Noah Lyles had a U.S. flag draped around his shoulders and a golden crown perched atop his head. The star sprinter did not mention what the crown was supposed to represent, but he and his teammates had just finished showing the world who the kings of the track were with one final sizzling performance at the world championships.
Lyles, running the anchor leg, raced away from Canada’s Andre de Grasse on a rain-soaked track at National Stadium to help the United States win gold in the 4x100-meter relay, the final track event of the World Athletics Championships.
"We came here with a job and that was to win gold," Kenny Bednarek said. "And we did it. We're America, we're the best of the best."
Christian Coleman, Bednarek, Courtney Lindsey and Lyles finished in 37.29 seconds to beat Canada (37.55) and the Netherlands (37.81).
“I feel like we got the job done,” Lindsey said. “We knew we were gonna make the proper adjustments, and I feel like we had the best team.”
Japan, which had fired up its home fans by qualifying for the final on Saturday night, finished sixth in 38.35 seconds.
“My time was the slowest when I checked with everyone just now,” said Yoshihide Kiryu, who ran the third leg. “If I'd run properly this time, I think I could have gotten a medal. It’s my responsibility.”
The U.S swept the 4x100-meter relays, with the women’s team of Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Twanisha Terry, Kayla White and Sha'Carri Richardson winning gold.
The win gave Jefferson-Wooden her third gold medal of the championships after victories in the 100 and 200. Jefferson-Wooden finished first in every round of both individual competitions.
“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 medal,” she said. “I’m really happy about that.”
Coleman and Bednarek got the ball rolling for the U.S. men, and Lindsey stepped on the gas in the third leg to increase the lead. It was over when Lyles received the baton, as he widened the gap between the U.S. and the rest of the field.
“We all know we are the fastest,” Lyles said. “We just had to get the baton from start to finish. When Christian passed the baton, I knew it was a done deal. 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 have not asked for a better relay.”
The Japanese team performed poses from the anime “One Piece,” which drew a smile from anime fan Lyles, during the introductions. Japan likely needed to run a nearly flawless race to earn a medal, but was left to reflect on small mistakes.
“I think I could have handed (the baton) over earlier,” Yuki Koike said. “We did manage to finish in the top 8, and I was able to say thank you to the fans. I think it is because we managed to pass the baton and reach the finish line. That is what I will take away. But I also really wanted a medal.”
The U.S. narrowly beat Jamaica in the women’s relay. Richardson ran the final leg and beat Jonielle Smith, who was coming on strong, to give the United States the gold in 41.75 seconds.
“The girls did an amazing job before the baton got into my hands,” Richardson said. “I am happy to be sharing this gold medal with my teammates, my training partners.”
Jamaica finished with a time of 41.79 for silver, and Germany earned bronze in 41.87.
The race marked the end of the career of Jamaican great Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Fraser-Pryce — whose first senior international event was at the world championships in Osaka in 2007 — earned her 17th medal from the world championships.
“I have had an amazing career and today's medal is the icing on the cake,” she said. “My son will be excited. Today is a full-circle moment for me. I was a reserve at my first world championships in Japan in 2007. I couldn't have it any other way.
“I am grateful for the medals, the stadiums and the crowds where I have competed throughout my career. I have some plans, and I want to focus on advocacy and support women and athletes. I want to continue to make an impact.”
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone ran a split of 47.82 seconds during the final leg of the women’s 4x400-meter relay as the United States finished well ahead of the field and set an event record with a time of 3 minutes, 16.61 seconds.
“Everyone just wanted to go out there and do their job,” McLaughlin-Levrone said. “We weren’t really going for a time. We just wanted to obviously do our parts and win the race. It’s always special to also add a championships record to the mix.”
Jamaica (3:19.25) finished second, and the Netherlands (3:20.18) earned bronze.
Botswana won the men’s race in 2:57.76 ahead of the U.S. (2:57.83) and South Africa (2:57.83).
In other events on the final day, Australian Nicola Olyslagers won gold in the women’s high jump, and Kenya’s Lilian Odira won the women’s 800 meters.
Germany’s Leo Neugebauer won the men’s decathlon, and American Cole Hocker claimed gold in the men’s 5,000.
Daniel Stahl of Sweden won the men’s discus throw, which was the last event to finish because of a rain delay. Stahl secured the gold with his final throw.
The U.S. led all nations with 16 gold medals, followed by Kenya with seven and Canada with three.
Japan finished the world championships with a pair of bronze medals.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.