By Mitch Phillips and Nick Mulvenney TOKYO (Reuters) -The United States finished the world championships in style as Noah Lyles and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden completed memorable individual weeks by helping their country to emphatic golds in both 4×100 metre relays in driving rain on Sunday. Jefferson-Wooden became the second woman to sweep all three sprint titles […]
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Athletics-Lyles and Jefferson-Wooden lead US to sprint relay double
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By Mitch Phillips and Nick Mulvenney
TOKYO (Reuters) -The United States finished the world championships in style as Noah Lyles and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden completed memorable individual weeks by helping their country to emphatic golds in both 4×100 metre relays in driving rain on Sunday.
Jefferson-Wooden became the second woman to sweep all three sprint titles at one World Athletics Championships.
The 24-year-old, who won the 100-200m double in Tokyo, helped the United States to a lead at the last exchange and Sha’Carri Richardson brought the baton home in 41.75 seconds.
“I did what I wanted to do individually, and then came back together with my girls, my training partners, and we were all able to walk away with the gold,” said Jefferson-Gooden.
“It’s crazy to be going home with three gold medals. I added my name to the history books once again. I am right where I want to be.”
JAMAICA SECOND IN FRASER-PRYCE FAREWELL
Jamaica finished second in 41.79 to send sprint queen Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, whose 2013 sweep Jefferson-Wooden emulated, into retirement with a 17th world championship medal.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity that I got once more to represent my country and to walk away with a silver medal,” said the 38-year-old, who won 10 world and three Olympic sprint titles over her glittering career.
“I’m excited to have done it with a young team that is coming up, and I’m hoping that I would have done my part to just add some inspiration or some outlook for them.”
Germany came third in 41.87 for bronze on the back of a blistering final leg from Gina Lueckenkemper to see off Britain, who finished fourth in 42.07.
In the men’s race, the final track event of what has been a fantastic nine days of action, the U.S. were slick in their handovers despite the testing conditions.
Kenny Bednarek got a gold to cheer him up after yet another silver in the 200m, but it was Lyles taking the spotlight again as he brought them home in 37.29 for his second gold after he won a fourth successive 200 following his bronze in the 100.
“We all know we are the fastest. We just had to get the baton from start to finish,” Lyles said.
“I saw the lead we had and it was a kind of a relief as everybody did such a great job. I just had to finish the race. They made it easy for me. I could not have asked for a better relay.”
Fast-finishing Canada took silver in 37.55, with the Netherlands delighted to take bronze in a national record 37.81.
With the men’s discus outstanding, due to rain delays, the U.S. sit top of the medal table with 16 gold, five silver and five bronze. Kenya are second with seven golds, while a record 50 countries have won a medal.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney and Mitch Phillips, additional reporting by Chang-Ran Kim and David Dolan, editing by Ed Osmond)