U.S. Track & Field Storms to Huge Success at the Rio Olympics

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U.S. Track & Field Storms to Huge Success at the Rio Olympics

The U.S. track and field team absolutely crushed it in the Olympics, racking up medals, setting records and turning in unprecedented results in Rio. Team USA collected 32 medals by running, throwing and jumping, the most in any Olympics since 1984 and the most in a non-boycotted Olympics since 1932. Here’s a glance how the Americans shined.

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2016 Olympic Games

Molly Huddle placed sixth in the 10,000m run in a new American record of 30:13.17. It was the fastest 10,000m race in history, thanks to a new world record from Ethiopian Almaz Ayana (29:17.45) at the front of the pack. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

Michelle Carter was the first American to medal in track & field, taking the shot put competition with a new U.S. record of 20.63 meters—or 67 feet, 8 inches. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

Although they didn't earn medals in the women's marathon, the trio of Shalane Flanagan (6th, 2:25:26), Desi Linden (7th, 2:26:08) and Amy Cragg (9th, 2:28:25) had the strongest showing of any country. Each runner battled with the lead group deep into the race and hung on to finish among the top 10. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

Emma Coburn was the first American distance runner to stand on the podium, as she earned the bronze medal in the 3,000m steeplechase. In doing so, Coburn became the first American woman to medal in the event since its inception in the Olympics in 2004. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

In finishing third in the steeplechase, Coburn lowered her own American record in the event to 9:07.63. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

Coburn also caused a bit of a media frenzy by smartly holding her New Balacne spikes during post-race photo sessions. New Balance is not an official sponsor and controversial Rule 40 prohibits athletes of mentioning brands in interviews or any type of social media. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

The bronze medal was the first international medal for Coburn, who placed 12th in the 2012 Olympics and fifth in the 2015 world championships in the steeplechase. She also famously borrowed a hair tie from Evan Jager, who went on to earn the silver medal in the men's 3,000m steeplechase. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

Clayton Murphy continued his strong running with a bronze medal in the 800m, running the third-fastest time in U.S. history (1:42.93). Murphy, the 2016 NCAA 1,500-meter runner and U.S. Olympic Trials 800m champion, was the first American man to medal in the event since 1992. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

Running in her third Olympics, Jenny Simpson won the bronze in the women's 1,500m run. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

Simpson, who already owns a gold and silver medal from the world championships, became the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in the 1,500m. And she followed Coburn's lead by getting New Balance plenty of love in post-race photos. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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Ryan Crouser was perhaps the top performer on the U.S. track team. He won the shot put gold medal with an Olympic record throw of 22.52 meters. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

Tori Bowie came home with a lot of hardware for the U.S., earning a silver medal in the 100m, a bronze medal in the 200m and a gold medal in the 4x100m relay. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

Bowie was clocked in 10.83 in the 100m, just off her PR of 10.78. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

In the men's 400, LaShawn Merritt (center) ran a season-best 43.85 but it was only good enough to earn him the bronze medal. The 2008 Olympic champion could only watch from behind as South Africa's Wade Van Niekerk set a new world record of 43:03 en route to the gold medal. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

Merritt also placed sixth in the 200m, but then he came back to help the U.S. win the 4x400m relay (2:57.30) and avenge a 2012 loss to the team from the Bahamas. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

The U.S. swept the top three spots in the women's 100m hurdles. Brianna Collins won the race in 12.48 seconds, followed by teammates Nia Ali (12.59) and Kristi Castlin (12.61). Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

While getting the silver medal in the 400m dash was a disappointment, Allyson Felix stiill became the most decorated U.S. female track athlete in history with 9 total medals since 2004. In addition to her close second in the 400, she also ran legs of the gold-medal-winning 4x100m and 4x400m relays. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

Justin Gatlin gained more notoriety for twice being suspended for doping earlier in this career, but he also finished second in the 100-meter dash to Usain Bolt in 9.89 seconds. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

Jeffrey Henderson won the long jump competition by 1 cm, jumping 8.38 meters—or 27 feet, 5.6 inches. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

Christian Taylor successfully repeated as triple jump champion ...

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2016 Olympic Games

... taking the gold medal with a winning jump of 17.86 meters—or 58 feet, 7 inches.

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2016 Olympic Games

Meanwhile, Willie Claye placed a close second in the triple jump with a best leap of 17.76 meters—or 58 feet, 3 inches. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

Matthew Centrowitz Jr. turned in a golden performance in the men's 1,500m run. He won the tactical race in a pedestrian 3:50.00, becoming the first American winner in that event since 1908. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

Centrowitz, the son of two-time U.S. Olympian Matt Centrowitz, was hoping to make amends for finishing fourth and narrowly missing a medal in the 2012 Olympics. Suffice to say he did so much more than that. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

In the men's 5,000m, Paul Chelimo battled hard around the last turn to get in position for a strong finishing kick in pursuit of eventual winner Mo Farah. While Farah successfully defended his gold medal from 2012, Chelimo, a Kenyan-born American in his first Olympics, earned the silver medal by finishing in 13:03.90, just .60 seconds behind Farah. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

Chelimo momentarily lost his medal when he was ruled to have stepped on the inside of the track. But an appeal overturned the protest result and Chelimo was reinstated, thus earning the first U.S. medal in the event since 1964. (Had Chelimo lost the appeal, American Bernard Lagat, the fourth-place finisher, would have taken the bronze.) Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

In the men's marathon on Aug. 21,Galen Rupp stuck with eventual winner Eliud Kipchoge of Kenyan and eventual runner-up Feyisa Lilesa of Ethiopia through mile 21 and hung on for the bronze medal. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

Running in just his second marathon, Galen Rupp finished third and lowered his PR to 2:10:05 and earned the first U.S. medal in the men's marathon since 2004. Rupp also placed fifth in the 10,000m run on Aug. 13. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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2016 Olympic Games

While Galen Rupp earned a lot of attention for earning the bronze medal in the men's marathon, Jared Ward (6th, 2:11:30) and Meb Keflezighi (33rd, 2:16:46) also turned in strong performances. It was the first Olympic effort for the 27-year-old Ward, while it was the fourth Olympics for the 41-year-old Keflezighi. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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