming the fourth-fastest American in history and nearly completing a medal sweep for the United States.
To cap off the night, Grant Holloway dominated the men's 110m hurdles, winning the gold medal that had eluded him despite winning three consecutive World Championships. With an explosive start, Holloway pulled away at the third hurdle and was in complete control from there. Making no mistakes, Holloway leaned over the finish line to stop the clock in 12.99 seconds, before Daniel Roberts took silver by 0.003 seconds over Jamaica's Rasheed Broadbell, both in 13.09 seconds. Freddie Crittenden, who had to win a repechage first, came in sixth in 13.32 seconds.
World indoor champion Tara Davis-Woodhall won the gold medal in the women's long jump on her first attempt, leading with a score of 6.93/22-9 and improving to 7.05/23-1.75 in the second round. In her fourth attempt, she jumped off the board and landed with a score of 7.10/23-3.5 to win by more than four inches over Germany's Malaika Mihambo. Triple jump bronze medalist Jasmine Moore again won bronze with a jump of 6.96/22-10 on her first attempt, becoming the first American woman to medal in both the horizontal and horizontal jumps at the same Games. Sixth place went to Monae Nichols, who recorded a best of 6.67/21-10.75 in the fifth round.
Just like three years ago in Tokyo, Kenny Bednarek, Noah Lyles and Erion Knighton came second, third and fourth in the men's 200m final, but this time it was Letsile Tebogo of Botswana who won in straight sets to become the fifth fastest man in history, winning in 19.46. Bednarek defended his silver medal in 19.62, Lyles took bronze again in 19.70 and Knighton came just short of the podium in 19.99.
St. Pierre made an aggressive move to the outside just before the bell rang for the first semifinal race, putting her in position to secure a top-six finish, needed to qualify for the final. St. Pierre rounded the final corner behind world record holder Faith Kipyegon of Kenya and Laura Muir of Great Britain to finish third in 3:59.74 and book her place in the final.
In the second semifinal, six runners broke 3:57 and 12 broke 4:00. Trials champion Nikki Hiltz finished comfortably third in 3:56.17, the fastest of the six to advance to the next stage in the fastest time ever by a U.S. athlete at the Olympics. Emily McKay never looked easy, finishing 13th in 4:02.03. Dilib Weltegee of Ethiopia won her semifinal and ran the fastest overall time in 3:55.10, also the fastest Olympic semifinal ever.
On the first day of the women's heptathlon, Anna Hall had a solid performance across the board, placing third in the points standings with 3,956 points, 99 points behind British leader Katarina Johnson-Thompson, while Taliyah Brooks placed seventh with 3,810 points. Hall clocked 13.36 seconds in the 100m hurdles and topped the high jump with a time of 1.89/6-2.25 seconds. She closed out the day with times of 14.11/46-3.5 seconds in the shot put and 23.89 seconds in the 200m. Brooks clocked 13.00 seconds in the hurdles, cleared 1.77/5-9.75 in the high jump, 13.58/44-6.75 in the shot put and 24.02 in the 200m. Chari Hawkins finished without a medal in the high jump after not scoring a single time, but she completed her remaining two events for 2,804 points.
Fans of the U.S. 4×100 relay team cheered with joy and relief as both teams made it through the heats and into the finals. The women's quartet — 100 bronze medalist Melissa Jefferson, Towanisha Terry, 200 gold medalist Gabby Thomas and 100 silver medalist Shakari Richardson — carried the baton across the finish line in 41.94, the fastest of the two divisions.
The U.S. men's team consisted of Christian Coleman, 100m bronze medalist Fred Curley, Kylie King and Courtney Lindsay. The U.S. dominated the competition, winning the first heat in 37.47 seconds, the ninth-fastest time in U.S. history and nearly half a second faster than the next-placed country.
Brandon Miller, who recorded the fastest time in all four repechage events in the boys' 800, won Section 4 in 1 minute, 44.21 seconds and made it safely back into Friday's semifinals.
The women's shot put preliminaries produced one of the biggest shocks of the tournament so far. Two-time world champion and American record holder Chase Jackson failed to advance to the final after two fouls meant she could only muster a best of 17.60/57-9. Tokyo silver medalist Raven Sanders advanced to the final with an 18.62/61-1.25 on her third attempt, while Jada Ross easily advanced to the final with an opening throw of 18.58/60-11.5.
Team USA Medals (27)
GOLD MEDAL (9) Men's Shot Put – Ryan Crowther, 22.90/75-1.75 Men's 100 – Noah Lyles, 9.79 Women's Discus – Valerie Allman, 69.50/228-0 Men's 1500 – Cole Hocker, 3:27.65 (Olympic record) Women's 200 – Gabby Thomas, 21.83 Men's 400 – Quincy Hall, 43.40 Women's Long Jump – Tara Davis-Woodhall, 7.10/23-3.5 Women's 400 Hurdles – Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, 50.37 World Record Men's 110 Hurdles – Grant Holloway, 12.99 SILVER MEDAL (10) Men's Shot Put – Joe Kovacs, 22.15/72-8 Mixed 4×400 Relay – 3:07.74 (Vernon Norwood, Shamire Little, Bryce Dedmon, Kaylin Brown) Girls 100 – 10.87, Shakari Richardson Boys' Pole Vault – Sam Kendricks, 5.95/19-6.25 Girls' Hammer Throw – Annette Echikunwoke, 75.48/247-8 Girls' Pole Vault – Katie Moon, 4.85/15-11 Boys' 3,000 Steeplechase – Kenneth Lukes, 8:06.41 Boys' 200 – Kenny Bednarek, 19.62 Girls' 400 Hurdles – Anna Cockrell, 51.87 Boys' 110 Hurdles – Daniel Roberts, 13.09 Bronze (8) Boys' 10,000 Meters – Grant Fisher, 26:43.46 Women's 100 meters – 10.92, Melissa Jefferson Women's triple jump – Jasmine Moore, 14.67/48-1.75 Men's 100 meters – Fred Curley, 9.81 Men's 1500 meters – Yared Nugse, 3:27.80 Women's 200 meters – Brittany Brown, 22.20 Men's 200 meters – Noah Lyles, 19.70 Women's long jump – Jasmine Moore, 6.96/22-10
Record-breaking
World Records Mixed 4×400 Relay – 3:07.41 (Vernon Norwood, Shamire Little, Bryce Dedmon, Kaylin Brown) Women's 400 Hurdles – 50.37, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone American Records Mixed 4×400 Relay – 3:07.41 (Vernon Norwood, Shamire Little, Bryce Dedmon, Kaylin Brown) Women's 400 Hurdles – 50.37, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Olympic Records Men's 1500 – Cole Hocker, 3:27.65 Women's 400 Hurdles – 50.37, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone American Olympic Bests Women's Discus – Valerie Allman, 69.59/228-3 (Preliminary) Mixed 4×400 Relay – 3:07.41 (Vernon Norwood, Shamire Little, Bryce Dedmon, Kaylin Brown) Boys 10,000 – Grant Fisher, 26:43.46 Girls 1500 – Emily McKay, 3:59.63 (Semi-final) Girls Hammer – Annette Echikunwoke, 75.48/247-8 Boys 1500 – Cole Hocker, 3:27.65 Boys 400 – Quincy Hall, 43.40 Girls 400 Hurdles – 50.37, Sydney McLaughlin Levrone
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