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Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita finished within three-hundredths of a second of making the Olympic 200m podium as Gabby Thomas stormed to gold.
American Thomas, installed as favourite following the pre-competition withdrawal of Jamaica’s world champion Shericka Jackson, dominated the final to win in 21.83 seconds.
Neita, who also missed out on a 100m bronze by four-hundredths of a second on Saturday, and Asher-Smith were each hoping to become the first British woman to make an Olympic sprint podium for 64 years. But Asher-Smith finished fourth in 22.22 and Neita crossed the line fifth in 22.23, behind runner-up Julien Alfred (22.08) and American bronze medallist Brittany Brown (22.20).
Thomas had to settle for world silver behind Jackson last year, having taken Olympic bronze in Tokyo.
But coming in as the fastest woman this year, and in the absence of her main rival, the 27-year-old unleashed a triumphant roar across the line and held her hands on her head in disbelief after seizing her moment.
“I have envisioned this race over and over in my head so many times, as I do with every race, and that’s how I win races,” said Thomas.
“But I did not expect to feel how I felt when I crossed that line.
“I couldn’t believe it. I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams that I would become an Olympic gold medallist. It was the happiest moment of my life.”
It was a second Games medal for runner-up Alfred after the 23-year-old had dominated the 100m final to make history as St Lucia’s first Olympic medallist.
Behind her was Brown as she clinched her second global medal — and first since winning world 200m silver behind Asher-Smith in 2019.
Neita had made no secret of her determination to end her wait for an individual global medal in Paris – and she could not have gone much closer to achieving that.
Such are the fine margins in global sprint finals, she has finished a combined 0.07 seconds away from medals in the Olympic 100m and 200m. — BBC.
Online Reporter