U.S. Team Takes Record Haul With 33 Medals In Front Of Home Crowd At Hayward Field

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

John Nepolitan Photos | Tim Healy Photos

EUGENE — Armand Duplantis knows how to close a meet, and he is routinely capable of finding one extra centimeter. 

Duplantis, of Sweden, went up and over 20 feet, 4.50 inches (6.21m) to bring closure to a 10-day track and field extravaganza at Hayward Field.  

Team USATF broke the World Championships record for most medals with 33 on a final spectacular evening that included gold for Athing Mu in the women's 800 meters and double wins in the 4x400 relays. 

But when you want to end a global meet with a bang, you set the men's pole vault at the end of the schedule.

"There is quite a bit of pressure on you when you're the only person competing and everybody at the track has their attention focused toward you, so I'm glad I could do my best and try to put on a good show," Duplantis said. 

Duplantis' victory and record-breaking vault followed another world record at the start of the session by Tobi Amusan of Nigeria, who ran a wind-legal time of 12.12 seconds in the women's 100-meter hurdles in the semifinals, before clocking a wind-aided 12.06 (+2.5 m/s) in the final to capture her country's first gold medal. 

The U.S. track and field community is responsible for more than the 33 medals, of course. High school and college track programs across the country can lay claim to developing an even higher number, including Duplantis' gold, which has roots at Lafayette High in Louisiana and LSU. 

For the best pole vaulter in the world, pushing the bar up one centimeter at a time is the continuation of a journey that started in his backyard as a kid. 

"It's not necessarily that an extra centimeter is so difficult, it's just getting to that point where you have to get a good jump," said Duplantis, who helped Sweden become the 29th country to capture a gold medal at the meet, most in World Championships history. 

Chris Nilsen of the U.S. took the silver with 19-5.75 (5.94m) on his first attempt and EJ Obiena became the first Filipino to get a medal at a global meet with bronze, also with 19-5.75 (5.94m) on his second attempt, a lifetime best. 

The 4x400 relays helped push the U.S. over the top of the 30 medals that the country earned in 2017 and helped the Americans surpass the previous record of 31 medals established by East Germany in 1987 in Rome. A record 45 countries earned a medal at this year's meet and 76 of them had at least one finalist.

Sydney McLaughlin, who broke a world record Friday, anchored a women's relay that featured three athletes who competed at the NCAA level and won championships this year, splitting 47.91 to bring home the gold in 3:17.79, the fastest time ever achieved on U.S. soil. Only Allyson Felix, who split 47.72 in 2015 in Beijing, has run a faster 4x400 leg for the Americans.

"I'm the oldest, and that's weird because I'm 22," McLaughlin said. "It just shows our depth and how the future is so bright for USA Track and Field. It's an honor to be with these girls, who are blowing things up."

Talitha Diggs, 19, opened things up for the U.S. and Abby Steiner, 22, and Britton Wilson, 21, both split sub-50 before the baton went to McLaughlin. 

In the men's race that preceded it, a U.S. lineup that featured 400-meter gold medalist Michael Norman splitting 43.64 on the second leg, won the gold with 2:56.17. Champion Allison ran the anchor. Elija Godwin and Bryce Deadmon ran the first and third legs, including a 43.82 split from the former Texas A&M standout to provide Allison a comfortable lead. 

Mu kept the forward momentum from her incredible 2021 season going and held off a challenge from fellow 20-year-old Keely Hodgkinson of Great Britain to win the 800 in 1:56.30. Hodgkinson, who tried to squeeze past Mu along the inside of lane 1, finished 0.08 seconds back. 

"Goll-y, I'm just happy it's over," Mu said. "Today was kind of a rough day for me. I'm just glad I could make it through the line, finish the race and, and thank God I won gold."

Kenya's Mary Moraa, 22, ran 1:56.71 for the bronze and Ethiopian Diribe Welteji, the leader at 400 meters, finished fourth in a personal-best 1:57.02. 

Medal contenders Raevyn Rogers (1:58.26) and Ajee' Wilson (2:00.19) were sixth and eighth, respectively. 

Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway was so confident in his ability to handle whatever was thrown at him in the men's 5,000 meters that he swung wide on consecutive laps to grab a cup of water. If there had been a loaf of bread, he may have made a sandwich. 

Ingebrigtsen moved himself into the front at 4,000 meters and didn't allow anyone to pass him the rest of the way. He made up for a missed gold in the 1,500 meters and ran 13:09.24. 

"There was no tactical decision, no sprint finish," Ingebrigtsen said. "I just wanted to prove that it was my gold and considering how the race went on I felt like I was the better runner today."

The top eight finished within three seconds and a pack of runners was at full flight around the final turn. Grant Fisher of the U.S. was racing for a medal when he got bumped off his stride and he lost momentum and finished sixth in 13:11.65. 

Luis Grijalva of Guatemala nearly ran to an historic medal for his country. After staying on the rail for the entire race he was chasing the leaders and and finished in 13:10.44, 0.24 seconds out of third place. 

Jacob Krop of Kenya earned the silver medal in 13:09.98 and Uganda's Oscar Chelimo (13:10.20) got bronze. 

Kevin Mayer of France, who won the 2017 world title after the retirement of Ashton Eaton, won the gold medal in the decathlon with 8,816 points. He got a big throw in the javelin 230-8 (70.31m) to set himself up for the win ahead of the grueling 10th event, the 1,500 meters. 

Mayer had tears in his eyes on the podium, partly because he felt for Olympic champion Damian Warner's unfortunate departure from the competition with an injury in the 400 meters Saturday. 

"I was devastated for Damian," Mayer said. "I told myself that it was going to be easier, but not at all. It was hard, so it's good to have the medal now, because (the competition) pushed me."

Pierce LePage of Canada secured silver with a lifetime-best 8,701 points and American Zach Ziemek earned his first global medal by achieving bronze with a personal-best 8,676. Ayden Owens-Delerme, representing Arkansas and Puerto Rico, improved on his top mark from the collegiate season to finish fourth with 8,532, including a personal-best 4:13.02 to win the 1,500.

Germany's Malaika Mihambo won her third consecutive global women's long jump title and jumped 23-4.50 (7.12m) on her final attempt to secure the gold medal. 

Nigeria's Ese Brume tried to make it a double-gold night for her nation but came up 10 centimeters short and took the silver medal with 23-0.50 (7.02m). 

The competition for the bronze medal was decided by a centimeter. Leticia Oro Melo from Brazil edged out Quanesha Burks of the U.S., 22-7.25 (6.89m) to 22-7 (6.88m). Oro Melo got her lifetime-best mark on the first try and fouled her five remaining attempts, with Burks achieving her effort in the second round to equal her highest global finish, also placing fourth at the 2018 World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, England.