USA Athletics in a class of its own in women’s 4x400m relay

PARIS – The United States swept to gold in the women’s 4×400-meter relay at the Olympic Games on Saturday, posting the second-fastest time in history and extending the country’s remarkable winning streak in the event to eight in a row.

With a star quartet including Olympic champions Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Gabby Thomas, the Americans clocked a time of three minutes, 15.27 seconds, narrowly beating the world record set by the former Soviet Union in 1988.

A week after Femke Bol led the Dutch to victory in the mixed 4x400m relay with a striking final leg, the gap proved too big for her and the Netherlands had to settle for silver in 3:19.50. Great Britain took bronze in 3:19.

Jamaica were in third place after the opening match, but Andrenette Knight dropped the baton after hitting Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke in the second match.

Shamier Little put the US in the lead before handing the baton to McLaughlin-Levrone, who ran a fast lap of 47.71 seconds to put her 30 metres ahead of the pack. From there, it was just a question of who would win silver.

Thomas passed the ball to Alexis Holmes, who was about 40 yards in front of him, and she led her team home. REUTERS