OT: Spoiler alert: track results

[Plebe]

Women's 4x400, dominating victory for the USA! @Plebe called the lineup, although the ran in a different order. McLaughlin > Felix. Then Muhammed, who opened a substantial lead. Anchor leg was 19-yo Mu, who made that lead gigantic! Time was 3.16.85, about 1.5 seconds slower than the world record.

A beautiful race. What i love about the 400m showed really well here -- relaxed, natural running style without the heavy tactical emphasis you see in longer races. And our gals all have beautiful form, better than average in my (perhaps biased) opinion. A joy to watch!

The 400 was my race in my track days and in my eyes no track event matches the excitement of the 4x4! There is something so uniquely satisfying about watching my team win this race.

I thought the Jamaicans might have an outside chance to challenge, but word from the Jamaican camp was that Stephenie-Ann McPherson, who was narrowly beaten by Felix for bronze in the open 400, suffered some kind of hamstring injury in that race and couldn't go in the relay. In the end, that injury may have cost them silver (which a strong Poland team won) but they wouldn't have even gotten close to gold.

 

[Plebe]

I'd like to give mention to Paul Chelimo... a graduate of UNC-Greensboro... winning the bronze in the 5,000 meters. While I am still mad over Shaunae Miller-Uibo diving at the finish line to win the 400 in Rio.... Chelimo dove at the line to clinch a medal in his race ( I see no problem in him doing it) He becomes the first American to win multiple medals in the 5,000 as he won the silver in Rio. Years ago... while on a walk in my favorite park... while still a student at UNCG, Chelmio ran by me while training.

Big difference is Chelimo "leaned" at the line and took a step or two past the finish line before falling. Whereas Shaunae just face-planted on the finish line, which is just wrong

Speaking of Shaunae, she was gonna skip the 400m in Tokyo to focus on the 200, then changed her mind at the last minute and went for the double. She made the final in the 200 but then completely sandbagged the final, apparently deciding the competition was too tough there and she better save herself for the 400. Hard to argue with her results, but the integrity still just isn't there for me.

 

[Bigboote]

Geez, Allyson Felix is wonderful. What an athlete, what a story. Eleven medals in five olympics. Two-plus years after a difficult pregnancy and birth. No shoe sponsor? Create your own shoe brand.

 

[Plebe]

Geez, Allyson Felix is wonderful. What an athlete, what a story. Eleven medals in five olympics. Two-plus years after a difficult pregnancy and birth. No shoe sponsor? Create your own shoe brand.

As traumatic and costly as the pandemic was in so many ways, it did have the odd silver lining of helping athletes who needed the extra year to recover from injury or pregnancy.

A similar such mom is volleyball star Foluke Akinradewo, who gave birth in November 2019 following a difficult pregnancy and is now playing very well in Tokyo for Team USA.

US volleyball star back for 3rd Olympics after giving birth

TOKYO (AP) — A third trip to the Olympics was far from a sure thing for U.S. volleyball star Foluke Akinradewo Gunderson when she gave birth to her son in November 2019.

apnews.com

 

[ShmiCO]

Fifth-fastest time in history!
And the fastest since 1993!

Some great pics here. Given the baton drama this week, I especially like the hand off from Felix to Delilah. She has that 'better get outta my way if you know what's good for you!' look on her face.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Some great pics here. Given the baton drama this week, I especially like the hand off from Felix to Delilah. She has that 'better get outta my way if you know what's good for you!' look on her face.

That group will be iconic in time. They had total respect for Allyson. She now has 11 Olympic medals in speed events, spanning 5 Olympiads and 17 years. She passed the great Carl Lewis and almost caught the legendary Flying Finn, Paavo Nurmi, from almost a century ago.

 

[Plebe]

Two NCA&T runners got gold medals in the 4X400.. Randolph Ross and Trevor Stewart. They didnt run in the finals, but they ran in the prelimary round and finished 1st place in that heat. Stewart also won a bronze in the 4X400 mixed relay.

Unfortunately the only thing I remember about Stewart and Ross in the prelims is they made my heart stop by almost fumbling their baton pass. Even more incredible considering they were college teammates.

These US men's relay teams are subtracting years from my life lol.