Posted on 08/23/2008 10:21:14 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
BEIJING — After a week of notable stumbles, the United States track team fully asserted itself in the last two events on the track at the Beijing Olympics.
Sanya Richards and Jeremy Wariner ran the anchor legs Saturday night at the Bird’s Nest as the women’s and men’s 4x400-meter relays won gold medals — the sixth and seventh of these Games for the United States, more than any country with only the men’s marathon remaining on Sunday morning.
LaShawn Merritt, Angelo Taylor, David Neville and Wariner set an Olympic record in 2 minutes 55.39 seconds. Bahamas was second 2:58.03, and Russia placed third in 2:58.06.
“A lot of things happened in this Olympics that we weren’t expecting,” Wariner said. “But we’ll use that to build on. I know next year at the world championships it’s going to be different.”
A saving performance by Richards boosted the women’s relay team, which included Mary Wineberg, Allyson Felix and Monique Henderson. Richards took the baton for the final lap trailing Anastasia Kapachinskaya of Russia by several yards and edged past her for a 0.28-second victory at the finish. The winning time was 3:18.54. Russia was second in 3:18.82 and Jamaica won bronze in 3:20.40.
Richards and many other Americans had felt the sting of failure this week. She settled for bronze in the individual 400, despite being the favorite for gold.
“I was disappointed to get an individual bronze, so when I pumped my fist at the end that was a lot of frustration being released,” Richards said.
The men’s and women’s 4x100 relay teams both dropped the baton during handoffs and failed to qualify for the finals.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Don’t know if this Bible verse is apropos, but here it is :
“12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; 16 however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.”
(PHILIPPIANS 3:12-16)
No surprise here. ...on the men’s side, at least. The American men swept the 400m a couple days ago, so we were heavily favored to win the relay. And dropping the baton in the 4 x 400 isn’t nearly the issue as it is in the 4 x 100. Passes are made much more securely at the longer distance.
Anyway, good job American guys and gals!
The American team whether they won or lost have shown class
and dignity.We should be proud of all of them.
I’m glad Great Britain didn’t medal, after watching anchor Martyn Rooney’s classless taunting in the semifinal.
I liked how Richards chased the Russian and came in first...It is like the moment when US men’s relay swim team beat the French team...
I am happy that Allyson Felix won a gold...She will apparently become an elementary school teacher...She was really distressed that she lost to a Jamaican a few days ago.
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