World Champion Gardiner wins Olympic gold in 400m

Bahamas’ Steven Gardiner (L) runs to first place ahead of second-placed Colombia’s Anthony Jose Zambrano (R) and USA’s Michael Cherry (C) in the men’s 400m final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games  

By Shehan Daniel reporting 
from Tokyo, Japan
Steven Gardiner added Olympic gold to his 400m World Championship title with a steaming run down the home stretch that gave Bahamas their first medal at Tokyo 2020 yesterday. 

 
Gardiner overcame a poor start but still found himself behind in the last 100m, before he powered his way through and crossed the line first with a season’s best time of 43.85 secs, ahead of Anthony Jose Zambrano of Colombia who took silver.   

“It feels amazing. My first Olympic Games didn’t go well for me (missing the final at Rio 2016) but this one here, I’m cherishing this moment. Olympic champion,” Gardiner, who won gold at the 2019 World Athletics Championships said after the race. 

 
Grenada also bagged its first medal of Tokyo 2020, when Kirani James crossed the line for bronze, claiming his third Olympic medal in the Men’s 400m, having taken gold in 2012 and silver in 2016.   

Americans Michael Cherry and Michael Normal finished just outside the medals, a tenth of a second apart, as the USA’s woeful track returns continued.   

In the Men’s 110m hurdles final, Jamaica’s Hansle Parchment improved on his bronze medal from London 2012 to win gold with a season’s best time of 13.04 secs, five-hundredths of a second ahead of Grant Holloway from the United States.   

Ronald Levy of Jamaica finished third with a time of 13.10 secs.   

“There was no intimidation. He is a great competitor. I knew that he would have taken the lead, he always takes the lead. I don’t know how he gets to the first hurdle so fast. I know that once I am close to the first three hurdles, I would be able to catch him close to the line and I did just that,” Parchment said of beating favourite Holloway, who set the second fastest time in the event’s history earlier this year.   

The United States did however have success in field events yesterday, with Pole Vaulter Katie Nageotte winning gold, even though she was on the cusp of elimination after failing her first two jumps at the opening height of 4.50 metres.   

After making the height on her third attempt, she later went on to make the winning jump at 4.90 metres on her second attempt, beating the number one ranked athlete Anzhelika Sidorova of the Russian Olympic Committee.   
In contrast, Sidorova had clean jumps until she botched two attempts at 4.90 metres and, choosing to go one level higher, couldn’t make her only attempt at 4.95 metres.   

Speaking on how she handled the competition, Nageotte said: “It was the worst warm-up I have had in a long time and I did an ugly first few jumps. It took me a few heights to get in to it, but I was just fighting and I finally found a smooth jump. It came together.”   

Holly Bradshaw of Great Britain whose last successful clearance, like Sidorova, was at 4. 85m, won bronze medal on countback, having registered more failures.   

The United States also took gold and silver in the Men’s Shot Put event, with Ryan Crouser setting a new Olympic record with a throw of 23.30 metres, ahead of compatriot Joe Kovacs whose best effort was for a distance of 22.65 metres.   

Tomas Walsh of New Zealand won bronze with a season’s best 22.47 metres.   

Portugal’s Pedro Picahardo won gold in the Men’s Triple Jump with a new National Record of 17.98 metres on his third jump, with Yaming Zhu of China a distance second with a leap of 17.57 metres.   

Hugues Fabrice Zango created history by winning Burkina Faso’s first ever Olympic medal, with a bronze medal winning jump of 17.47 metres.   

A fifth-place finish in the Men’s Decathlon 1500m was enough for Canada’s Damian Warner to take gold with a new Olympic Record and take gold in the ten-discipline event, 292 points ahead of World Record holder Kevin Mayer.   

Ashley Moloney broke the Oceania Record with his total of 8649 points in taking bronze.