Brianna Rollins leads American sweep of women's 100 hurdles final
Lucky stars of Rio: Oregon’s Allen headed back to gridiron without a medal | Biles wins fourth gold medal | Floyd calls Olympian the next Mayweather
RIO DE JANEIRO — The United States swept the podium in the 100-meter hurdles Wednesday night, with Brianna Rollins winning gold, Nia Ali silver and Kristi Castlin bronze at the Rio Games.
Rollins won in a time of 12.48 seconds. Ali was second in 12.59 and Castlin finished third in 12.61.
Even without Keni Harrison, who set a new world record in the event weeks after a poor showing at the U.S. Olympic trials left her off the team, the American women dominated despite an entirely different team than in 2012, when Dawn Harper took silver, Kellie Wells bronze and Lolo Jones fourth.
[Featured: “There was a group of athletes that were pro-drugs” – Edwin Moses]
The 24-year-old Rollins, who also won the Olympic qualifier, ran a blazing 12.48 seconds, shy of Harrison’s 12.20-second time, which broke a world record that had stood for 28 years.
Ali, 27, had found her greatest success in the 60-meter hurdles, an event not in the Olympics. She took off 2015 after giving birth to a son, Titus, whom she carried on a victory lap after winning the 2016 world championships in the 60.
Castlin, a veteran at 28, has long been on the hurdle scene but never cracked the tough-to-make American lineup for an Olympics. She was best known for ending Rollins’ 19-meet winning streak in the 100 hurdles in 2014, and now has an even better line at the top of her resume: Olympic bronze medalist.
