The women's 4X400 relay was just about over after one lap of the Stade de France track in Paris.
Shamier Little opened up a significant lead for Team USA on the first leg of the race, clocking in at 49.50 seconds before she handed the baton off to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who squashed any hopes the other relay teams had of claiming a gold medal. McLaughlin-Levrone ran a 47.70-second split, the fastest recorded in a women's Olympic 4X400 relay since 1982.
Similar to when Katie Ledecky appeared to be all by herself winning the 1,500-meter race in a pool blowout, the American relay team opened up a lead too large at times for NBC to include the other competition in the same camera shot.
Sydney is nuts pic.twitter.com/Os8qOXL9LE
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) August 10, 2024
After McLaughlin-Levrone's record-breaking leg, Gabby Thomas—who won gold in Paris in the 200-meter sprint—cruised along the track and handed the baton to Alexis Holmes for the final stretch. When Holmes crossed the finish line, the clock read 3:15.27 seconds—a new American record.
Netherlands came in second place with a time of 3:19.50—more than four seconds behind the Americans.
Team USA DOMINATES the women’s 4x400m final to win their EIGHTH consecutive gold! 🇺🇸 #ParisOlympics
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2024
📺 NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/TqHh7HEehu
With Team USA sweeping gold in the men's and women's 4X400 relay, the American track and field squad's medal count in Paris stands at 34, which is the most since the U.S. claimed 40 medals on the home track of Los Angeles in the 1984 Games.
Team USA has won the gold medal in the women's 4X400 relay in eight straight Olympic Games.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jarring Photos Show Team USA's Laughable Lead in Women's 4X400 Relay Blowout.
