US women take gold in the 4x400m relay at the world athletic championships. Athing Mu becomes the first American woman to win 800m at world championships. Women's Tour de France returns after 33-year hiatus.
US women take gold in 4x400m at world athletic championships
The US women's team has won its third consecutive title in the 4x400 meter relay at the world athletic championships as the United States closed out the Eugene World Championships with its 13th gold medal, Reuters reported.
Giving the Americans a solid start was Talitha Diggs.
In the second leg, former Kentucky track and field star Abby Steiner, who also helped the US win gold in the 4x100m Sprint relay on Saturday, put the US farther ahead by outpacing Jamaican Janieve Russell.
In the third leg, Britton Wilson would open up even more daylight.
In the final leg, anchor Sydney McLaughlin, who broke the 400m hurdles world record on Friday, ran an outstanding final leg with a time of 47.91, for a winning team time of 3:17.79, finishing 20 meters ahead of second-place Jamaica, with a time of 3:20.74, with Britain crossed the line in third at 3:22.64.
Athing Mu first American woman to win 800M gold at World Championships
Athing Mu was a 19-year-old freshman at Texas A&M when she won a gold medal for the 800-meter at the Tokyo Olympics last August, becoming the first American to do so in over 50 years. She also won the 2021 Bowerman award as the nation's top collegiate athlete.
Now 20, Mu proved why she is one of the top track stars in the world, aiming to set a world record at the world championships in Eugene, Oregon. She set the world-leading time this year, running the 800 at 1:56.30 in the finals to take the gold, edging out Great Britain's Keely Hodgkinson, who took the silver with a time of 1:56.38, 247 Sports reported.
Mu's victory marked the first time an American has won the event at the world championships.
Women's Tour de France returns after 33-year hiatus
While the men's Tour de France has a 119-year history, women have only competed in the official Tour de France just five times. The women's Tour de France only lasted from the years 1984 to 1989, canceled afterward due to a lack of financial backing, the Washington Post reported. But after a 33-year absence, sponsor Zwift has resurrected the women's Tour de France, as well as is offering one of the highest prized purses in women's cycling history – €250,000.
The eight-day tour kicked off on Sunday with 24 teams of six cyclists lining up on the Champs-Élysées in Paris for the 640-mile stage race that will feature two mountain stages, ending in the Vosges Mountains.