Dina Asher-Smith basked in a “phenomenal run” from Team GB’s women’s 4x100m quartet, who took silver in a thrilling race that saw the United States pip them for gold on the final leg. It was the first of two British sprint relay medals on a satisfying night full of strong individual performances, the men holding on for bronze after seeing a Noah Lyles-less US disqualified for a botched baton change.
A spate of torrential rain proved no barrier to a third straight Olympic medal in this discipline for Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita, the latter coming close to securing the title during a dramatic finish. They were briefly made to sweat on an appeal from one of their opponents in the hour afterwards, seemingly on account of a messy final changeover, but could reflect on an exhilarating performance once that had been dismissed.
“We’ve worked so hard for this so to be challenging not just for a medal but challenging for a gold is phenomenal,” said Asher-Smith, who had set off first for the British team. “I wanted to set up the ladies for a phenomenal run. We have pushed so hard for the last 10 years. To stand on the podium with everyone is a very beautiful moment.”
Asher-Smith, Neita, Imani-Lara Lansiquot and Amy Hunt performed exceptionally to finish 0.07sec behind the US and, with a cleaner handover between Hunt and Neita, might have taken an astonishing victory. They certainly had the pace, Asher-Smith leading them out of the blocks blisteringly from lane eight and Lansiquot ensuring they were in the driving seat halfway through with a second leg time of 10.13.
But Gabrielle Thomas, who became 200m champion on Tuesday, made up ground on Hunt and Great Britain would require near-perfection to hold Sha’Carri Richardson off on the final straight. They could not quite achieve it, the transfer taking too long and Richardson capitalising three lanes inside. Neita looked quick enough for a winning dash to the line had things gone smoothly but, despite running a fine anchor leg, could not quite make it tell.
“There was so much chaos going on,” Hunt said of the changeovers. Nevertheless it was an exceptional result that improved on bronzes earned at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. Asher-Smith and Neita were in both of those quartets, Lansiquot joining them in Japan.
The men’s 4x100m bronze was Great Britain’s first medal in that event since the stunning gold secured at Athens 2004. Jeremiah Azu, Louie Hinchliffe, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and Zharnel Hughes smelled blood on the final leg; Hughes ran a brilliant split of 8.78 but similarly rapid finishes from Canada and South Africa, who were first and second respectively, told in the final 50m.
“It was a really messy race but we gave all of it,” said Hinchliffe, who ran the second leg. “It was all heart, all pure speed and we gave 110%. You could see how much we wanted it and we got the result so it’s great.”
The US, for whom the 100m champion and 200m bronze medallist Lyles did not participate after revealing he had Covid-19, saw their race end early after Christian Coleman appeared to collide with his teammate Kenny Bednarek on the first handover.
There were feelings of pride, tinged with a little regret, for Amber Anning after finishing fifth in the women’s 400m. Anning began and finished strongly but sagged in the middle 200m, never quite looking like sustaining a challenge. Her time of 49.29 was a British record but was no rival to the Olympic record set by Marileidy Paulino, who was runner-up in Tokyo. Paulino, from the Dominican Republic, ran clear in 48.17 and beat the time achieved by Marie-José Pérec at Atlanta 96 by 0.08.
“I’m absolutely blessed,” Anning said. “I’m a little bit disappointed. You know what, I wanted to come away with three things. It was either a medal, a PB or a national record and I got one of them.
“ It was tough, I think I let myself have too much work coming into home straight but I just used my strength. I said I wanted to be an Olympic finalist and put myself in contention for a medal so I really can’t complain.”
Eilish McColgan and Megan Keith recorded finishes of 15th and 23rd in a women’s 10,000m final won by Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet. There was concern when the French runner Alessia Zarbo collapsed on the track shortly before the 25-minute mark. She required treatment from medical personnel while the event continued around her and was eventually taken away on a stretcher.
