American men and women win gold in 4x400m relay at Paris Olympics

Coley Harvey, ESPN Editor-in-ChiefAugust 10, 2024, 3:49 p.m. ET

ClosePreviously covered Florida State for Orlando Sentinel and Georgia Tech for Macon Telegraph Graduated from Northwestern University

SAINT-DENIS, France — On the final night of competition at the Stade de France, the Americans tore up the purple track in their relays, setting two records and winning another gold medal in both the men's and women's events.

This is the third consecutive time that both U.S. teams have won gold in the 4×400 meters at the Olympics. In the women's event, it has now been more than 30 years since they last won gold in the event.

“We have some real racehorses,” said Shamier Little, the women’s lead. “We really do. And it’s amazing to be a part of history and to contribute to it in some way. To see the dominance stretch out before you and then to match it.”

That dominance was on full display Saturday midway through the women's relay, when Little handed off the baton before any other team had completed the first leg. When she handed the baton to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the race was effectively over.

McLaughlin-Levrone, 25, a four-time gold medalist in hurdles who seems to get faster every time she's on the track, sprinted hard into the first turn. Almost instantly, she opened a huge gap between the U.S. team and the competition.

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McLaughlin-Levrone's place on the team was the subject of much discussion before and after the race. Although she is a fixture in the 4×400 relay, she usually runs the last leg. What explains the change?

“It was kind of a mutual decision between me and the coaches,” McLaughlin-Levrone said. “I just knew if that was the case, I just had to do my job.”

“We all knew it was going to be a little unconventional, but we knew if we did our part, it would all work out.”

McLaughlin-Levrone led the field, posting the fastest relay time of 47.71 seconds, 0.91 seconds slower than Femke Bol, who took the silver medal for the Netherlands.

After McLaughlin-Levrone, it was 200-metre champion Gabby Thomas who followed. She increased the distance again. Alexis Holmes finished first in 3:15.27, more than four seconds faster than the Dutchwoman, who was second.

The time was a new American record and was just 0.10 seconds behind the Olympic and world record set by the Soviet Union at the 1988 Games.

“In relays, you never know what can happen,” Holmes said. “But once I saw Shamier’s first leg, I thought, ‘We’re good.’”

Team USA's Alexis Holmes, Gabrielle Thomas Shamier Little and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone celebrate their gold medal in the women's 4x400m final. Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

For the Americans, it was an Olympic record that fell in a much closer race.

With a time of 2:54.43, they covered the track almost a second faster than the Americans at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, when the last record was set.

Saturday's time was also just 0.14 seconds off the world record set by the U.S. team at the 1993 world championships in Stuttgart, Germany.

The Americans needed every moment of their record time. With Botswana and 200m champion Letsile Tebogo breathing down their necks, presenter Rai Benjamin's goal was to get a technically correct lap.

“It was probably the most calculated race I’ve ever run, since I’ve been the main relay for two years,” Benjamin said. “I couldn’t start too fast, and I couldn’t start too slow. Because the kid [Tebogo] runs a 19.4 [in the 200]. And you don't play with people like that who run in 19.4.

Toward the end of the lap, Benjamin held a slight lead into the final stretch. However, he crossed the line first, edging Tebogo by 0.10 seconds. Benjamin's lap of 43.18 seconds was the fastest on the U.S. team.

Benjamin said the Botswana runners were playing mind games in the waiting room before the race. They were constantly changing positions and changing their order, so the other teams didn't know which stage they were running on.

As for the Americans' order, Benjamin was joined by Chris Bailey, Vernon Norwood and Bryce Deadmon. Bailey took the lead of the pack, taking the place of 16-year-old Quincy Wilson, who had competed in the preliminaries the day before.

“I wanted to run for Quincy,” said Norwood, 32, “because he's put in a lot of effort for us. [Friday] and that gave me a lot of motivation to try to do my best there.”

The 34 medals in track and field represent the most medals the United States has won in a non-boycotted Games since the early 20th century, when there were more events and fewer participating countries. The 14 gold medals represent the most medals won in a non-boycotted Games since Bob Beamon, Tommie Smith and John Carlos led the United States to 15 medals in 1968.

The United States earlier matched its medal tally of 32 from the Rio Games when high jumper Shelby McEwen won a surprise silver after losing a prolonged tiebreak to New Zealand's Hamish Kerr, who celebrated by diving into the mercifully inactive javelin landing zone.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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