US relay teams win two gold medals on the last day of the Olympic athletics competitions

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SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — A transparent victory in a single relay and one other that was so close. A protracted-awaited celebration for France and a high jump competition that seemed never to finish.

What held every part together on this hectic final day of Olympic athletics on the Stade de France was essentially the most familiar sight of all: Americans on the winners' podium, again and again.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Gabby Thomas finished the track with a win in the ladies's 4×400 relay on Saturday, earning America's thirty fourth track medal and its 14th gold medal. Thomas was a part of the USA's gold medal win in the ladies's 4×100 relay the night before.

The 400 hurdles and 200 meter gold medalists made the race an actual laugh within the second and third rounds, helping the USA to victory as they finished greater than 4 seconds ahead of the runner-up and just 0.1 second behind the world record set by the USSR in 1988.

The winning time: 3 minutes, 15.27 seconds.

“I think this generation of track and field athletes is just at a different level,” said McLaughlin-Levrone, who has won 4 gold medals in 4 disciplines (and 6 world record runs) during her profession. “Everything is improving, including us, including our technique, including our preparation. I don't think anything is impossible at the moment.”

In one other race, American hurdles gold medalist Rai Benjamin beat Botswana's 200-meter champion Letsile Tebogo in the lads's relay by just 0.1 seconds.

“I calculated this run very well, down to the smallest detail,” Benjamin said. “I have a really good, high running IQ about people, how they run and how to run a fast time, so I didn't have to go too hard. Let's just save it for when we get home.”

Fittingly, on the ultimate day of an athletics meeting stuffed with close calls and surprises, there have been two more races decided by 0.01 seconds – a victory within the 800 meters by Kenyan Emmanuel Wanyonyi and a victory within the 100 meters hurdles by American Masai Russell.

Russell beat France's Cyrena Samba-Mayela in a bitter victory, however it was the primary and only medal for the French team on the athletics meeting and sparked the most important cheers on an evening that saw eight finals.

“I want to celebrate with the French public because they have supported and encouraged me throughout all these Olympic Games,” said Samba-Mayela.

In the high jump event, it sometimes looked as if the choice in regards to the gold medal would only be made on Sunday.

New Zealander Hamish Kerr and American Shelby McEwen each missed thrice at 2.38 metres, in order that a play-off for the title took place at the identical height.

They each missed, causing the bar to go down. McEwen missed. Then Kerr missed. Then McEwen missed again – the eleventh goal in a row for the pair.

Finally, Kerr cleared the two.34 meters, broke free from the mat, ran a big semicircle into the javelin throwing zone – which, fortunately, had long since been out of service by this point – collapsed on his back and put his hands over his face.

One of essentially the most memorable moments of the last Olympic Games was when the highest two divers finished tied, shared the gold medal after which hugged to have fun. This time, an unprecedented first prize of $50,000 was at stake, somewhat damaging that wonderful Olympic spirit.

Did McEwen have the $50,000 in mind when he decided to bet on the win quite than the tie?

“Absolutely,” he said. “I have a family to support. So of course it was that way.”

Despite McEwen's loss, the United States still won 34 medals – the best variety of any country at a non-boycotted Games for the reason that early twentieth century, when there have been more competitions and fewer nations involved.

The 14 gold medals are essentially the most at an Olympic Games and not using a boycott since Bob Beamon and Tommie Smith led the USA to fifteen victories in 1968.

With such a dominant performance, it seemed only fitting that McLaughlin-Levrone played a job in the ultimate act.

The 25-year-old, who holds the fourth fastest time on the planet within the 400-meter race along with her recent world record within the hurdles, ran her leg in 47.71 seconds, 0.91 seconds faster than the subsequent fastest woman in the sector, Femke Bol, who took silver for the Netherlands.

The slight collision between McLaughlin-Levrone and Thomas throughout the baton exchange between the second and third rounds felt like a distant memory – long forgotten when the Star-Spangled Banner was played for the last time throughout the final medal ceremony of the evening.

About 200 meters from the finish, “Gabby and Syd started running on the track and they had to pull them back,” said Shamier Little, who ran the primary leg. “We were kind of celebrating. Of course, anything can happen.”

“But it wouldn't happen.”

In a quick men's 800-meter race, Wanyonyi beat Canadian Marco Arop by 0.01 seconds in a photograph finish, ending with a time of 1:41.19, just 0.28 seconds slower than the world record.

The national record of 1:41.67 by American Bryce Hoppel was simply enough for fourth place.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen won the 5,000 metres in a comparatively dramatic race after ending a disappointing fourth within the highly anticipated 1,500-metre race against Britain's Josh Kerr 4 nights earlier.

Ingebrigtsen won in 13 minutes and 13.66 seconds, securing her title on the last two World Championships.

Kenyan Ronald Kwemoi finished second and Grant Fisher from the USA finished third.

Haruka Kitguchi won Japan's only medal on the competition – a gold medal – together with her season's best throw of 65.80 metres. She is the primary Japanese woman to win a medal in a throwing event on the Olympic Games.