Tokyo Olympics – Athletics: The 4x400m and Gressier did not shine, Miller-Uibo and Felix at the top, Jamaica and Italy offer the 4x100m relays
Posted on August 6, 2021 at 4:11 PM
Mathieu WARNIER
In an evening that did not allow French athletics to shine, Allyson Felix wrote a page of history during a 400m won by Shaunae Miller-Uibo. After Lamont Marcell Jacobs’ 100m title, Italy dominated the 4x100m as Elaine Thompson-Herah won her third title in Tokyo.
There will be no final for the French men’s 4x400m relay. If they got their best time in 3’00 »81, Thomas Jordier, Muhammad Kounta, Ludovic Ouceni and Gilles Biron could not do better than the sixth place in their series, just over two seconds behind Poland (2’58 »55), who posted the third fastest time in the two races. Indeed, in the first series, the United States won in 2’57 »771 ahead of Botswana, author of a new African record (2’58 »33). In the 5000m, Joshua Cheptegei succeeds Mo Farah! In the sprint, the Ugandan won in 12’58 »15 and was less than half a second ahead of Canadian Mohammed Ahmed while the American Paul Chelimo, second in the distance at the Olympic Games in Rio, won. in Tokyo the bronze medal. Brilliantly qualified for this final, Jimmy Gressier gave all he could. At the back of the pack from the first kilometer, the Habs had to be content with 13th position on the finish line, just over twelve seconds behind the new Olympic champion.
Jamaica offers the hat-trick to Thompson-Herah, Hassan beaten over 1500m
After the 100m and the 200m, Elaine Thompson-Herah concluded her Olympics with a third gold in the women’s 4x100m relay. With Briana Williams, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson, Jamaica dominated this final with a new national record and the second best performance of all time (41 »02). Despite Gabrielle Thomas’ home straight, the United States are content with the silver medal (51 »45) ahead of Great Britain (41 »88), which overtook Switzerland at the very end of the stint. With Carolle Zahi, Orlann Ombissa-Dzangue, Gemima Joseph and Cynthia Leduc, the same composition as in series, the French relay could not do better than the seventh and last place (42 »89). The Netherlands were unable to finish the race despite Nadine Visser and Dafne Schippers on the first two stints. Sifan Hassan, meanwhile, was aiming for a 1500m-5000m-10000m treble but the Dutchwoman will not leave Tokyo with three gold medals.. After his coronation in the 5000m, Sifan Hassan could not do better than third place (3’55 »86) after an intense 1500m final won by Faith Kipygon with a new Olympic record (3’53 »11), erasing the mark set by Romanian Paula Ivan in Seoul in 1988. Briton Laura Muir wins the silver medal with a new national record (3’54 »50).
Miller-Uibo remains the queen of the 400m, Felix makes history
Five years after his Olympic title acquired while diving in Rio, Shaunae Miller-Uibo put it back in Tokyo. Alone in the world in the 400m final, the Bahamian won her second Olympic title over the distance with a new North American record in 48 »36, just eleven hundredths of a second from the Olympic record, still owned by Marie-José Pérec since the Atlanta Games in 1996. Dominican Marileidy Paulino wins the silver medal with a new national record (49 »20) when Allyson Felix completes the podium (49 »46). A result which gives the American her tenth Olympic medal, making her the most medalist athlete in the history of the Olympic Games. The javelin throw final saw China’s Shiying Liu “kill” the contest on her first try at 66.34m. With two downs and a stalemate on her last two attempts, she won the Olympic title ahead of Poland’s Maria Andrejczyk (64.61m) and Australian Kelsey-Lee Barber (64.56m).
Italian athletics at the party!
One of the big winners of these events in Tokyo, it will undoubtedly be Italian athletics! After the 100m title for Lamont Marcell Jacobs, Filippo Tortu’s fantastic comeback from Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake gave Italy an unexpected Olympic title in the men’s 4x100m, with a national record as a bonus (37 »50). Behind Great Britain, Canada relied on André de Grasse to go for the bronze (37 »70). A victory which concludes a day that had started well for the Italian team. A few hours after Yohann Diniz’s disillusionment with the 50km walk, it was the walkers who walked the streets of Sapporo for their 20km. Placed in the leading group from the first hectometers, Italian Antonella Palmisano waited for the last two kilometers to isolate herself in the lead and go for the victory in 1h29’12 ». Colombian Sandra Lorena Arenas won the silver medal 25 seconds behind the Italian when China’s Hong Liu completed the podium 45 seconds behind Antonella Palmisano.
