Felix takes 10, Jamaican Independence Day victory, Italy stuns all

We’ve reached day eight of competition for the track and field portion of the Tokyo Olympic Games. Today we saw many of the relays go off as the team section starts to wrap. A day of finals and one qualifying round edges us closer to the end of international competition.

Event Roundup

Women

*Javelin final

*1500m final

*400m final

*4x100m relay final

Men

4x400m qualifying

*5000m final

*4x100m relay final

Women’s Javelin (Final)

In a bit of a surprise upset, China’s Liu Shiying outthrew world leader and third-best javelin thrower in history Maria Andrejczyk of Poland.

Shiying earned herself a silver medal at the World Championships in 2019 but was able to cement her gold today after her very first throw in competition, reaching 66.34m (217 ft 7-3/4 in), not far off her personal best of 67.29m. She only registered two throws through five rounds, opting to skip her final two throws.

Andrejczyk captured Olympic silver with a throw of 64.61m (211 ft 11-1/2 in) which she could not better after her second-round toss.

Rounding out the podium was Kelsey-Lee Barber of Australia. The World Championships gold medalist found a season’s best out to 64.56m (211 ft 9-1/2 in).

American Maggie Malone couldn’t find her way out of the qualifying three tosses and finished in 10th with a throw of 59.82m (196 ft 3 in).

Women’s 1500m

Sifan Hassan tried for her second gold medal of the Tokyo Games tonight in the women’s 1500m. She had stiff competition from world leader Faith Kipyegon of Kenya and Great Britain’s Laura Muir in the final lap.

All three were neck and neck most of the race until Kipyegon made her move on the backstretch heading for home.

Muir was able to go with Kipyegon but Hassan just didn’t have the legs under her to pull off another victory. She had already run four races in the meet, and you could tell her typical finishing speed was not there.

That should undermine what Kipyegon and Muir did, as Hassan finishes with another medal — this time bronze.

Kipyegon crossed the finish line in a new Olympic record 3:53.11. That heightened pace pulled Muir through in a new personal best and national record 3:54.50.

Hassan has one more race to go in a little under 24 hours as she attempts to go for another gold medal in the women’s 10,000m tomorrow.

Women’s 400m (Final)

She did it. Allyson Felix wrangled in a tenth Olympic medal to become the most decorated female Olympic track athlete in history. Those ten medals also put her in a tie for most Olympic medals by any American with the great Carl Lewis.

Felix gritted her way through the last 100m clearly out of contention for gold, but in a good spot to try and take a medal.

Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas made sure there wasn’t doubt she won this time around after diving to edge Felix in Rio in 2016. This time around she destroyed the field in a new personal best of 48.36 for easy gold.

Behind her in the silver medal position was  Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic who was able to stave off exhaustion and begin to pull away from Felix toward the line in 49.20

Felix finishes in the bronze medal position barely able to lean ahead of Jamaica’s Stephenie McPherson with a season-best time of 49.46.

American Quanera Hayes also made the final and finished in seventh with a time of 50.88 seconds.

Women’s 4X100m Relay (Final)

No surprises here. With the incredible star-studded team that Jamaica ran this year, they were the clear favorites heading into the final.

Jamaica — consisting of Briana Williams, Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Shericka Jackson — ran the third-fastest 4x100m relay ever. The only team to run faster is the United States.

It also marks the fifth career Olympic gold medal for Thompson-Herah and victory for the team on Jamaica’s Independence Day.

The United States took home the silver medal with a time of 41.45 seconds, anchored by Gabbi Thomas. She and Jenna Prandini had a poor final exchange but had clear daylight between them and Jamaica ahead and Great Britain in third.

Speaking of Great Britain, they capture the bronze with 41.88 and continue the tradition of Jamaican, American, and British dominance in the women’s 4x100m relay.

Men’s 4X400m Relay (First round)

Thankfully the men’s 4x400m relay went much more expected after a meager showing in the 4x100m relay.

The U.S. qualified for the final in a world-leading 2:57.77 ahead of four other teams who managed a very fast 2:58: Botswana, Poland, Trinidad & Tobago, and Italy.

The U.S. team ran Trevor Stewart, Randolph Ross, Bryce Deadmon and Vernon Norwood, and will likely be swapping in Michael Norman and Rai Benjamin or Michael Cherry in the final. Perhaps all three?

Men’s 5000m (Final)

I figured he would have to capture gold at some point. The man is G.O.A.T. status, after all, holding both the 5000m and 10000m world records, for which he set both last year.

Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei found gold today in the 5000m after taking silver in the 10000m earlier these Games.

Dropping a cool 12:58.15, he was able to pull away from Canadian contender Mohammed Ahmed who takes the silver in 12:58.61.

American Paul Chelimo squeaked out the bronze with a lean at the line in 12:59.05, only a second and a half off his personal best.

Nicholas Kimeli of Kenya and Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda round out your top five.

Both Grant Fisher and William Kincaid of the U.S. were able to make it into the final, placing 9th and 14th respectively.

Men’s 4X100m Relay (Final)

Obviously missing Team USA, I knew a spot was going to open up and things would be interesting. I correctly predicted that Canada and Great Britain would be contending for a medal, but I expected the gold medal.

Instead, Italy surprised everyone and edged out both teams for the win.

Wow. That was exciting and even though I had not discounted Italy or China, I assumed it would be a dogfight between the two for the bronze.

Italy eeks out the gold ahead of Great Britain by 0.01 seconds with a time of 37.50 and a new national record. In an event where the slightest error in an exchange can be the difference between first and 5th, Italy showed they were the best on the day.

In bronze was Team Canada, anchored by new Olympic 200m champion and 100m bronze medalist Andre de Grasse who powered down the homestretch.

Italy’s second leg was filled by surprise gold 100m medalist Lamont Marcell Jacobs.

I want to keep an eye on Jacobs moving forward into the next couple of weeks, as there has been some suspicion surrounding the nutritional coach he recently parted ways with and an open investigation into performance-enhancing drug abuse. Jacobs had not dipped under 10 seconds until this year and just ran a national record 9.80 seconds which is an unheard of jump at an elite level.

Team Jamaica, finished outside the medals in fifth place with 37.84.