Another night, another jam-packed slate of Tokyo Olympic action.
American Rai Benjamin broke the previous world record in the 400-meter hurdles, but was outdone by Norway’s Karsten Warholm, who became the first person to break 46 seconds in the event.
Benjamin’s fellow countrymen and women are off to steady starts on the track as well. Fve-time Olympian Allyson Felix and world champion Noah Lyles cruised to the semifinals of the women’s 400-meter and men’s 200-meter, respectively.
Felix, competing in her fifth and final Olympic appearance, moved one step closer to becoming the winningest women’s track and field athlete of all time, winning her heat in 50.84 seconds.
The A-Team — the American duo of April Ross and Alix Klineman — continued its quest for Olympic gold with a 21-19, 21-19 win over Germany in the beach volleyball quarterfinal.
And since days and nights pretty much blend together at this point, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that Simone Biles is returning to the competition floor to compete alongside all-around champion Suni Lee in Tuesday morning’s balance beam final.
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As always, we have you covered with updates from the Games as it’s all happening:
Warholm shatters world record
Rai Benjamin running a 46.17 in the 400-meter hurdles broke the old world record, but in a battle between two of the best 400-meter hurdles racers on the planet, it was only good enough for silver. Norway’s Karsten Warholm ran an even better race, setting the new world record in 45.94 for a gold medal. Brazil’s Alison dos Santos picked up the bronze medal.
Felix returns to form
Allyson Felix, competing in her fifth and final Olympic appearance, moved one step closer to becoming the winningest women’s track and field athlete of all time, winning her heat in the 400-meter race in 50.84 seconds. Jamaica’s Roneisha McGregor and the Czech Republic’s Lada Vondrová tied for the second spot at 51.14, also qualifying for the semifinals, which begin at 6:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday.
American men show out
Youth Olympic Games and world champion Noah Lyles, who didn’t make the cut to Rio 2016, is off to a strong start for his first Olympic gold medal in the men’s 200-meter at Tokyo. In his first race at the Tokyo Olympics, Lyles, 24, who is the fourth-fastest man in this event, cruised into the semifinals, which is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 3, at 7:50 a.m. ET, finishing first in his heat at 20.18. Eswatini’s Sibusiso Matsenjwa finished second in the heat, followed by Ghana’s Joseph Amoah.
Lyles didn’t have the fastest time in the preliminary round, though. USA’s Kenny Bednarek finished first in his heat with a 20.01 time.
A-Team to semis
The U.S. beach volleyball duo of April Ross and Alix Klineman, otherwise known as the A-Team, defeated Germany’s Laura Ludwig and Margareta Kozuch in straight sets to advance to Thursday’s semifinal. The gold-medal match will be on Friday.
Late leap gives Germany gold
Team USA’s Brittney Reese had a gold medal snatched away from her grasps in the women’s long jump when Germany’s Malaika Mihambo’s jumped 7.00 meters in her final attempt. Reese, a gold medalist in London and silver medalist in Rio, jumped 6.97 meters. Nigeria’s Ese Brume won bronze.
Gold for Gabby Thomas?
Gabby Thomas, 24, grew up admiring Allyson Felix. Now, the Harvard graduate who is studying epidemiology has a chance to be the first American woman since Felix in 2012 to win gold in the 200-meter dash.
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