Felix claims record 11th medal as US team take 4x400m glory; Hassan seals 10,000m crown

Allyson Felix brought the curtain down on her glittering Olympic career with a seventh gold medal as the United States stormed to a crushing victory in the 4x400m women’s relay on Saturday.

Felix, who on Friday became the most decorated female track and field athlete of all time with a bronze in the individual 400m, helped a ‘Dream Team’ US quartet romp home in 3min 16.85sec.

Poland took silver, while Jamaica took bronze.

The USA fielded a star-studded line-up which included world record-breaking 400m hurdler and newly crowned Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin, 400 hurdles silver medallist Dalilah Muhammad and teenage 800m gold medallist Athing Mu alongside the veteran Felix.

With McLaughlin getting the American women off to a blistering start before handing off to Felix on the second leg, it soon became clear that the US quartet were racing against history and the Soviet Union’s 33-year-old world record of 3:15.17 set at the drug-tainted Seoul Olympics.

But while Muhammad built up a massive lead for Mu, the record remained just out of reach even though the 19-year-old from New Jersey crossed the line four seconds clear of Polish anchor runner Justyna Swiety-Ersetic.

Felix, 35, is competing in her fifth and final Summer Games and now has 11 total Olympic medals, extending her record as the most decorated female track and field Olympian in history.

“I came out at peace, wanting to soak it all in,” said Felix after her final Olympic race.

Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan secured a second title and third medal at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday, showing her blistering pace down the home straight to win the women’s 10,000 metres.

The 28-year-old Ethiopian-born Hassan, world champion over 1,500m and 10,000m, won the 5,000m title and picked up bronze in the 1,500m in her bid for an unprecedented treble in Tokyo.

“I’m so happy and I cried during the medal ceremony,” Hassan said. “I actually realised that I’m done, the Games are over.

“It’s not about how strong I am but how strong are the ladies I challenge. Now I’m happy, I’m done, it’s over.”

Bahrain’s Kalkidan Gezahegne clinched the silver medal while Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey taking the bronze. Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon retained the Olympic women’s 1500m title on Friday to put an end to Dutch athlete Sifan Hassan’s bid for a unprecedented track treble.

Kipyegon broke the 33-year-old Olympic record set by Romanian Paula Ivan at the Seoul Games as she clocked 3min 53.11sec.

Britain’s European champion Laura Muir produced a national record of 3:54.50 to claim silver, with Hassan taking bronze (3:55.86).

Ingebrigtsen stuns Cheruiyot in 1,500 metres final: Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen won the men’s Olympic 1,500 metres title on Saturday, setting a new Games record of 3min 28.32sec.

The 20-year-old added Olympic gold to his European title, easing home after passing long-time leader Timothy Cheruiyot of Kenya, who took silver in 3:29.01.

Britain’s Josh Kerr ran the race of his life to take the bronze in 3:29.05.

Cheruiyot had been the dominant force in the event for the past two years in the lead-up to Tokyo, winning 10 races on the trot, including the 2019 world title, but that run ended in the Kenyan trials.

Jepchirchir gives Kenya back to back women’s marathon titles: Peres Jepchirchir secured back-to-back women’s Olympic marathon titles for Kenya on Saturday timing 2hr 27min 20sec.

The 27-year-old two-time half marathon world champion beat compatriot Brigid Kosgei (2hr 27:36) whilst USA’s Molly Seidel was third (2hr 27:46).

Jepchirchir succeeds fellow Kenyan Jemima Sumgong, who won in 2016 in Rio.

Organisers wary of the hot and humid conditions had announced on the eve of the race the start time had been brought forward an hour to 6am local time.

However, even with that, many runners failed to last the distance, including Kenya’s world champion Ruth Chepngetich. Other runners crossed the finish line clearly in distress, including Mexico’s Ursula Sanchez.

She staggered over the line and was attended to by a race official.

Two hours into the race the temperature had risen to 30.6°C (87 degrees Fahrenheit) and 62.7% humidity.

Agencies