Reuters
Rio de Janeiro, August 17: Jamaica, Kenya and the United States added to their athletics medal tallies in the 110 metres hurdles, women’s 1,500m and men’s triple jump here Tuesday, while Russia’s sole track and field competitor survived to compete another day at the Olympics.
Athletes from Kenya, Croatia and Canada also claimed Olympic gold in a largely empty stadium, where announcers urged rowdy Brazilian fans to restrain themselves after provoking a French pole vaulter with a chorus of boos the night before.
Jamaica’s Omar McLeod earned the country their first gold in the men’s sprint hurdles, Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon devastated the field in the 1,500m and American Christian Taylor successfully defended his triple-jump gold.
However, the loudest cheers of the night came for native pole vaulter Thiago da Silva as he received the gold medal he won Monday night. The crowd once again booed silver medallist French Renaud Lavillenie, ignoring Da Silva’s gestures asking for quiet.
Russian athletes in particular have faced hostile crowds here as the result of a doping scandal that has shaded the Games.
Long jumper Darya Klishina, the sole athlete from her country competing in track and field after the rest of the team were banned, escaped their wrath, but that was probably more a result of her slipping in unannounced and unnoticed rather than an overnight change of attitude. After earning a spot in Wednesday’s final with a leap of 6.64m Klishina said she missed having teammates.
“It is very hard being the only Russian,” she said. “Unfortunately, I am here alone and this is a big responsibility.”
In the hurdles, McLeod beat Cuban-born Orlando Ortega who won silver for Spain, and Frenchman Dimitri Bascou, who took bronze.
Kipyegon bided her time through the slow early stages of the 1,500 race before setting off on a blazing second half with Genzebe Dibaba but then pulling clear of the world record holder.
High jumper Derek Drouin earned Canada’s third gold medal of the Games, clearing 2.38 metres to beat Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim.
In the morning session, American Taylor earned a second straight triple-jump gold with a 17.86m leap that is the furthest anyone has jumped this season, sailing 10cm longer than teammate Will Claye.
But the 25-year-old silver medallist had one more jump left in him, into the stands where he proposed to long-time girlfriend and former Olympian Queen Harrison, who burst into tears and accepted.
“When I woke up I was like, today is going to be the best day of my life,” Claye told reporters. “I’m going to go out there and do what I have to do on the track and I’m going to make her my fiancée.”
Croatia’s Sandra Perkovic also retained her shot put title with a third-round throw of 69.21 metres, 2.48 meters further than Melina Robert-Michon, who at 37 became France’s oldest Olympic medal winner in athletics.
