The United States powered to their seventh successive victory in the women’s 4x400m relay on Saturday as Allyson Felix won gold in the event for the fourth time to extend her Olympic medal haul to a remarkable 11.
Poland continued their impressive relay run in Tokyo, having won the inaugural 4×400 mixed race, with an excellent silver while Jamaica, who had won silver three times in a row, had to settle for bronze.
The U.S. could probably have fielded three teams and swept the podium such is their strength over the distance but their “first team” was dripping with quality.
Alongside Felix they went for Sydney McLaughlin and Dalilah Muhammad, first and second in the 400m hurdles and both inside the old world record, and Mu Athing, winner of the 800 meters.
As expected, it was an unstoppable combination as their time of 3:16.85 brought them home almost four seconds ahead of the Poles, whose 3:20.53 was a national record.
Felix’s bronze in the 400m on Friday made her the most decorated woman in track and field history and this gold in her fifth Olympics took her tally to 11.
That moved her one ahead of Carl Lewis as the top American in total medals and one behind Finnish distance runner Paavo Nurmi from the 1920s as the all-time track and field leader.
