400 metres, Women

American Allyson Felix, the 2015 World Champion, had started the year aiming at a 200-400 double, but an ankle injury in May set back her training and she failed to make the US team in the 200. She qualified in the 400, however, and came to Rio as the favorite, especially so after South African Caster Semenya decided to run only the 800 and not attempt a 400-800 double. Felix’s biggest challenger was expected to be Bahamian Shaunae Miller, who had narrowly missed catching Felix at the tape at the 2015 Worlds.

The final proved to be a match race between Felix and Miller. The early lead in the final was taken by American Natasha Hastings but Miller caught her by the 200 mark. Hastings held on to about 300 metres as Felix bore down on Miller, but she still trailed by ½-a-second at the top of the stretch. Gradually she started to reel in the Jamaican, and with 10 metres to go, it was even. At the line Miller, leaned hard and may have stumbled slightly, falling across the line, landing head first on the track, only to roll over onto her back and see that the scoreboard showed her as the gold medallist with Felix 0.07 seconds back. Hastings could not hang on for third, finishing fourth, as Miller’s teammate Shericka Jackson took bronze.