Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas won the women’s 400 metres in 48.36 seconds on Friday, retaining her Olympic title, as American Allyson Felix took bronze, her record 10th Olympic medal.
Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic took silver.
Miller-Uibo wrested control of the lead on the second bend and delivered her trademark final surge to become the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic titles in the event since France’s Marie-Jose Perec in 1996.
She finished more than eight tenths of a second faster than Paulino, her place on top of podium seemingly never in doubt.
It was the fastest performance of the season in the event, after Miller-Uibo set the previous season’s best 49.08 in Eugene, Oregon, in April.
Felix’s bronze made her the most decorated woman in Olympic track and field history, edging ahead of Jamaica’s Merlene Ottey.
She also equalled compatriot Carl Lewis’s Olympic medal count and is widely expected to contend in Saturday’s 4x400m relay final for one more shot at the podium in her fifth and final Games.
Already one of the sport’s greats, Friday’s performance capped a remarkable saga for the 35-year-old, after she gave birth to daughter, Camryn, via an emergency C-section in 2018.
It was another speedy event at the Olympic Stadium, where records have fallen in a dazzling athletics programme, as Paulino set a national best to finish second.