McLaughlin Lights Up Olympic Track As Japan Maintain Grip On Skateboarding
Zeeshan Mehtab Published August 04, 2021 | 11:30 AM
Tokyo, Aug 4 (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Aug, 2021 ) :Sydney McLaughlin obliterated her own world record to win Olympic gold in the women's 400m hurdles on Wednesday as Japan's Sakura Yosozumi maintained the hosts' stranglehold on the skateboarding competition.
Elsewhere on day 12 of action in Tokyo, the Netherlands dumped defending champions Britain out of the women's hockey while the women's golf got under way.
At the Olympic Stadium, McLaughlin powered home under the beating Tokyo sun in 51.46 seconds, with defending champion Dalilah Muhammad claiming silver in 51.58 after another classic duel between the two dominant American hurdlers.
World champion Muhammad made a flying start in the lane outside her compatriot and rival but McLaughlin produced a late burst of speed to claim victory.
The 21-year-old McLaughlin's blistering time bettered her world record set at the US trials in Oregon in June, when she ran 51.90sec.
Muhammad, 31, also ducked inside the previous world record, with bronze medallist Femke Bol of the Netherlands just outside the 52-second mark.
It came a day after an epic duel between Karsten Warholm and Rai Benjamin in the men's 400m hurdles, which ended with Norway's Warholm winning and improving his own world record by a huge margin.
"What a great race," said McLaughlin. "I'm just grateful to be out here celebrating that extraordinary race and representing my country.
"I saw Dalilah ahead of me with one to go. I just thought 'run your race'. The race doesn't really start till hurdle seven. I just wanted to go out there and give it everything I had." Canada's Damian Warner leads the way in the men's decathlon after three events while defending champion Nafi Thiam of Belgium tops the heptathlon standings with two events gone. British world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson is in third spot.
In a hotly anticipated men's 200m final in the evening session, pre-Games favourite Noah Lyles takes on exciting 17-year-old US compatriot Erriyon Knighton and Rio 2016 silver medallist Andre de Grasse.
Canadian De Grasse was the fastest man in the semi-finals with a national record 19.73, 0.1sec quicker than another American, Kenneth Bednarek.
Dutch star Sifan Hassan will be also be attempting the next step in her bid for an unprecedented treble, running in the 1500m semi-finals two days after winning the 5,000 title.
- Japan dominate skateboarding - Away from the athletics, Yosozumi won the women's park skateboarding event to stop compatriot Kokona Hiraki and Britain's Sky Brown becoming the Games' youngest-ever gold medallists.
The 19-year-old carved up the Ariake Urban Sports Park with a flowing opening run in the final, and her 60.09 points proved enough for victory ahead of Hiraki and Brown.
Brown threatened to snatch a shock win with a flawless closing routine but her 56.47 was not enough.
Japan also snapped up the men's and women's street titles earlier in the Games and they have now bagged five of the nine medals so far as skateboarding makes its debut as one of four new Olympic sports.
Both Brown, at 13 years and 28 days, and Hiraki (12 years and 343 days) were bidding to break an 85-year-old record to become the youngest Olympic gold medallists.
In early action in Tokyo, Marcela Ana Cunha of Brazil held off a charge from defending champion Sharon van Rouwendaal of the Netherlands to win the women's 10-kilometre marathon swimming event.
The Dutch team hammered Britain 5-1 in the semi-finals of the women's hockey while Serbia edged China 77-70 in their women's basketball quarter-final to set up a last-four clash against either Australia or the USA.
World number one women's golfer Nelly Korda was the early clubhouse leader after completing her first round at the Kasumigaseki Country Club in a four-under-par 67.
China continued their march towards another table tennis team gold, crushing Germany 3-0 to set up a mouth-watering final against Japan.
jw/gj
Related Topics
Recent Stories
IHC adjourns PTI founder, Qureshi's appeal till Thursday
CDWP recommends 3 projects to ECNEC for approval
Tarar assures APNS to resolve issues of newspaper industry
Pakistan urged to capitalize on economic stability, for Tobacco Tax Reforms
N. Macedonia polls set to upend ties with EU neighbours
Croatia's ruling party reaches coalition deal with right wing
Bayern coach Tuchel makes three changes for Madrid showdown
Olympic flame arrives on French soil for Paris Games
Punjab Finance Minister announces expansion of Social Protection Authority's man ..
Kenya inks deal to end doctors' strike
Brazil flooding death toll reaches 100
Lebanon security source says five killed in Israeli strikes on south
More Stories From Sports
-
Bayern coach Tuchel makes three changes for Madrid showdown
6 hours ago -
Olympic flame arrives on French soil for Paris Games
6 hours ago -
16th CNS international squash championship begins
8 hours ago -
Rana hopes Hockey team to play final in the Azlan Shah tournament
8 hours ago -
SA Gardens, Wapda quality for National Challenge Cup semis
9 hours ago -
Olympic flame to arrive on French soil
9 hours ago
-
Lahore, Karachi to face each other in final of National Women’s One-Day Tournament
10 hours ago -
Pakistan Jr. Tennis team for South Asian Tennis Championship announced
11 hours ago -
GCP wins overall trophy of KP HED Inter-College Boys Games
12 hours ago -
Sports teaches discipline, unity, tolerance: Meena Khan
12 hours ago -
4th Union Club Gatorade trophy ranking tennis championship concludes
14 hours ago -
Bicycle race organized to promote of sports activities among youth
11 hours ago