Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone led a triumphant night for US athletics by beating her own world record in the women’s 400m hurdles and further golds at the Paris Games went to Americans in the women’s long jump and men’s 110m hurdles.
The sheer power of the 25-year-old McLaughlin-Levrone in the Stade de France made it appear as if she had run the race at a canter but the US star was never in danger of being caught, and improved on her best with a time of 50.37sec.
With that run McLaughlin-Levrone became the first American to defend Olympic gold in an individual track event since Michael Johnson’s back-to-back 400m golds in 1996 and 2000. Her Dutch rival Femke Bol was left behind in third while Anna Cockrell, also of the US, took silver in 51.87.
There were also golds for the US athletes Tara Davis-Woodhall in the long jump and the three-time world champion and silver medallist in Tokyo Grant Holloway, who cruised to victory in the men’s 110m hurdles.
The only bittersweet moment for the US team came as Letsile Tebogo of Botswana somehow found time on the fastest run of his life to beat his chest in triumph in the final metres as he deprived Noah Lyles of gold in the men’s 200m final.
It emerged immediately after the race that Lyles, who had hoped to become the first man since Usain Bolt to secure both the 100m and 200m titles, had been diagnosed with Covid. The US sprinter left the track on a makeshift wheelchair.
That did nothing to detract from Tebogo’s achievement which had come three months after the passing of his mother, whose date of birth he had embroidered into his running spikes.
The race was won with a personal and African record of 19.46sec that leaves Tebogo as the fifth-fastest man over 200m.
He said: “It’s basically me carrying her through every stride that I take on the field. For me to take her, it gives me a lot of motivation. She’s watching up there, and she’s really, really happy. I didn’t want to put the date of her death, because I’ll get emotional.”
Kenny Bednarek took silver with 19.62 and Lyles, who never appeared to be a contender after a slow reaction time out of the blocks, took bronze with 19.70 – almost four tenths of a second off his best.
Lyles had leapt and screamed to fire up the crowd as he made his way to the starting line but the announcement by USA Track & Field officials immediately post-race that he had run while ill raises doubts over his involvement in the team relay.
Lyle said: “It definitely was an effect. But I mean, to be honest, I’m more proud of myself than anything for coming out and getting the bronze medal with Covid.”
There were no medals to be had for Great Britain in track and field on Thursday but Katarina Johnson-Thompson leads the heptathlon after four events in the seven-event discipline.
She set a personal best in the shot put of 14.44m, cleared 1.92m in the high jump, her highest clearance in five years, and ran 23.44sec in the 200m and a season’s best 13.40sec in the 100m hurdles.
Johnson-Thompson said: “I don’t think that 200 probably looked like fun. It’s all back to back, the timetable is quite short between the shot put and the 200 to actually get ready for it properly. I can’t complain on the day as a whole.”
Ellie Aldridge saved the day in the sailing by becoming the first Olympic gold medallist in kitesurfing. The discipline, which sees competitors fly above the water at up to 40 knots powered by huge kites, had not featured at a Games before.
Its presence was hugely welcome after a disappointing regatta for Team GB in which the team had secured just one bronze in one of its traditionally strongest medal sports.
The 27-year-old from Dorset said: “It’s been incredible, we haven’t had the easiest conditions and it’s been tricky but it’s been really cool and I hope everyone watching on TV thinks the same thing. It’s been incredible.”
Light winds had made it a frustrating fortnight for all the sailors as races were delayed and cancelled and an error brought heartbreak for the British medal hopefuls John Gimson and Anna Burnet.
The couple, who are due to marry next month, were disqualified for being over at the start of the double points medal race in the mixed multihull boats.
They had appeared well placed to win silver or bronze going into the final race but were distraught to finish in fourth.
Gimson, 41, from Leicester, said: “We were over the starting line. We didn’t realise we were, or think we were. So we continued with the race and then got pulled out of the first leg.
“We heard the shout but we thought we were bang on the line. We try not to judge ourselves on results. We judge ourselves on if we felt we gave it all, and how well we did the details for the week. I’m unbelievably proud of how we sailed this week. It’s been a really tough week in sailing terms, and we’ve chipped away every day and got ourselves in medal contention in the medal race.”
The double Olympic taekwondo champion, Jade Jones described herself as “devastated” after a shock first-round exit and was forced to deny taking performance-enhancing drugs over a missed test.
Jones had been suspended this year until the UK Anti-Doping Agency ruled she had committed a no-fault doping violation on confidential medical grounds.
“I can confirm that I’ve never taken drugs. I’ve done hundreds of tests and since [the missed test] I’ve done 13 more tests, more than ever,” the 31-year-old said. “I’m obviously not on drugs, I just lost.”
She added: “I am devastated. I came here to win, I knew I could win but on the day I didn’t have it and that made the difference. It is just tough and I came out today and did not fight freely and let my legs go. I am gutted I did not show what I was capable of, and what me and my coach have worked so hard to do.”
