Elaine Thompson-Herah made history, while Karsten Warholm blasted the world record in the men's 400 metres hurdles in a frantic day of athletics action at Tokyo 2020.
Jamaican sprint star Thompson-Herah completed the 100m and 200m double becoming the first woman to defend each title at the Olympics having won both in Rio five years ago.
There was also a slice of history for Anita Wlodarczyk in the women's hammer and Athing Mu romped to victory in the 800m.
Here's a round-up of all the best action from the track and field on Tuesday.
THOMPSON-HERAH REIGNS AGAIN
It has been another Olympics to remember for Thompson-Herah, whose winning time of 21.53 seconds is the fastest ever in the women's 200m.
The 29-year-old stormed out of the bend and left her rivals trailing in her wake to take a commanding victory.
Christine Mboma of Namibia claimed the silver in a world under-20 record of 21.81 with Gabby Thomas of the United States completing the podium.
WARHOLM SMASHES RECORD IN RACE FOR THE AGES
Norwegian sensation Warholm absolutely destroyed his own 400m hurdles world record (46.70) with a blistering time of 45.94. Nearest rival Rai Benjamin himself posted a 46.17 to take silver.
"This is so crazy. It's by far the biggest moment of my life," two-time world champion Warholm said.
"I've been training like a f*****g maniac. I struggled to sleep last night because I had this special feeling in my chest. It's like the feeling I had as a six-year-old on Christmas Eve. I was so focused on getting that last medal in my collection and now it's all complete."
Also in the morning session, world champion Malaika Mihambo saved the best until last to win gold in the women's long jump.
American Brittney Reese, the 2012 Olympic champion, and Ese Brume of Nigeria had traded the lead through the first five rounds until Mihambo posted the only seven-metre jump of the competition at the sixth attempt (recording exactly 7m).
Reese finished in silver behind the German, with Brume taking the bronze.
MARVELLOUS MU TAKES 800m CROWN
Mu, the world leader over 800m this year, took up the lead almost immediately from the off and never looked back to come home in a time of 1:55.21 – setting a new American record in the process.
Keely Hodgkinson made a strong charge late in the race and set a new British benchmark of 1:55.88 to take silver.
A personal-best time of 1:56.81 from Raevyn Rogers meant the USA had two women on the podium.
HISTORY FOR WLODARCZYK AS DUPLANTIS REIGNS SUPREME
There was a sense of deja vu in the women's hammer as Wlodarczyk successfully defended the title she won at London 2012 and Rio 2016 – making her the first woman to win a trio of golds in the same discipline at three straight Games.
Her throw of 78.48m was a season's best. China's Wang Zheng took silver thanks to a 77.03m on her last throw, while Malwina Kopron of Poland was third with a 75.49m. Coincidentally the podium line-up was the same as the 2017 World Championships in London.
Mondo Duplantis lived up to his billing in the men's pole vault to win gold at his first Olympics by clearing a distance of 6.02m.
The Swede has broken the world record twice since winning silver at the World Championships in Doha two years ago, and had a crack at going to 6.19m here after it was confirmed he had won gold ahead of American Christopher Nilsen.
While he fell short there, Duplantis still fulfilled his dream of winning Olympic gold and, at 21, has plenty of time to try and beat his own benchmark.
DE GRASSE COASTS THROUGH, LYLES ALMOST PAYS THE PRICE
Fresh from winning bronze in the men's 100m, Canada's Andre De Grasse was fastest in the men's 200m with a Canadian record time of 19.73 seconds in the third semi-final.
World champion Noah Lyles is also into the final but eased up during his semi to finish outside the automatic spots and had to qualify as one of the fastest losers.
In the first round of the men's 110m hurdles, world champion Grant Holloway clocked a 13.02s – faster than the time needed to win gold at Rio 2016 and the fastest heat time of any competition in history.
Chris Gayle challenges Usain Bolt to race: “All Usain will be seeing is a lot of dust”
West Indian batting legend Chris Gayle has spoken about the time Jamaican spring king Usain Bolt got his wicket in a friendly game which led the hard-hitting batsman to challenge the sprinter to a race.
“Till this day, he’s still afraid of me. Doesn’t want to see me on a 100m track,” Gayle tells ICC in a new video released by cricket’s world governing body before breaking into a laugh.
“Of course, I’m a sprinter. All Usain Bolt will be seeing is a lot of dust and the Universe Boss just going down the stretch,” Gayle added.
In response, Bolt said “we all know Chris can’t run. We have seen him. We know Chris doesn’t do quick singles or anything. We’re not worried about Chris.”
Responding to this, Gayle said, “that’s a big lie. I run a lot of ones, twos, threes, you name it… sometimes even fours. So, Bolt, get your running spikes ready. And if you want to bring any other athlete along, you know, Yohan Blake, Asafa Powell, anybody. Somebody gonna come fourth. And it’s not me!”
Talking about Bolt taking his wicket, Gayle said that the incident had happened at a charity match where Bolt had bowled a “damn good bouncer” at him, following which he told himself to not hold back at the “fun game.”
“After the bouncer I said to myself, it’s a fun game. What am I doing? So, I start smashing him. Hit him for one or two sixes and probably for a few fours. Then, eventually, I get an inside edge onto the stumps,” said Gayle.
Gayle and Bolt are both ambassadors for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA from June 1-29.
Hughes targets Olympic glory; expects Racers Grand Prix to offer taste of potential Paris test
Winning a first global individual medal at last year’s World Championships whetted Zharnel Hughes’s appetite for more success, and so it comes as no surprise that the Anguillan-born Great Britain sprint sensation is strongly optimistic about clinching a medal at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
In fact, if Hughes’s confidence to top his performances from last year is anything to go by, then he could very well accomplish the feat, provided he maintains a clean bill of health throughout the season.
During last year’s electrifying campaign, which ended with his World Championships bronze in the men’s 100m final, Hughes broke Olympic champion Linford Christie’s 100m British national record when he clocked a personal best 9.83 seconds at the New York Grand Prix, in June.
A month later, at the UK Athletics Championship, Hughes ran a brisk 19.77s, which is faster than John Regis’s national 200m record, but the time was wind-aided and, as such, was recognised as a record. However, Hughes, with his superb form, inevitably established a new record when he clocked a wind-legal 19.73s at the London Diamond League.
With that in mind, coupled with his relentless work ethic and resolute pursuit of excellence, Hughes is poised to make another significant impact on the world stage this year. Whether or not it will be an Olympic gold medal triumph is left to be seen.
“It's the Olympic year, so obviously you want to better what you did last year. I'm happy with how last year turned out for me, and this year is very much more exciting. I'm preparing myself nicely. I'm feeling fit and ready to go. Obviously as an athlete, you want to lower your personal best every year, but unfortunately, sometimes it doesn't work out like that. But I'm definitely aiming to lower my personal best both in the 100m and 200m,” Hughes declared.
“I'm in good shape and I’m excited. I've definitely counted myself as one of them (athletes) to be reckoned with (for an Olympic gold medal). I'm never going to count myself out now because you've seen what happened last year, and I'm excited to top my performance from last year,” he added.
Though he 48.25s in a 400m run in February, followed by a 20.40s-clocking in March, the 28-year-old pointed out that he is yet to really hit top gear in preparation for the upcoming Olympic Games, but is aiming to do so at the sixth edition of the Racers Grand Prix, on June 1, at Jamaica's National Stadium.
At the Racers Grand Prix, Hughes will line up alongside Racers Track Club teammate Oblique Seville and American World champion Noah Lyles in the 100m, which he considers a good prelude for what could come at the Paris Games.
“I'm looking forward to it, I was listening for who was going to be there; Oblique and I have been training pretty good and I know both of us representing coach Glen Mills, will be bringing it on the day. So, I look forward to who's in the field, especially with Lyles being there,” Hughes said.
“This race is to get you prepared for what's to come later in the summer. So, to have great competition like that at the Racers Grand Prix is just a great indicator to see where we're at, and what we can tweak going into our national trials, because my trials will be the latter part of June. So, for me, I'm looking forward to this race and the following week I'll have the European Championships as well. So, it'll be a great indicator for me,” he shared.
Working tirelessly under the watchful eyes of decorated coach Mills, Hughes, a four-time European Champion, has upped the ante in the gym to improve his strength, as he is leaving no stone unturned in his quest for Olympic glory.
“My training has been going tremendously well. I'm excited to open up properly (at Racers Grand Prix) because my first race wasn't so good because I had a little niggle, but I've overcome that now and I'm very excited to see what's there. I've worked on my strength a lot, physically, I'm a lot stronger and I just want to keep on top of my mental health as well,” Hughes revealed.
“Those things are very crucial going into an Olympic year, so you have to be very focused. You have to ensure that your body is properly fit as well in order to go there to give the best that you're looking for. So, I'm pretty sharp on keeping my mental focus up and ensuring that I'm properly recovered,” he ended.
Penn Relays Meet Director anticipates thrilling High School Boys 4x400m relay showdown: Will Bullis break the Jamaican dominance?
Aaron Robison, the Meet Director of the Penn Relays, is brimming with excitement ahead of the Championship of America 4x400m relays for High School Boys, set to unfold at Franklin Field over the next three days. The 128th staging of the prestigious meet begins on Thursday, April 25 and concludes on Saturday, April 27.
The meet director since 2021, Robison predicts a spectacular display of athletic talent, particularly focusing on the highly anticipated showdown in the high school boys' 4x400m relay on the final day of the meet.
"The high-school boys 4x400m is going to be unbelievable!" exclaimed Robison. "Five teams have run 3:10 or faster, four of those are Jamaican, and then you've got Bullis High School with Quincy Wilson on the anchor; I'm telling you, that story is going to write itself."
Robison highlighted Wilson from Bullis High School, whose outstanding performance at the Florida Relays with a time of 45.19 seconds has created a buzz leading up to the Penn Relays. Wilson's impressive anchor leg last year, clocking a 45.06 split, is a testament to his exceptional talent and determination.
"He is one of those kids that has this fire," Robison remarked. "If he takes the baton as the anchor and he is in third or fourth, we're going to see something special as all four or five of those teams come through. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see three or four teams run 3:05. It's going to be crazy."
Reflecting on the historical dominance of Jamaican high schools in this event, Robison acknowledged the formidable challenge facing USA high schools. The last USA high school to win the 4x400m Championship of America was Long Beach Poly back in 2007. The last 16 years have seen Jamaican schools dominate the event, and that dominance could extend into a 17th year.
Despite this, Bullis High School, boasting a recent time of 3:11.87, is poised to challenge the Jamaican powerhouses. Robison expressed optimism about Wilson's potential impact on the relay's outcome, particularly against strong competitors from schools like Kingston College (3:07.65) and Jamaica College (3:08.79), known for their impressive 4x400m relay performances.
“If he gets a baton in his hand with people to chase, who knows what he can run…whether it’s JC or even Hydel that has run 3:10, with kids that have also run 45-point, so we’re going to see something special.
"We just pray for good weather and good health," Robison concluded.
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