Tokyo Olympics 2020: Shaunae Miller-Uibo clinches 400m title; Italy continue to boss tracks with men's 4x100 metres relay gold

Tokyo: Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas successfully defended her Olympic 400m crown on Friday, completing a double for the Caribbean nation following compatriot Steven Gardiner’s victory in the men’s race.

The 27-year-old from Nassau surged to the line in 48.36sec, with Maileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic taking silver and Allyson Felix of the United States claiming bronze.

“I am so happy right now I could cry,” Miller-Uibo said. “I’ve been dealing with a whole lot of injuries and to be able to pull this one off is amazing.”

Felix’s bronze medal makes her the most decorated female athlete in track and field history with 10 medals won across five Olympic campaigns.

The 35-year-old American star, competing in her last Olympics in Tokyo, held off a fierce challenge from Jamaica’s Stephenie Ann McPherson to take bronze in 49.46sec.

McPherson collapsed to the ground and began screaming loudly following the defeat, before being helped off the track in a wheelchair.

Miller-Uibo had beaten Felix to gold with a headlong dive for the line in a dramatic final at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

But her margin of victory was more emphatic in the Japanese capital as she ran a perfect tactical race, taking the lead off the final bend and charging home several metres clear of the field.

Miller-Uibo’s win came 24 hours after the Bahamas’ Gardiner had won the men’s 400m gold on Thursday.

“I came out and was able to not focus on the time but to pull off another gold medal run,” Miller-Uibo said.

“The best thing is I have another gold medal right now.”

Italy win first ever men’s 4x100 metres relay title

Italy produced a stunning performance to win the men’s 4x100 metres relay Olympic title for the first time in their history on Friday with a national record of 37.50sec.

Britain’s men made up for a poor series of performances in the individual sprints by taking silver in 37.51sec while Canada won bronze in 37.70sec.

Italy’s victory gave their surprise 100m individual champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs his second gold of the Games.

The British looked like they would take an unlikely gold as they led by a metre at the final changeover.

However, the unheralded Filippo Tortu reeled in Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and sealed gold with the dip on the line.

Behind them, Andre De Grasse ran a stunning anchor leg to overhaul both Jamaica and China to add relay bronze to his 200m gold medal and 100m bronze.

Tortu looked as stunned as anyone at the finish and put his hands to his head as he nimbly dodged some obstacles in his way.

A sizeable group of Italian team members seated in the stands roared out in delight and serenaded the triumphant quartet with some Italian songs.

Tortu mounted the electronic scoring board and stood proudly on top of it, as the Italians lapped up their compatriots’ singing.

Kipyegon retains 1500m title to end Hassan’s treble dream

Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon retained the Olympic women’s 1500m title on Friday to put an end to Dutch athlete Sifan Hassan’s audacious bid for a unprecedented track treble in Tokyo.

Kipyegon broke the 33-year-old Olympic record set by Romanian Paula Ivan at the Seoul Games as she clocked 3min 53.11sec in hot, humid conditions at the Olympic Stadium.

Britain’s European champion Laura Muir produced a national record of 3:54.50 with a strong finish to claim silver, with Hassan taking bronze in 3:55.86.

“I am so happy. It was something I didn’t really expect and I made it,” said Kipyegon.

“It was a really fast race, I knew it will be going until the last lap.

“To get the Olympic record is just amazing to me. I am so happy. I knew it would be a tough race being there with Sifan and Laura.

“Sifan is strong now and in good shape. I wanted to follow her and see what happened.”

The Ethiopian-born Hassan, who won gold in Monday’s 5,000m, had also targeted the 1500m and 10,000m, scheduled to be run on Saturday.

It meant that Hassan, formerly coached by the disgraced Alberto Salazar, has barely been off the track since her arrival in the Japanese capital.

She arguably produced one of the most memorable moments in these Games when she recovered from a fall in the 1500m heats in the morning session to get up and qualify before returning 12 hours later to win the 5,000m.

Hassan said she was “very happy” with her bronze-medal showing.

“I did my best and made it a fast race. I could not have done anything else. I have already run so many kilometres, so I am super happy.”

Sporting a black headband over black hair tied back in two tight plaits, world champion Hassan had it all to do in the 1500m against the formidable Kipyegon, who was pushed into silver at the 2019 Doha worlds.

Canada’s Gabriela Debues-Stafford took up the running before Hassan moved slickly to the front with three laps to run.

Kipyegon stayed perched right on Hassan’s outside shoulder, the pair’s stride matching as they split the field.

Muir tucked in between the two leaders at the bell, Kipyegon making her move with 200 metres to go.

The Kenyan, 2017 world champion with a second silver from Beijing in 2015, produced a devastating turn of pace to glide past Hassan and into total control as they headed into the home stretch.

As Kipyegon accelerated past Hassan, Muir followed on her coattails to hold on for silver.

Hassan insisted that she would be donning the spikes one last time in Tokyo in Saturday’s 10,000m despite her body feeling “very tired”.

“Faith was better than me. I needed this for (the 10,000m) tomorrow,” she said.

“I think to be number three is good actually, this is what I need for tomorrow. It makes me better. When I didn’t get what I want, I’ll do better until I get happy.

“Sometimes it’s a good challenge. I want to do three distances, so two are completed. I needed this (bronze), not gold, to make me do better tomorrow.”

Cheptegei gains golden consolation in men’s 5,000 metres

Joshua Cheptegei made up for his silver in the 10,000 metres to win the 5,000m Olympic title on Friday, succeeding two-time champion Mo Farah.

The 24-year-old Ugandan world record holder in the distance timed 12min 58.15sec.

Canada’s Mohammed Ahmed won silver in 12:58.61 and the USA’s Paul Chelimo took the bronze medal in 12:59.05.

Britain’s Farah – who achieved the ‘double double’ of 5,000 and 10,000m at the 2012 and 2016 Games – failed to qualify for the Games.

Cheptegei, though, has clearly assumed the mantle, even though he slipped up tactically in the 10,000m last Friday and was beaten by Selemon Barega of Ethiopia.

“It’s really a great moment,” he said. “I made a small mistake (in the 10,000m) and I was regretting having to become a silver medallist.

“I came here to become an Olympic champion and my dream has been fulfilled today in a beautiful evening.”

Cheptegei said he had proved stronger mentally than his rivals.

“I knew a lot of guys were strong so I had to take them through the lap and whoever was the strongest in the mind (would win),” he said.

“I knew I was strong in the mind because I broke a couple of world records.”

He and team-mate Jacob Kiplimo alternated in taking the field along and this time their tactics worked a treat.

“I would like to thank Jacob for the teamwork,” said Cheptegei. “He is really a perfect sparring partner with whom I’ve raced and trained together.”

Kenya’s Nicholas Kimeli and Ethiopian Milkesa Mengesha shadowed whichever Ugandan took up the pace and were ready to pounce in the Olympic Stadium

However, Mengesha’s decision to take the lead with around 500 metres to go prompted Cheptegei to take control and the Ethiopian’s challenge quickly faded and he finished 10th.

Cheptegei led down the back straight, with Kimeli giving chase, and it was the 22-year-old Kenyan who looked the most threatening as they rounded the bend to hit the finishing straight.

However, Cheptegei was in no mood to concede and he strode away, with Ahmed running on late to add silver to his world bronze from 2019.

Chelimo just managed to get the better of the unfortunate Kimeli, the 30-year-old Kenyan-born naturalised American adding Olympic bronze to his silver in Rio five years ago.

Kimeli, though, claimed Chelimo had cost him a medal with unsportsmanlike behaviour at the end of the penultimate lap.

“I was pushed by Chelimo, which disoriented me,” he said. “Chelimo stepped aside, inside the track, so it was not fair for us.”

Chelimo though said rough and tumble was part of the sport.

“I knew it was going to be tough, that there was going to be a lot of bumping,” he said.

“That’s part of the game and I tried to run a really smart race to get into the medals.”