In a bold and brilliant 4×100 relay, Sha’Carri Richardson of the U.S. finally got her gold medal. She claimed silver in the 100 meters behind Julien Alfred, the first-ever medalist from Saint Lucia. Richardson has gone from outcast to outstanding over the past three years with the golden moment anchoring the relay with a flash of athleticism and a dash of attitude.
While attention is paid to the big moments, there are also other stories worth sharing. Among the finalists in the women’s 200 meters, brilliantly won by Gabby Thomas, was Jessika Gbai, a 2022 graduate of Howard University. For David Oliver, director for the track and field program at Howard, it was a poignant moment. Gbai joined the track team as a walk-on.
“Safe to say that is the highlight of my coaching career to this point,” said Oliver, himself a 2008 Olympic medalist in the 110 meter hurdles. “It was testament to her hard work and dedication that she’s displayed since I first met her. … She was a student-athlete that was very intent on trying to be the best she could be in the sport.”
Oliver said the entire Olympic track and field competition was outstanding. He praised the women’s 100 meter hurdles, won by first-time Olympian Masai Russell of the U.S. “Her victory there was spectacular, as I think that is the most difficult event to pick a winner in as there were probably 10 women who legitimately could have won the gold medal,” he said.
Another highlight was Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone winning the 400 meter hurdles in world record time. “There was no way anyone was going to be able to run with her,” said Oliver. “Sydney is just on a different plain.”
The distance races also earned praise from Oliver, especially Ethiopian-born Dutch distance runner Sifan Hassan, who won bronze medals in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters and gold in the marathon.
There were some impressive results from U.S. women in the field events. Valarie Allman was a repeat gold medalist in the discus. Annette Echikunwoke’s silver medal in the hammer throw was the first-ever for a U.S. woman. Tara Davis-Woodhall won the women’s long jump, and the bronze medalist, Jasmine Moore, became the first U.S. woman to win medals in both the long jump and triple jump.
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Publish date : 2024-08-14 17:00:00
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