Team USA dominates women's and men's 4x400-meter relays

PARIS — The last two races of the Paris Games were a gold rush for the U.S., with both the women and men dominating the 4x400-meter relays Saturday.

PARIS — The last two races of the Paris Games were a gold rush for the U.S., with both the women and men dominating the 4x400-meter relays Saturday.

The women — comprising Shamier Little, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Gabby Thomas and Alexis Holmes — closed out the Olympics in a race that was not close.

When McLaughlin-Levrone built up a jet-heeled lead in the second leg, it took some of the crowd a second to realize quite what was happening. From then on, the gold medal was such a formality that many fans were paying more attention to the close battle for second, won by the Netherlands.

A three-time gold medalist after wins in the 200-meter and 4x100-meter relay, Thomas helped widen the gap in the third lap that McLaughlin-Levrone created in the second.

By the end, the American women had an almost four-second lead on the rest of the field, with anchor Holmes crossing the finish line with a new American record of 3:15.27.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/team-usa-dominates-womens-mens-4x400-meter-relays-rcna166100

---