Team USA dominate to claim gold in women's 4x100m relay final as Team GB finish second in difficult conditions
Updated 09/08/2024 at 23:42 GMT+1
Team USA have won the women's 4x100m relay gold, Team Great Britain claiming silver in difficult conditions in the Stade de France on Friday evening. Dina Asher-Smith had got off to a ferocious start with Team GB leading at points in the racce, but a poor final changeover left Daryll Neita with too much to do in the final straight as Sha'carri Richardson brought home the baton for USA.
Watch GB take silver after 'terrible changeover' with USA winning gold in 4x100m relay
Video credit: TNT Sports
Team USA put on a fine performance to win the women's 4x100m relay - with a poor final changeover costing Team GB gold.
Dina Asher-Smith had got the Great Britain quartet off to a fast start, but a slow baton passover left Daryll Neita with too much to do on the final leg.
The win was another dominant display for Team USA, the victory their 10th of the athletics competition so far.
It was also the second gold medal of the Olympic Games for Gabrielle Thomas, who added to her win in the 200m.
Before the race, it had been billed as a rematch between the three medallists from Tokyo 2020 - Jamaica, USA and Great Britain.
The tension was amped up with difficult conditions inside the Stade de France - a downpour during the race making conditions slippery underfoot, while baton changeovers would be even more difficult than usual.
All the runners got off to a strong start, but it was Asher-Smith who appeared to have the early edge - the Team GB star looking to make amends for missing out on the 100m final.
A solid first changeover to Imani-Lara Lansiquot left Team GB and Team USA level pegging coming down the back straight, while a strong changeover to Amy Hunt had the underdogs ahead on the final bend.
But a poor final changeover between Hunt and Neita effectively handed the win to Team USA - 100m silver medallist Sha'Carri Richardson simply uncatchable when she is in this sort of form.
Despite the loss of momentum on the changeover, Neita managed to recover, powering down the final straight to overtake Germany's Rebekka Haase with 30m to go.
But she was not able to catch Richardson, who had enough of a buffer to glance across to the timing board, edging the race by seven hundredths of a second.
While the silver for Team GB is an improvement on bronze from Tokyo 2020, there will be a sense of what could have been for the team.
Tokyo champions Jamaica came home in fifth - a fall from grace for the traditionally strong sprinting nation.
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