US 400 Meter Relay Final, 2008 Olympics (video)

US 400 Meter Relay Final, 2008 Olympics (video)
link

The U.S. men's 4x400 relay team scored the U.S. track contingent's first Olympic record of the 2008 Beijing Games on the last full day of competition at the Bird's Nest.

The women's 4x400 relay team also won gold behind a gutsy anchor leg from Sanya Richards, who caught and passed her Russian counterpart in the final 50 meters.

The victories reclaimed some dignity for a U.S. track and field team that has struggled in these Games..

...Richards had to chase down Russian anchor runner Anastasia Kapachinskaya, passing her less than 10 meters from the tape. Mary Wineberg, Allyson Felix, Monique Henderson and Richards came home in 3:18.54. Henderson and Richards both ran for the gold medal-winning team in Athens in 2004. Russia took silver, Jamaica bronze.

Women's 1,500: After drafting along in fourth and fifth place, American Shannon Rowbury couldn't get up and go when everyone else got up and went on the final leg. Kenya's Nancy Jebet Langat won the gold in a time of 4:00.23. Rowbury was seventh in 4:03.58, the best American finish ever at that distance in the Olympics.