Tebogo Denies Lyles Olympic Sprint Double, LeBron's US Dream Team Take To Court

Paris, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Aug, 2024) Botswana's Letsile Tebogo snatched a stunning Olympic gold in the men's 200m final Thursday to deny US runner Noah Lyles the sprint double, as NBA superstar LeBron James led out the US basketball dream team in a crunch semi-final.

A huge night of athletics on the lilac track of the Stade de France also featured a mouthwatering clash between the two fastest women in history over the 400m hurdles.

Fresh from winning the closest 100m final in modern Olympic history, the brash Lyles was keen to showcase his speed and endurance in his preferred 200m.

But Tebogo stunned the fancied Americans with a storming run down the straight, relegating Lyles to bronze and his US teammate Kenneth Bednarek to silver.

The first African to win 200m gold, Tebogo clocked a continent-wide record time of 19.46sec, leaving a distraught Lyles prone on the track before being taken away in a wheelchair.

"It was really a beautiful race for me," Tebogo said.

"When we made it to the final, my coach just told me, now my job is done, it's up to you to see what you can do," he added.

In the morning session, the American men and women had both powered through their 4x100m relay heats to warn off any rivals aiming to challenge their dominance.

Stung by having to settle for 100m silver, Sha'Carri Richardson ran her anchor leg in an eye-popping 9.99sec to see the women home while the men could afford to leave out Lyles and still cruise to victory.

In what could be the race of the Games, reigning champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone from the United States and Dutchwoman Femke Bol go head-to-head in the 400m hurdles final.

Bol already has one gold after running an extraordinary anchor leg to bring the Dutch to victory in the 4x400 mixed relay.

But McLaughlin-Levrone is the world record holder and defending Olympic champion in the 400m hurdles. Bol is plotting revenge after finishing third in Tokyo.

Rounding off Thursday's packed schedule, three-time world champion Grant Holloway from the US hopes to go one better than the silver he won in the 110m hurdles three years ago.