TOKYO – It took longer than anticipated, but the U.S. men’s team got its first gold medal on the track on the ninth day of competition.
The men’s 4x400-meter relay team featuring Michael Cherry, Michael Norman, Bryce Deadmon and Rai Benjamin cruised to a relatively comfortable victory to earn a gold medal. Their gold-medal-winning time was 2:55.70.
Norman got the U.S. team the lead on the second leg and handed off to Deadmon. Benjamin got the baton on the anchor leg and took it home.
The Netherlands finished second (2:57.18) and Botwana placed third (2:57.27).
It was just the second gold won by the U.S. men’s track and field team at the Tokyo Olympics following world record holder Ryan Crouser's victory in the shot put.
In the gold medal count, it was the worst performance by a U.S. men’s track and field team at a single Olympics. The team’s previous low was three gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics.
Source link
