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Five athletics relays. Five medals. The only country at the Paris Games to achieve that feat of consistency and, with an overall medal tally inside the Stade de France of 10, the foundation behind British athletics’ biggest Olympic haul in 40 years.
Yes, we can also note that there was more gold in other Olympic Games than Keely Hogdkinson’s 800 metres triumph, but the decision to put such focus into the relays was rewarded on the final night of athletics with bronze medals and national records in both the men’s and women’s 4 x 400 metres.
With third places already in the mixed 4x400m and men’s 4x100m, as well as the women’s sprint relay silver, the coaching team of Paula Dunn, Darren Campbell and Martyn Rooney – formed following last summer’s World Championships – also deserve considerable credit.
Not since Los Angeles in 1984 have Team GB won more than eight track and field medals and the 10 here doubles the tally of Tokyo three years ago. “Everything is so intentional – Martyn [Rooney] has talked us through every scenario, so we don’t feel under pressure,” said Alex Haydock-Wilson, the lead leg for the men in Saturday’s 400m final, and part of the mixed team. “We all have our individual aspirations, but when we come together as a team, we can run free. We are loving it. Two Olympic medals is more than I could have hoped for. The way it has happened is what gives that meaning.”
It certainly also helps when you have outstanding specialists within a team and, with Haydock-Wilson passing on to Matthew Hudson-Smith, Great Britain had even moved into a narrow lead by the end of the second leg following a blistering 43.09sec split from the individual silver medalist.
Lewis Davey, who is a training partner of Hodgkinson, then maintained the team among the medal positions after coming in as a late replacement for Sam Reardon before Charlie Dobson, an individual European Championships silver medallist, finished things off on the final leg. The time of 2min 55.83sec is a British record and Hudson-Smith believes that what is a relatively young team could eventually even challenge the American world record that stands at 2min 54.29sec. “I need a beer – it was an amazing Olympic Games,” said Hudson-Smith. “I wanted to come away with two medals and to do this one for the boys. I’ve got the best team in the world.”
The men were followed 10 minutes later by the women to round off the Olympic track-and-field programme inside the Stade de France. Securing this last medal always promised to be a bigger challenge given the strength of the US, Dutch and Irish teams but the emergence this year of Amber Anning proved crucial on the anchor leg. And, after Victoria Ohuruogu, Laviai Nielsen and Nicole Yeargin had combined to hand over in second, Anning brilliantly withheld the Irish challenge in British record 3min 19.72sec. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 47.70sec split is also worth a mention as part of what was the US’s 14th athletics gold.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen had earlier confirmed his status among the absolute best of his generation following the bitter disappointment at failing to defend his 1500m title by winning gold over 5,000m.
Britain’s George Mills was racing for the fifth time of an eventful Olympics but looked weary and, after an early appearance near the front of a field, finished 21st. An extraordinary 800m had earlier seen four men dip under 1min 42sec, with Emmanuel Wanyonyi making it five consecutive Kenyan victores after leading virtually from start to finish in 1min 41.19sec, the third-fastest time in history.
Team GB’s Max Burgin had given himself a chance of a medal by following Wanyonyi’s pace but faded in the back straight before finishing last of the eight finalists, albeit in a time of 1min 43.84sec that only a select few British athletes have ever bettered. The rapid times were a further sign of how the event has been redefined recently, with Lord Coe’s long-standing 1min 41.73sec world record beaten here by four runners and surely on borrowed time as the oldest remaining British track record.
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