We saw three world records and one world best rewrite the history books.
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TOKYO – Capping the most significant accumulation of gold medals ever at the World Athletics Championships, Noah Lyles anchored the United States men to victory in the 4x100 relay to silence doubters and claim Team USATF's 16th gold of the meet with a 37.29 that was the fifth-fastest ever and the fastest in the world since 2019.
That win was the fourth on the ninth and final day of a memorable Championships at the National Stadium and brought the American medal total to 26 overall, well ahead of the table of nations and cementing Team USATF's status as the most excellent track and field team in the world. The previous U.S. high for golds was 14, done three times – 2005, 2007, and 2019.
Leading off the 10th U.S. men's quartet to earn gold in the event at the World Championships, Christian Coleman again dominated the leadoff leg and gave Kenny Bednarek a nice cushion for his backstretch adventure. Averting disaster as the Dutch incoming runner in the lane outside him was swinging his left arm like a wild man and almost struck him across the chest, Bednarek blitzed past the field and passed to Courtney Lindsey heading into the final turn.
Lindsey was the fastest of the eight nations on that decisive leg, and that meant Lyles, the 200 gold medalist earlier this week, was free and clear for his run to glory. Nobody was catching the Olympic 100 m champion and bronze medalist here, and Lyles elicited unbridled joy among the American contingent in the stands when he crossed the finish line 0.26 seconds ahead of Canada, with the Netherlands setting a national record of 37.81 for bronze.
Looking at the quartet that strolled out onto the rain-soaked oval, the other seven teams in the final of the women's 4x400 had to be thinking only about silver and bronze as the U.S. featured a star-studded team anchored by 400 champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the second fastest woman ever over one lap.
American indoor record holder Isabella Whittaker took on the critical role of lead runner, and she was the class of the field with a 50.12 split that let her pass to mixed 4x400 gold medalist Lynna Irby-Jackson with a .38 cushion. Irby-Jackson nailed down the gold for all intents and purposes with a staggering 48.71 split that gave the team a 1.26-second gap over Jamaica.
When she handed over the baton to NCAA champion Aaliyah Butler, the only question that remained was… how fast? Butler had only herself to run with and dipped under 50 with a 49.96 split that stretched the lead to 1.96 seconds at the final exchange with McLaughlin-Levrone.
From there, Sydney did what Sydney does, blazing to a 47.82 anchor split that gave the U.S. a meet record of 3:16.61, the fifth fastest time ever, and more than 2.5 seconds ahead of the Jamaicans in silver medal position in 3:19.25. Femke Bol brought the Netherlands home for bronze in 3:20.18. The winning time shaved .1 off the previous meet record set by an American foursome at Stuttgart in 1993 and gave the U.S. their 11th gold in meet history, as they regained the title they had yielded to the Netherlands in Budapest.
A matchup of titans on the opening leg of the women's 4x100 relay featured 100/200 gold medalist Melissa Jefferson-Wooden of the United States taking on legendary Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica, a four-time World Championships gold medalist in the event and owner of 13 global outdoor titles in the sprints and relays. Their showdown lived up to expectations as they passed their respective batons almost even, with Fraser-Pryce maybe a few inches ahead.
That was the end of the story for gold, though, as TeeTee Terry motored down the backstretch to give the Americans a lead before she delivered the stick to Kayla White. White navigated the wet bend well, and when she handed off to Sha'Carri Richardson for the anchor, U.S. hopes were in good hands as the woman who also anchored the gold medal effort in Budapest two years ago staved off all challengers to take gold in 41.75, the third straight win for the Americans. Jamaica earned silver in 41.79, and Germany took bronze in 41.87.
American indoor record holder Isabella Whittaker took on the critical role of lead runner, and she was the class of the field with a 50.12 split that let her pass to mixed 4x400 gold medalist Lynna Irby-Jackson with a .38 cushion. Irby-Jackson nailed down the gold for all intents and purposes with a staggering 48.71 split that gave the team a 1.26-second gap over Jamaica.
When she handed over the baton to NCAA champion Aaliyah Butler, the only question that remained was… how fast? Butler had only herself to run with and dipped under 50 with a 49.96 split that stretched the lead to 1.96 seconds at the final exchange with McLaughlin-Levrone.
From there, Sydney did what Sydney does, blazing to a 47.82 anchor split that gave the U.S. a meet record of 3:16.61, the fifth fastest time ever, and more than 2.5 seconds ahead of the Jamaicans in silver medal position in 3:19.25. Femke Bol brought the Netherlands home for bronze in 3:20.18. The winning time shaved .1 off the previous meet record set by an American foursome at Stuttgart in 1993 and gave the U.S. their 11th gold in meet history, as they regained the title they had yielded to the Netherlands in Budapest.
A matchup of titans on the opening leg of the women's 4x100 relay featured 100/200 gold medalist Melissa Jefferson-Wooden of the United States taking on legendary Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica, a four-time World Championships gold medalist in the event and owner of 13 global outdoor titles in the sprints and relays. Their showdown lived up to expectations as they passed their respective batons almost even, with Fraser-Pryce maybe a few inches ahead.
That was the end of the story for gold, though, as TeeTee Terry motored down the backstretch to give the Americans a lead before she delivered the stick to Kayla White. White navigated the wet bend well, and when she handed off to Sha'Carri Richardson for the anchor, U.S. hopes were in good hands as the woman who also anchored the gold medal effort in Budapest two years ago staved off all challengers to take gold in 41.75, the third straight win for the Americans. Jamaica earned silver in 41.79, and Germany took bronze in 41.87.
Conditions for the final of the men's 5000 were a bit kinder than for the 10,000 earlier in the week, and Americans Grant Fisher and Nico Young darted to the lead through 1K in 2:40.40, with Olympic 1500 champion Cole Hocker eighth and 1.48 seconds back. Young took the pace through 2K in 5:15.12 and had Ethiopia's Hagos Gebrhiwet right next to him with Fisher a half-stride back.
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by Deji Ogeyingbo, photo by World Athletics - Jacory Patterson starts most mornings by looking at a vision board pinned above his bed. At the center is a quote that reads, “mind over matter.”
Read more: Patterson Balances Work, Speed, and a Shot at His First U.S. Team
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We saw three world records and one world best rewrite the history books.
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by Deji Ogeyingbo - Cordell Tinch lit up the track in Keqiao, China this May with a blistering 12.87 seconds in the 110m hurdles. It was the fastest time ever recorded that early in the season. It tied him with Dayron Robles as the fourth-fastest man in history and announced, once again, that the 25-year-old American is a serious contender for a global medal.. Now, with the U.S. Trials for the World Championships in Tokyo taking place in a couple of days, the focus shifts from times to team selection.
Read more: Tinch looks to carry fine form into the US Trials