Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon Wins 1,500m Gold
American Allyson Felix became the most decorated female track and field athlete of all time by taking 400m bronze for her 10th Olympic medal.
Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas won the gold medal, with Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic taking silver.
Felix, 35, passed the record of Jamaica’s Merlene Ottey, who won nine Olympic medals.
Felix has now won six golds, three silvers and one bronze.
She has the chance of an 11th medal on Saturday, when the United States seek to defend their 4x400m relay title, and it would take her past Carl Lewis as the most decorated American track and field athlete.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Laura Muir claimed a superb silver medal as she shattered the British record to finish behind Kenyan defending champion Faith Kipyegon in the 1500m Olympic final in Tokyo.
The 28-year-old Scot, who has come close in a succession of world and Olympic finals without making the podium, hit the bell on the shoulder of Kipyegon and world champion Sifan Hassan.
The fast pace proved perfect for Muir as she gritted her teeth down the back straight to overtake a tiring Hassan and, with Kipyegon well clear, finish a comfortable second.
Her time of three minutes 54.50 seconds is an improvement on Muir’s own 2016 British record of 3:55.22.
The culmination of a near-decade-long quest for a major medal hit Muir after the finish line as she slumped to the track.
“I’ve worked so hard for so long,” she told BBC Sport.
“I’ve been fourth, fifth twice, sixth and seventh every year since 2015 and with everything last year being postponed and not knowing what was going on – I got a silver!
“That last 100 metres I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my life that someone was going to come past me and I would drop to fourth. I just tried my absolute hardest in that last stretch.”
Culled from BBCSports
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