Paris Olympics Recap: All the Records Team USA Shattered in Athletics

The Paris Olympics saw several outstanding performances by athletes from various countries. However, Team USA competitors utterly dominated athletics, winning 34 Olympic medals, including 14 golds, 11 silvers, and 9 bronzes.

Some of these gold medal feats were accompanied by performances that went above and beyond the athlete’s limits to break a specific Olympic record, four of which are highlighted below.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone breaking her own Olympic record

The 400-meter hurdles were one of the most anticipated events in the Paris Olympics, owing to the rivalry between American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Dutch competitor Femke Bol.

Bol had already shown up at the Olympic Games, where she helped the Netherlands win gold in the mixed 4×400-meter relay finals. However, McLaughlin-Levrone was still the fan favorite going into the race, and after a few hurdles, the American gained a comfortable lead.

After the curve, with a few hurdles to go, the gold medalist from the Tokyo Olympics looked dominant, and spectacularly, she not only defended her 400mH Olympic crown but also shattered her won Olympic and world record by clocking a fantastic time of 50.37 seconds.

 

This record was well ahead of the old Olympic record of 51.46 and the old world record of 50.65, which she set at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 US Olympic Trials, respectively.

Cole Hocker defying all odds at the Paris Olympics

The 1500-meter final was set to be a duel between British athlete Josh Kerr and defending Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen. These two were the odds-on favorites to win the gold medal, and until the final lap, it seemed like the Norwegian athlete would cruise to victory. However, shortly after the final curve, things changed dramatically, with Ingebrigtsen losing pace in comparison to the rest of the grid.

Kerr was able to overtake his competitor as a result of his loss of pace. However, the Brit never anticipated that Cole Hocker would appear out of nowhere and challenge him for the gold medal.

The American athlete’s pace was better than Kerr’s allowing him to clinch the gleaming gold medal, while the Brit had to settle for silver followed by Team USA’s Yared Nuguse in bronze. Hocker ran an outstanding 3:27.65 to set a new Olympic record, surpassing Ingebrigtsen’s 3:28.32 from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Team USA’s men’s 4×400-meter relay team defending their title at the Paris Olympics

Following a disappointing men’s 4×100-meter relay race due to disqualification, the men’s 4×400-meter relay team of Team USA was under a lot of pressure. The nation’s squad, consisting of Chris Bailey, Vernon Norwood, Bryce Deadmon, and Rai Benjamin, had not changed since the 2016 Rio Olympics, and they had a championship to defend.

The competition was fierce, and Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo and America’s Benjamin battled it out to the final stretch. However, the final leg runner had always been aware of his opponents in the races, and Benjamin defeated Tebogo via pure strategy and pace.

Team USA clocked a time of 2:54.43, not only winning the gold medal but also breaking their own Olympic record of 2:55.39, achieved at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Team USA’s mixed 4×400-meter relay team securing two records at the same time

The second round of the mixed 4×400-meter relay saw Team USA dominate. Vernon Norwood raced the first leg for the relay team, finishing in 44.47 seconds. He gave the baton to Shamier Little, who completed the second leg in 49.32 seconds.

The baton was then passed to Bryce Deadmon, who ran Team USA’s third leg in 44.17 seconds before handing it off to Kaylyn Brown, who crossed the finish line, anchoring the team in 49.45 seconds.

Team USA ran a spectacular 3:07.41, breaking the Olympic and world records in the mixed 4×400-meter relay, which had been set by Team Poland at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.