Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse ended his long wait for an Olympic gold medal in the 200 metres final, while Italy smashed the world record in the men's team pursuit final on Wednesday.
De Grasse took silver behind the great Usain Bolt in this event five years ago, while he claimed a bronze in the 100m and 4x100m relay.
But there was no stopping the 26-year-old, who was also a bronze medallist in the 100m earlier this week.
De Grasse registered a national record of 19.62 seconds; finishing 0.06s ahead of America's Kenny Bednarek, whose compatriot Noah Lyles completed the podium.
He also became the third Canadian champion of the men's 200m at the Olympic Games – and first since Percy Williams in 1928.
"I finally did it. I always felt like I came up short, winning bronze and silver, so it is good to have this gold medal," he said.
"No one can take that away from me. I lived for this moment. This is what dreams are made of. I did this for my kids.
"I am proud of this moment and I want everybody to know. I shocked the world and that is what I came to do.
"Everyone was saying that the Americans were going to win, but this was my moment and I knew I had it in me.”
FORZA AZZURRI
Italy smashed the world record as they beat Denmark to glory in the men's team pursuit final.
Filippo Ganna – the reigning world time trial champion – produced the goods in the final 1,000m as the Italians edged their noses in front before crossing the line in 3:42.032 – almost eight seconds faster than Great Britain's winning time in Rio five years ago.
"We knew that we were fighting against a really good team, so we were off to a very good start and we were able to overtake," Ganna said.
"We knew that after 2.5 kilometres, we had people who were much stronger, so we wanted to attack them in the last kilometre. We thought that was where we would make the difference.
"I think we can really enjoy the moment now. It's really wonderful to have this medal around our necks and I want to thank all those who have encouraged us day after day to do better."
SWEET SIX FOR SVETLANA
Svetlana Romashina became the most decorated artistic swimmer in Olympic history after claiming her sixth gold medal in the women’s duet.
Alongside Svetlana Kolesnichenko, Romashina scored 98.800 after a wonderful routine in the final to land gold in this event for a third successive Olympic Games.
"I don't think about the sixth medal, I just think about our work which we have done," she said.
"We are very happy. I think we are happy of our work, of our team.
"I don't count the medals, I just want to feel this moment."
LASHA’S RELENTLESS STREAK CONTINUES
Georgia's Lasha Talakhadze resumed his domination of the super heavyweight division, lifting a total of 488kg on the way to glory in the men's +109kg event.
Talakhadze established three world records along the way in snatch, clean and jerk, and total, while finishing 47kg ahead of Iran's Ali Davoudi.
He has now won all 26 available gold medals in major international competitions since the 2016 Olympic Games.
"I feel quite well. I have just gained for a second time an Olympic gold medal and, of course, I have also set a new world record," Talakhadze said.
"When I was standing on the podium, hearing my country's national anthem, it was most exciting because we were for a long time looking forward to this Olympic Games and winning this gold."
Olympic medallist Rajindra Campbell breaks own Jamaican shot-put record in Zagreb
Jamaican shot putter Rajindra Campbell made more history at the Ivan Ivancic Memorial in Zagreb on Saturday.
The 28-year-old, who became the first Jamaican to medal in a throws event at the Olympic Games with his bronze medal in Paris, established a new national record of 22.31m to finish third at Saturday’s meet behind American Olympic and World champion and world record holder Ryan Crouser who threw a meet record 22.93m to win and Payton Otterdahl who threw 22.46m in second.
Campbell opened his competition with 21.05m before going down to 20.61m in the second round.
He then signaled his intent for a big throw with 21.56m in round three before unleashing his national record-breaking throw in round four.
He fouled his next two attempts which didn’t matter as no one else was able to eclipse his mark.
Campbell broke his own previous national record 22.22m done in Madrid last year.
Clarke pleased with first Diamond League win; hoping for personal best at Diamond League final in Brussels
Jamaican World under-20 400m record holder Roshawn Clarke is pleased after securing his first win on the Diamond League circuit in Zurich on Thursday.
The former Camperdown High star produced a fast 47.49 to take the win ahead of Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba (47.58) and Estonia’s Rasmus Magi (48.02).
Thursday was Clarke’s fourth Diamond League appearance. He made his debut on the circuit at last year’s edition of the Zurich Diamond League on August 31, 2023.
“It means a lot because I came out here trying to get myself into the Diamond League final so I was trying to rack up as much points as possible and I came out with the win,” he said in a post-race interview with Citius Mag.
“I’m very pleased with my first Diamond League win and it came in Zurich. What better place?”
The 20-year-old was a finalist at the Olympic Games in Paris but unfortunately failed to finish after clipping the eighth then smashing into the ninth hurdle while in a battle with Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos for the bronze medal.
Clarke spoke about using that disappointment as motivation to finish out the season on a strong note.
“Strong-minded. I had disappointment in Paris and that has kept me pushing to make myself even better,” he said.
“I want to come back stronger. I did not finish in the final at the Olympics so I use that as motivation to keep my season going,” he added.
Speaking of finishing out the season strong, Clarke’s winning time on Thursday is the second fastest time of his young career, bettered only by his national record and world junior record 47.34 which he ran in the semi-finals at the World Championships in Budapest last year.
Running a time that fast at this stage of the season on the back of that disappointment in Paris is a sign of Clarke’s mental fortitude that should see him being a medal threat in the event for a long time.
Clarke’s mind will now shift to the Diamond League final in Brussels from September 13 to 14.
“My goal is to go out there, run my race, run as best as possible and try to come out with a personal best in my last race for the season,” he said.
Grenada's Anderson Peters feels he's returning to top form ahead of Diamond League final
Grenadian javelin thrower and two-time world champion Anderson Peters believes he is regaining his best form just in time for the Diamond League finals in Brussels. Peters, who claimed bronze at the Paris Olympics in August, secured victory at Thursday's Diamond League meeting in Zurich with a throw of 85.72m.
Though not a season's best—his top mark this year being 90.61m—Peters is encouraged by his progress, especially after recovering from illness. "It still feels like I am coming back," Peters admitted. "After Lausanne, I was sick with the flu, so my body is still recovering. I have not been training, just relaxed and tried to recover. So it still feels like my body is on the way to top competition form."
Despite the setback, Peters remains focused on finishing the season strong, with the Diamond League final in Brussels as his next target. "I was looking forward to competing here and seeing what my body can produce. I've got just one more competition for this year and I am done. Definitely, it is Brussels. It’s going to be my third time in the Diamond League final, and it will be my shot at the win."
Looking ahead to the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Peters is confident in his ability to peak at the right time. The World Championships will take place later in the season, but Peters is unfazed, having previously won his world title in Doha in October. "That is something we know how to do, and it is just a matter of doing it again," he remarked.
Peters also reflected on the unpredictable nature of javelin throwing, a quality he relishes. "The beauty of the javelin throw is that it is an unexpected event. One day you throw 90m, and another day you throw 80. It’s a little bit unpredictable, but that’s why most javelin throwers like it. You never know when you’ll get a good throw or when the world record could be broken," Peters said, referencing Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who set an Olympic record of 92m in Paris.
"I like competing, and that keeps me going. That’s what I live for," Peters added. He also shared that he had already returned to Grenada briefly after the Paris Olympics to celebrate his success. "After Paris, I managed to go home for three days, so I’ve already had the celebrations, and it was good."
As Peters gears up for his final competition of the season in Brussels, the Grenadian star is eager to continue pushing his limits as he seeks another Diamond League crown.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
