The United States women’s 4×400 relay team won the gold medal in a landslide victory, and Allyson Felix set a record by collecting her eleventh Olympic medal.
Women’s 4×400 Relay 2021 Olympics Video
At first, the idea of putting four of Team USA’s top talents on the women’s 4×400 relay team in Tokyo seemed like nothing more than a fun hypothetical. What if it formed a sort of super team out of athletes competing in three distinct categories?
Then, on Saturday night, USA Track & Field revealed the lineup for the championship, which included Sydney McLaughlin. In the person of Allyson Felix. Muhammad Dalilah. Mu’s Thinking.
What happened next Shouldn’t come as much of a Surprise.
United States women’s 4×400 relay team extended its domination with this all-star lineup, winning in a world-record breaking time of 3:16.85.
With McLaughlin, Felix, Muhammad, and Mu (in that order) representing the United States, the remainder of the field could only hope to compete for silver, as the Americans’ combined footspeed was just unmatched.
Poland ended up finishing second, 3 minutes and 20 seconds behind the Americans. With a time of 3:21:24, Jamaica won bronze.
“This is an incredible Collection of ladies,” McLaughlin remarked.
“Once in a lifetime chance. I think we all just knew coming in that it was going to be fast; all we had to do was do our part and have fun with it.”
This victory made Felix the most decorated U.S. track athlete in Olympic history and gave McLaughlin, Felix, Muhammad, and Mu each two medals at the Tokyo Games.
After winning bronze in the individual 400 on Friday night, she tied Carl Lewis for the most medals by a U.S. track athlete with 10, but with Saturday’s gold, she became the only athlete in U.S. history to win 11.
This week, Mu made history by being the first American woman to win gold in the 800 since 1968. McLaughlin and Muhammad ran one of the quickest 400-meter hurdles races in history, and they placed first and second, respectively.
Because we’re not 400-Meter Runners,
I think this is a pretty exceptional team, Felix added. To quote the athlete, “I don’t consider myself a 400-meter specialist. We all do different things. And it was really amazing to come together, to get to close out the Olympic Games – and, for me, my Olympic career – in this way.”
With this victory, the United States women’s 4×400 relay team has now won gold at the Summer Olympics on seven consecutive occasions, beginning in 1996. Since the sport was included in the Olympics in 1972, it has never returned with a medal of less than silver.
“When I saw the lineup, I was absolutely just so delighted that it was us four — I believe for the fans, and I think for all of us,” Muhammad added. It was a great opportunity to drive the point home with these four ladies.
This raises the obvious question of when the four women first realised they would be racing in tandem.
A reporter questioned, and after a moment of stillness the group broke out into laughter.
It’s a secret,” Mu added.
