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A22 SPORTS
Monday 7 october 2019
Hanging on: U.S. sets past aside, wins men’s 4x100 gold medal

By EDDIE PELLS an assistant at the Nike Or-
AP National Writer egon Project — the team
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Noah run by Alberto Salazar, the
Lyles let out a huge scream famed long-distance guru
and kept right on running who was kicked out of the
— through the finish line meet last week after re-
and straight toward his ceiving a doping ban.
teammate, Christian Cole- Sifan Hassan, who was a
man. After a quick hug, Salazar athlete, became
Lyles stuck the baton out the first person to com-
and Coleman grabbed plete a 1,500-10K double at
hold, too. worlds, running the shorter
Nobody was letting it go. race Saturday in 3 minutes,
Motivated by a team 51.95 seconds to demolish
meeting in the morning, a top 10 that included six
then propelled by sticky- other athletes who set per-
fingered flawlessness at sonal bests.
night, the American men The result brought with it
overcame the country’s some immediate trolling on
longest and most-notorious social media.
track jinx to win gold at the “That was the best wom-
world championships Satur- en’s championship field
day in the 4x100 relay that Gold medalists in the 4x100 relay from left, Noah Lyles, Michael Rodgers, Christian Coleman and in history. And one per-
has bedeviled this team for Justin Gatlin, of the United States, celebrate at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, son dominated,” tweeted
decades. Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019. Steve Magness , the former
“We broke the curse. We Associated Press assistant of Salazar’s who
broke the curse,” Lyles Three times, the Americans They’re over there doing be in the final to defend was one of the key whistle-
yelled into the microphone passed the baton — from magic and I’m just trying to her title Sunday. Including blowers in the doping case.
during his on-track inter- Coleman to Justin Gatlin, make it all worthwhile.” the women’s relay bronze Hassan wasn’t in the mood
view. “U-S-A. We’re taking from Gatlin to Mike Rodg- It put an exclamation point medal in a race won going for apologies.
all the golds! All of them.” ers, and from Rodgers to on a night that had its away by Shelly-Ann Fraser- “If they want to test me,
Their first sprint relay win Lyles — and with nary a hic- share of good and bad for Pryce and Jamaica, the they can test me every
at worlds since 2007 — cup in any of the exchang- the U.S. United States heads into single day,” she said. “I be-
the pre-Usain Bolt days — es. The clean exchanges Good: Joe Kovacs pulling the final day with 11 gold lieve in clean sport. I be-
made the U.S. men 3 for 3 allowed that raw speed to an upset over his team- medals, and 25 overall. It lieve in Alberto. Since I’ve
in the sprints. The winning take over. mate, Ryan Crouser, for a will be a stretch to match been with him, I’ve worked
started a week ago with Still pumped more than an 1-2 U.S. finish in the shot put. the record total of 30 from really hard, and that’s what
Coleman’s romp in the 100, hour after the race, Lyles Bad: A false start by Olym- two years ago in London. I know.”
and continued Tuesday provided his own play-by- pic champion Brianna Other gold medals went to The harshest of the dop-
with an equally impressive play. McNeal in the 100-meter Yulimar Rojas of Venezu- ing sticklers will be quick to
win from Lyles in the 200. “I saw the first handoff and hurdle heats — “I didn’t ela in the triple jump and point out that Gatlin (two
Then, this: A win that was I was, like ‘Dang,’ then I false start,” she insisted to Kenya’s Hellen Obiri in the bans), Rodgers (nine-month
anything but pre-ordained, saw the next one and it the judges before leaving women’s 5,000 meters. ban in 2012) and Coleman
despite the clear advan- was, ‘Dang,’ then, I’m like the track (but she did). And Obiri held off a charge from (convoluted whereabouts
tage the Americans held in ‘Ooh,’” he said. “Then I got Brittney Reese’s surprisingly eventual bronze medalist case dismissed last month)
raw speed. the baton and I’m think- early exit from the long Konstanze Klosterhalfen, also have some baggage
It takes teamwork, too. ing, ‘I’ve got to run fast.’ jump, meaning she won’t whose coach is Pete Julian, in that area.q

Las Vegas Cantlay hit the longest
drive of the final round —
345 yards — and had only
Continued from Page 18 loss to take. As much as 113 yards left. But he could
he took advantage of get no closer than 25 feet,
Na, who closed with a Na's blunders, Cantlay and his putt hung on the
1-under 70, rolled in his made some of his own. right edge of the putt.
4-foot par putt and raised He two-putted the par- Cantlay, trying to win for
his arms in celebration. It 5 16th from 40 feet for a the third time when facing
was his third victory in the one-shot lead after Na hit a deficit of at least three
last 15 months, and third into the water and made shots, closed with a 68.
in as many seasons on the bogey. But on the next They finished at 23-under
PGA Tour. He joined Jim hole, Cantlay came up 261.
Furyk as the only multiple short and just enough left On the first extra hole, Na
winners in Las Vegas. that the ball rolled back hit wedge to just inside
"It came down way to into the water. 10 feet. Cantlay was just
close," Na said. He got up-and-down for outside 10 feet — on the
Cantlay was runner-up for bogey and looked as if Kevin Na reacts lines up his shot on the second green during same line as his 25-foot
the second straight year he would keep his lead the final round of Shriners Hospitals for Children Open golf birdie chance in regula-
in Las Vegas, where he when Na went into a bun- tournament Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019, in Las Vegas. tion — and made it. Na
earned his first PGA Tour ker and had such a peril- Associated Press poured his in, walking to-
victory two years ago. ous shot that he chose to to keep it out of the water. for par. ward the hole before the
Even so, this was a tough play away from the flag But he made the 25-footer On the closing hole, ball dropped. q