The U.S. broke the record for most gold medals at a World Track and Field Championships after winning three of the four relays on the last day of the meet Sunday.
In rainy Tokyo, the U.S. won the women’s and men’s 4x100m and the women’s 4x400m to finish with 16 gold medals, breaking the previous record of 14 gold medals for a single worlds (USA, 2005, 2007 and 2019).
Cole Hocker also won the 5000m earlier Sunday. More on his victory here.
The success came a year after the U.S. won 14 golds and 34 total medals in track and field at the Paris Olympics — the most for any nation in either category since 1984.
TRACK AND FIELD WORLDS: Results | Broadcast Schedule
The U.S. won the most gold medals and total medals (26) at a fifth consecutive worlds.
In the women’s 4x100m, American anchor Sha’Carri Richardson held off Jamaican Jonielle Smith by four hundredths.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, the U.S. lead-off, became the second woman to sweep the 100m, 200m and 4x100m at a single worlds after Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in 2013.
Jefferson-Wooden is also the second American woman to win three golds at a single worlds across all events after Allyson Felix in 2007.
Richardson anchors U.S. to 4x100m gold at worlds
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Twanisha Terry, Kayla White, and Sha’Carri Richardson ran away from the competition in the women’s 4x100m relay, posting a mark of 41.75 seconds for worlds gold over Jamaica and Germany.
Noah Lyles anchored the U.S. men’s 4x100m to victory, joined by Christian Coleman, Kenny Bednarek and Courtney Lindsey.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone anchored the U.S. to a dominant victory in the women’s 4x400m.
McLaughlin-Levrone earned her fifth career world title, tying for second on the U.S. women’s all-time list with others including Jefferson-Wooden. Only Allyson Felix has won more with 14 (which is a record for all athletes from all nations).
McLaughlin-Levrone anchors U.S. to CR in 4x400m
Despite less-than-ideal conditions in Tokyo, Isabella Whittaker, Lynna Irby-Jackson, Aaliyah Butler, and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone combined for a championship record 3:16.61 in the women’s 4x400m final to capture gold.
The only relay the U.S. didn’t win at these worlds was the men’s 4x400m.
Botswana anchor Collen Kebinatshipi, the individual 400m gold medalist, overtook Rai Benjamin, the 400m hurdles gold medalist, in the final strides to prevail by seven hundredths.
In 2024, Benjamin delivered Olympic gold in the event by one tenth over Botswana.
U.S. second to Botswana in men’s 4x400m final
Racing through the pouring rain, Vernon Norwood, Jacory Patterson, Khaleb McRae, and Rai Benjamin put up a season best 2:57.83 in the men’s 4x400m relay final, good for the silver medal between Botswana and South Africa.
World Championships highlights air Sunday at 12 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
The fall marathon season continues Oct. 12 with the Chicago Marathon, airing live on NBC Chicago and nbcchicago.com.
The field features the second- and fourth-fastest American marathoners in history — Conner Mantz and Galen Rupp.
Anna Hall rebounded from past injuries to become the second American to win a world heptathlon title.
