World Record!!!
by Mark Cullen
from Seattle
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone dominated the 400m hurdles and won in another world record, 50.37, the 6th of her stupendous career.
Had anyone said before the start that the race would be anything but a showdown between McLaughlin-Levrone and Dutch star Femke Bol, they would have been thought gek – Dutch for ‘crazy.’
Bol faltered at the top of the homestretch and instead it was Anna Cockrell (US) who stormed to the finish. It’s been a transformative season for the US star who trailed only McLaughlin-Levrone at the US Olympic Trials and who – widely picked for bronze - harvested unexpected silver here.
Cockrell finished in a PB 51.87 to become the 4th fastest performer in history, while Bol finished 3rd in 52.15. Only McLaughlin-Levrone, Bol, and former world record holder Dalilah Muhammad are now ahead of Cockrell on the world all-time list.
Meanwhile, 2024 NCAA Champion Jasmine Jones (US) set a PB in 4th place at 52.29, and Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton was 5th in 52.68.
With world record wins in both the US Olympic Trials and Olympic Games, McLaughlin-Levrone seems a sure bet for women’s Athlete of the Year.
*In the women’s long jump, Tara Davis Woodhall (US) jumped 7.10 (23-3 ½) in the 4th round to become Olympic gold medalist. It was a tight competition with Germany’s Malaika Mihambo, defending gold medalist and two-time World Champion in second, 12cm (4 ¾”) behind.
Another 2 centimeters back in 6.96 (22-10) gave bronze medalist Jasmine Moore (US) the unusual double of medaling in both the long and triple jumps; she’ll bring home two bronzes. Italy’s Larissa Iapichino was 4th in 6.87 (22-6½), with a gap, then, to the rest of the field.
Woodhall had six fair jumps, and the first four were 6.93 (22-9) or farther. Monae’ Nichols (US) got her major meet career off to a very respectable start with a 6th place finish at 6.67(21-10¾).
*If there was a 'sigh of relief' event today, the men’s 110m high hurdles was it. Grant Holloway (US) had done almost everything there is to do in the event. The world record eluded him by 1/100th of a second in 2021, and in a separate race also in 2021, the Olympic title by 5/100ths.
Now there is only one to go.
The three-time World Champion and Olympic silver medalist blasted out of the blocks and soon had the lead. He was never headed, though he looked a bit strained going over the last three hurdles. Nonetheless, he kept his composure and crossed in a winning 12.99.
At last he has Olympic gold.
Daniel Roberts (US) had a stellar race and won silver by 3/1000 of a second over Jamaica’s Rasheed Broadbell. Roberts took a fall after the lean of a lifetime at the finish line netted him silver instead of bronze.
Both Roberts and Broadbell had official times of 13.09 - a season’s best for Broadbell, though ultimately he won bronze. A star of the future – and after today, of the present – Broadbell, 23, is one to watch.
*M 200 Noah Lyles looked very tired in an interview the day after he won the 100m. He said it was taking him much longer to recover from the 100m final the day before.
In the staging room today, he said a version of ‘let’s get some energy’ in front of the television cameras.
Clearly, energy was missing for him, and he revealed after the race that he has had Covid for two days. Likely he will come in for criticism for having exposed others, and as he said in a post-race interview, it is up to USATF to decide who will constitute the 4x100m team.
None of this should take away from Letsile Tebago. The Botswanan star ran 19.40 to win his first major gold. Kenny Bednarek (US) was second in 19.62, and Lyles 3rd in 19.70.
.22 is a massive margin at this level, and props to Tebogo for running such a dominating race. With World 100m silver and World 200m bronze, Tebogo now has a complete set of major meet medals.
Tebogo’s 19.46 makes him the 6th fastest 200m man ever.
The only other sprinter under 20.00 was 20-year-old Erriyon Knighton (US) at 19.99 in 4th place. The prodigy is 6th on the all-time 200m performer list.
Finally, note that the US went 2-3-4 in this race. Relays, anyone?
In a historically deep men’s javelin field – in which the top 7 threw over 86’ (282-2) meters - it was the second round toss of Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem that blew this competition apart.
Nadeem came in with a PB of 90.18 (295-10) and left with a new PB and a new Olympic record of 92.97 (305-0). It’s a remarkable improvement of over 9’. The 2023 World silver medalist then staved off a number of challenges, but this lead was insurmountable. Even his 6th round 91.97 (301-9) would have been the winner.
The poster boy of Indian track and field, Neeraj Chopra, could get to ‘only’ 89.45 (293-5) in his second round. Chopra had an unusual scorecard in which he had only one legal throw and still finished 2nd. Chopra has more social media followers than any other track and field athlete in the world at over 9,000,000.
Two-time World Champion Anders Peters of Grenada moved into 3rd place in the 4th round at 88.54 (290-6) to add bronze to his major meet medal haul.
Jakub Vadlejch (CZE) just missed adding a fifth medal to his major meet collection when his third round 88.50 (290-4) fell only 4 centimeters short of bronze. It seems unthinkable that 88.50 would not get you a medal.
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