At the Stade de France

Dream runs, sensations and drama at the end

Masai Russel

(Bild: Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

What a furious last evening of athletics at the Stade de France! One incredible highlight after another. 66,500 spectators celebrated this celebration of the "Crown of Olympia" with endless chants and cheers! There were sensations and dramas, a flood of dream runs...

Faith Kipyegon won 1500m gold for the third time in a row, Jakob Ingebrigsten won the 5000m after his 1500m disappointment and Emmanuel Wanyonyi secured 800m gold with a dream run! There were also numerous heart-stopping finals, a sensational jump-off for high jump gold and dramas such as Italy's high jump star Giancarlo Tamberi. The final point was finally set by both US relay teams, who won the men's and women's 4 x 400 m events. The US women's time of 3:15.27 missed the age-old world record set by the GDR (3:15.17/1988) by just a tenth.

After her victory in the new Olympic record time of 3:51.29, 30-year-old Faith Kipyegon wept with joy, knelt down on the track and sent prayers of thanks to heaven. She had won Olympic gold in the 1500m for the third time after 2016 and 2021, something no runner had ever achieved before her. She also surpassed Tatyana Kazankina, who was Olympic champion over this distance in 1976 and 1980.

Faith Kipyegon, who improved the world record to 3:49.04 this year, was followed by a flood of world-class times! Australia's Jessica Hull took silver in 3:52.26 ahead of Georgia Hull, who ran a British record of 3:52.61. Nine runners stayed under 4:00 minutes...

Great satisfaction
Jakob Ingebrigtsen achieved great satisfaction! The Norwegian superstar, who finished fourth in the 1500 m in Paris and was therefore humiliated, won the 5000 m in 13:13.66 after a tactical masterstroke. After his World Championship titles over this distance in 2022 and 2023, this was his first Olympic 5000 m gold. In Europe, he has been undefeated over this distance for the past six years with three titles in a row at the continental championships. In Paris 2024, he won ahead of the Kenyan Ronald Kwemoi (13:15.04) and the US American Grant Fisher (13:15.13.

(Bild: AFP or licensors)

The big evening had already begun with the 800m scoop: Emmanuel Wanyonyi from Kenya won gold in a super time of 1:41.19. Only his compatriot David Rudisha, who set a fabulous world record of 1:40.91 at the London 2012 Games, and Wilson Kipketer (Denmark/1:41.11) have ever been faster. Behind Wanyonyi, too, there were top times non-stop. Marco Arop (Kan) won silver in 1:41.20 ahead of France's Gabriel Tual (1:41.61) and Bryce Hoppel, who finished fourth in 1:41.67, a US record. Just one hundredth of a second ahead - that was the closest 800m decision in Olympic history. Previously, the closest margin between gold and silver was three hundredths in Munich 1972, when David Wottle won in 1:45.86 against Yevgeniy Arzhanov (1:45.89).

The women's 100 m hurdles were also dramatic! Masai Russel (USA) won in a photo finish in 12.33 against Cyrena Samba-Mayela from France (12.34) and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn from Puerto Rico (12.36).

Play-off in the high jump
There was drama and disappointment for the two high jump stars who had shared the gold in Tokyo 2021 in an exact tie. Giancarlo Tamberi had suffered kidney colic in the morning and then failed to clear 2.27 m. Mutaz Essa Barshim had been aiming for his second gold, but had to settle for bronze at 2.34m. While Tamberi and Barshim had shared the gold, this time there was a jump-off for gold in the event of a tie! Hamish Kerr from New Zealand and Shelby McEwen were tied at 2.36m. Hamish Kerr finally won the jump-off with 2.34 m and caused one of the biggest surprises in high jump history!

The second technical decision of the evening, the women's javelin throw, unfortunately took place without Austria's European champion Victoria Hudson. She had failed to qualify. Haruka Kitaguchi, world champion and favorite in the final, came out on top with 65.80 m in her first attempt ahead of South Africa's Jo-Ane van Dyk (63.93) and the Czech Republic's Nikola Ogrodnikova (63.68). Distances that Vicky Hudson would have easily thrown on a good day. But it was not meant to be.