Team GB’s track and field team enjoyed their most successful Olympic Games for 40 years after sealing 10 medals on the final day of athletics at the Stade de France.
After Georgia Bell won a surprise bronze in the 1500metres, both the men’s and women’s 4x400m teams added further bronze medals on Saturday, what was the penultimate day of the 2024 Olympics.
The double-figure medal tally exceeded the eight in both 2008 and 1988, the best haul since the 1984 Games when now World Athletics president Seb Coe, who was watching in the stands, won gold for Great Britain.
The men’s relay line-up had made two changes from the heats with Lewis Davey and Alex Haydock-Wilson coming in for Sam Reardon and Toby Harries.
Matt Hudson-Smith, silver medallist in the individual event, ran a 43 flat for his, the second leg of the relay, one of the fastest ever recorded in the history of the event.
Davey appeared to go off too quickly for the third leg but Charlie Dobson paced his 400 perfectly for a British record and a medal behind the USA and Botswana.
After the final, Hudson-Smith said: “I need a beer man. It was an amazing Olympic Games. I wanted to come away with two medals and to do this one for the boys. I’ve got the best team in the world, it’s an amazing feeling.”
Again, the women’s event was dominated by the United States for what became something of a time trial.
But going into the anchor leg, the USA aside, every nation bar Jamaica, who had dropped the baton, were vying for the lesser medals.
But Amber Anning timed her run to perfection to take the final step of the podium. As a result, it meant Britain have won a medal in all five relays with five individual medals also in their athletics haul.
