Peres Jepchirchir and Brigid Kosgei set the pace for most of Saturday's women's marathon, and the only question entering the final five kilometres was which Kenyan would cross the line first.
Jepchirchir finally broke from her countrywoman with a little over two kilometres to go and pulled away to win by 16 seconds.
Kosgei's second-place finish made Kenya the first nation to claim gold and silver in the event at the same Olympic Games.
“I pushed on the pace [and when I opened the gap] it was like, 'Wow, I’m going to make it. I’m going to win,'" Jepchirchir said.
"It feels good. I’m so, so happy because we win as Kenya. First and second. I thank my god so much. I'm happy for my family. I'm happy for my country, Kenya."
Ten seconds behind Kosgei, Molly Seidel of the USA shouted "Yes! Yes!" as she crossed the line for a stunning bronze medal in only her third competitive marathon.
Seidel is the third US woman to medal in the marathon, following Joan Benoit Samuelson's gold at the inaugural women's race in Los Angeles in 1984 and Deena Kastor's bronze at Athens 2004.
She said she took inspiration from her friend Courtney Frerichs' aggressive approach that led to a silver medal in the 3,000m steeplechase this week.
"Seeing her do that and race aggressively was truthfully what gave me the strength to not be afraid to stick my nose in it," Seidel said.
"It is just to go out, stick your nose where it doesn’t belong and try and make some people angry. My goal today was just to go in and for people to think, 'Who the hell is this girl?'."
ANOTHER GOLD FOR MCGEE FAMILY
JaVale McGee was a late addition to the USA basketball squad, but Saturday's victory over France made him a part of history.
McGee's mother Pam won gold with the USA in basketball at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, and she and JaVale are now the first American mother-son combo to win gold in any sport.
“It's an amazing feeling man," McGee said. "I got a gold medal, my mother's got a gold medal. You can't really explain it, just knowing you're the best in the world.
“If that don't add to the resume, I don't know what will. It's a family resume. That's what it’s all about, in the end, is family.”
YAFAI WINS BOXING GOLD FOR BRITAIN
Galal Yafai became the first British man to win boxing gold since London 2012, defeating Carlo Paalam of the Philippines for the flyweight title Saturday.
Yafai knocked down Paalam in the opening round and never looked back, winning 4-1.
The 28-year-old Birmingham native competed in Rio as a light flyweight but lost in the second round.
He is the first Brit to medal in the men's fly since 1956.
Paalam is the first man from the Philippines to medal in any sport since boxer Mansueto Velasco took silver in the light fly at Atlanta 1996.
BEACH VOLLEYBALL NEWCOMERS TAKE MEDALS
A sport traditionally dominated by Brazil and the USA saw three newcomers on the podium on Saturday.
The Norway duo of Anders Mol and Christian Sorum defeated Viacheslav Krasilnikov and Oleg Stoyanovskiy, representing the Russian Olympic Committee, to take home the gold medal.
In the bronze-medal match, Ahmed Tijan and Cherif Younousse of Qatar downed Edgar Tocs and 2012 bronze medallist Martins Plavins of Latvia.
None of the podium nations had won a medal of any kind in men's or women's beach volleyball before, though the winners do have an Olympic legacy of sorts.
Mol's mother, Merita Berntsen, placed ninth with partner Ragni Hestad in the first beach volleyball competition at the 1996 Atlanta Games, then retired when Anders was born the next year.
"My mum thought it was going to be really hard to travel around with two kids, because my brother was born in 1994. She had me and then quit," Mol said. "I always dreamed of beating my mum in the Olympics. She got a ninth [place[. I was actually really happy when we made it to the quarter-finals because we became historical by achieving [at least] a fifth place.
"It has been a journey for a long time and our parents and families are very proud of us right now."
SIXTH KAYAK GOLD FOR HUNGARY'S KOZAK
Danuta Kozak claimed her sixth Olympic gold medal as Hungary won the women's sprint kayak four 500 metres.
The 34-year-old teamed with Tamara Csipes, Anna Karasz and Dora Bodonyi to hold off Belarus and Poland.
It was Kozak's third consecutive gold in the fours after taking silver in the event in her Olympic debut in Beijing.
She also won gold in the K1 500m in London and Rio, and in the K2 in Rio. She took bronze in the K2 earlier this week, so Saturday's win gives her eight Olympic medals overall.
In other sprint kayak finals, Germany won the men's kayak four 500m, China took the women's canoe double 500m and Isaquias Queiroz dos Santos of Brazil won the canoe single 1000m.
Heat beat Bulls to set up rematch with Celtics; Pelicans hold off Kings
Tyler Herro fell an assist shy of a triple-double and scored 24 points as the Miami Heat rolled to a 112-91 win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday to secure the last spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Jaime Jaques Jr. added 21 points, Kevin Love had 16 and Bam Adebayo 13 for Miami, which advanced to face the league-leading Boston Celtics in a rematch of the last two East finals.
They were the No. 8 seed last season also and survived the play-in before going all the way to the NBA Finals.
The Heat were without star forward Jimmy Butler and won’t have him available for the Boston series, either.
Even without Butler, Miami took control with a 19-0 run in the first quarter, and a 14-0 surge midway through the second half. Herro finished with 10 rebounds and nine assists as the Heat eliminated the Bulls in the last East play-in game for the second straight season.
DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points and Nikola Vucevic had 16, 14 boards and five assists but the Bulls were unable to become the fifth team in the last 35 years to make the playoffs after not spending a single day all season over the .500 mark.
The Heat were held to 13 points in the second quarter but still took a 47-37 lead into the break because the Bulls went 8 for 39 from the field after opening 4 for 5. Chicago missed 14 of 15 shots in one stretch.
Chicago got as close as 70-60 in the third quarter before Miami essentially iced the game with the 14-0 run.
Pelicans continue mastery of Kings
Brandon Ingram scored 24 points and Jonas Valanciunas added 19 with 12 rebounds as the New Orleans Pelicans secured the eighth seed in the Western Conference with a 105-98 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Trey Murphy III had 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists as six players scored in double figures for the Pelicans, who won all six meetings this season against the Kings and now move on to face top-seeded Oklahoma City in the first round of the playoffs.
The Pelicans are the first team to 6-0 in a season (without a playoff series) against an opponent since Denver against Minnesota in 1994-95.
New Orleans played without leading scorer Zion Williamson (left hamstring), who will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
De’Aaron Fox poured in 35 points and Domantas Sabonis had 23 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists but the Kings shot just 40.9 percent (36 of 88) from the field and misfired on 30 of 41 (26.8 percent) from 3-point range.
Sacramento got just 12 points from its bench compared to 34 for New Orleans.
Ta Lou, Coleman, Blake and Watson confirmed for Jamaica Athletic Invitational on May 11
The excitement for the inaugural Jamaica Athletics Invitational on May 11 continues to build as standout Ivory Coast sprinter Marie-José Ta Lou has been confirmed to join the star-studded lineup for this prestigious event in Kingston.
Alongside Ta Lou, other renowned athletes such as Christian Coleman, Antonio Watson, and Akeem Blake will grace the track, promising a thrilling mix of elite track and field competition and entertainment. Marvin Anderson, the Athletes Liaison, is curating an impressive list of participants that he believes will meet the high expectations for this exciting sporting event.
The Jamaica Athletics Invitational will feature a lineup of 10 track events and four field events, showcasing the talents of top athletes from around the globe. Fans can anticipate high-stakes competition and exceptional performances as athletes vie for victory on the track and in the field.
Tickets for this highly anticipated event will go on sale online starting April 22. Attendees will have the option to choose from two categories of grandstand tickets priced at $3,000 and $2,500, while entry to the bleachers will be free of charge.
The stage is set for an electrifying evening of athletics at the Jamaica Athletics Invitational, and fans are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to witness world-class athletes in action at the National Stadium in Kingston.
Roshawn Clarke poised to shock himself at Velocity Fest Meeting in Kingston on Saturday
Roshawn Clarke, the World U20 400m hurdles record holder, is brimming with confidence as he gears up for the Velocity Fest meeting at the National Stadium in Kingston this Saturday. Clarke, who shattered Winthrop Graham’s 30-year-old national record of 47.60 with a remarkable time of 47.34 at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, is eyeing a podium finish at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.
The 19-year-old sprinter is excited to demonstrate his current form and fitness, hinting at potentially running either the 400m or the 200m at the Velocity Fest meeting. Clarke's recent performances have been promising, with a strong 400m season opener of 46.05 on February 10 and an identical time two weeks later. He has also run a nippy 20.69 over 200m in mid-March.
"I’m running fast. I ran my first race with a personal best as a season-opener. I repeated that exact time again so I am pretty confident, I am being consistent," Clarke shared during launch of the Racers Grand Prix on Tuesday. "I am running the 400m or the 200m this Saturday so I am just going there to enjoy myself and better my season’s best."
Clarke, who will turn 20 on July 1, is determined to lower his national record and challenge the world's top athletes like world-record holder and three-time world champion Karsten Warholm of Norway, the USA’s Rai Benjamin and Brazil’s Alison dos Santos, the 2022 champion. These formidable competitors have all clocked times under 47 seconds in the 400m hurdles.
"In Paris, the big three won’t go any slower than 46 so I am stronger now," Clarke explained. "My speed is very much improved right now, probably if I contest the 200m this weekend I will probably shock myself, again and my coach with how fast I am in training."
With high expectations for himself and a focus on execution, Clarke is poised to make waves and as he fine-tunes his skills at the Velocity Fest meeting, fans and competitors alike eagerly anticipate his performance and potential for achieving new personal milestones.
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