Darling had not been beaten in any races since March, and tonight the IAAF World Ranked No.1 in her event was not going to let that competitive record slip in the women’s Olympic 400 metres final, however tough and hard was the challenge from Ana Guevara, Mexico’s World champion.
Williams-Darling thus became the first individual Olympic gold medal-winner for the Bahamas, just four years after their women’s sprint relay squad landed the country’s first ever gold at the Sydney Games. She clocked 49.41 to Guevara’s 49.56, a season’s best, while Natalya Antyukh, of Russia, was delighted to take the bronze with 49.89, edging ahead of the American trio led by Monique Hennagan (49.97).
Guevara in lane three, with Williams-Darling in lane four, roared off at a tremendous pace in an effort to close down on her principle rival.
The first time the women had raced this season, in Rome, the Mexican’s two-year winning streak was brought to an abrupt end, and Williams-Darling had won again when they raced at the Zurich Golden League meeting, too. So Guevara, after an injury-hit season, would call on all her deepest reserves of strength.
Inside Guevara, Sanya Richards was trying to go with the Big Two, and they were so quick to halfway that they had caught up the stagger on Hennagan.
Off the last bend, and Guevara moved right to Williams-Darling’s shoulder. Who might crack first?
Williams-Darling proved to be the stronger, so wrote another piece of Olympic history.
SD
