08 August,2024 07:07 AM IST | Paris | AFP
USA’s Gabby Thomas (second from left) is overwhelmed as she wins the 200m on Tuesday. PIC/Getty images
American Gabby Thomas streaked to Olympic 200m glory ahead of Julien Alfred in Paris on Tuesday to deprive Saint Lucia of a famous sprint double. Alfred had claimed a first-ever medal for her tiny Caribbean island nation when she won the 100m on the weekend, but she had no response when Thomas hit the bend and powered away down the final straight at the Stade de France.
USA's Cole Hocker celebrates with his 1,500 metre gold medal in Paris on Tuesday. Pic/AFP
The US took gold and bronze either side of Alfred, as Thomas clocked 21.83sec for the victory and Brittany Brown rounded out the podium. "I don't think it could have gone any better," said Thomas, who added that she had taken inspiration from watching teammates Noah Lyles and Sha'Carri Richardson, and even Alfred in the men's and women's 100m. "My coach told me the only thing I need is to get the lead and finish strong and I did that."
It is the first time since the Montreal Games in 1976 that there were no Jamaican sprinters on the podium of either the women's 100 or 200m. There was a huge upset earlier in the evening when Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Josh Kerr were deprived of victory in the men's 1,500m by fast-finishing American Cole Hocker.
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The race had been billed as a crunch set-to between the Norwegian gold medallist from the Tokyo Olympics and Britain's reigning world champion. But, Hocker raced through on the inside for a totally unexpected victory in an Olympic record of 3min 27.65sec. Kerr bagged silver in a British record of 3:27.79, while Ingebrigtsen came fourth after being passed by another American, Yared Nuguse, who clocked 3:27.80.
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