JAMAICAN HANSLE PARCHMENT trumped fading world champion Grant Holloway to win the men’s Olympic 110m hurdles gold on Thursday.
Parchment, a bronze medallist at the 2012 London Games, clocked 13.04 seconds, with Holloway taking silver in 13.09sec. Another Jamaican, Ronald Levy, claimed bronze (13.10).
Holloway burst out of his blocks in blazing sunshine at Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium and quickly built up a lead directly from the first hurdle. The American looked completely in control through 60 metres, but then tied up, allowing a fast-charging Parchment a way back into the race.
The 31-year-old Jamaican made no mistake from lane seven, producing a classy final three hurdles and push for the line for the first global medal of his career.
Relay
The United States 4x100m relay squad suffered another Olympic disappointment, failing to reach the final after finishing sixth in their heat.
The US quartet of Trayvon Bromell, Fred Kerley, Ronnie Baker and Cravon Gillespie trailed in sixth in a time of 38.10sec, a performance US sprint great Carl Lewis branded a “total embarrassment.”
A shaky baton handover between Kerley and Baker and a poor anchor leg from Gillespie condemned the Americans to elimination.
Though the USA has suffered multiple disqualifications over the years, Thursday marked the first time an American 4x100m squad has failed to make the Olympic final from a completed heat.
The US, who won the 4×100 gold at the world championships in Doha in 2019, have not taken the Olympic title since 2000, and last earned a medal in the event in 2004, when they took silver in Athens.
The latest flop earned a scathing review by American sprinting legend Lewis.
“The USA team did everything wrong in the men’s relay,” Lewis wrote on Twitter.
“The passing system is wrong, athletes running the wrong legs, and it was clear that there was no leadership.
“It was a total embarrassment, and completely unacceptable for a USA team to look worse than the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) kids I saw.”
The Americans’ heat was won by China with a time of 37.92sec while Canada, anchored by newly crowned 200m champion Andre de Grasse, came second. Italy qualified in third place with a time of 37.95sec.
The other heat was won by Jamaica in 37.82sec with Britain second in 38.02sec. Japan also reached the final after finishing third in 38.16sec.
World record-holder Ryan Crouser bettered his own Olympic mark as he retained the men’s shot put title. The American managed a best of 23.30 metres on his sixth and final effort, a new Olympic record after his five previous attempts had also all gone beyond the 22.52m that saw him win gold at the 2016 Rio Games.
The 28-year-old Crouser led a repeat of the Rio podium, with teammate and world champion Joe Kovacs taking silver with 22.65m, and New Zealand’s Tomas Walsh claiming bronze (22.47).
After his victory was confirmed, he quickly ran to his kit bag, donned a cowboy hat and showed to the television cameras a sheet of paper on which was written: “Grandpa, we did it, 2020 Olympic champion.”
Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo was crowned men’s triple jump Olympic champion, winning with a national record of 17.98 metres.
China’s Zhu Yaming took silver with a personal best of 17.57m and Hugues Zango won the bronze (17.47m) — Burkina Faso’s first ever Olympic medal.
Pichardo succeeds two-time Olympic champion Christian Taylor, who was unable to defend his title after rupturing his Achilles earlier this year.
