A big win in one relay race and another race that was very close. France finally celebrated, and the high jump competition seemed endless.
On a busy final day of Olympic track and field at the Stade de France, what stood out the most was the familiar sight of Americans winning medals again and again.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Gabby Thomas finished off the track events by winning the women’s 4×400 relay on Saturday. This was America’s 34th medal on the track and 14th gold. Thomas was also part of the U.S. team that won gold in the women’s 4×100 relay the night before.
McLaughlin-Levrone and Thomas, who had both won gold medals in the 400 hurdles and 200 meters, helped the U.S. team finish over 4 seconds ahead of the second-place team and just 0.1 seconds off the world record set by the USSR in 1988.
The winning time was 3 minutes, 15.27 seconds.
“I think this generation of track and field is just on a different level,” McLaughlin-Levrone said. She now has four gold medals in four events, along with six world records in her career.
“Everything is improving, including us, including our technique, including how we prepare. I don’t think anything is impossible at this point.”
In another race where the difference was just 0.1 seconds, American gold medalist Rai Benjamin narrowly beat Letsile Tebogo of Botswana in the men’s relay.
“I calculated that run very well, to a ‘T,’” Benjamin said. “I have a really good, high track IQ on people and how they run and how to do a quick time, so I didn’t have to get out too hard. Let’s just save it up to come home.”
