Saturday, August 7, 2021

Ageless

 That was some cool deal yesterday in Tokyo, when a young woman from Wisconsin, Molly Seidel, won the bronze medal in the women's marathon on yet another day of stifling heat and humidity.

Hardly anyone saw that coming, and not because Seidel, a Notre Dame runner, does not know how to put one foot in front of the other over and over and over. It was because it was only the third marathon she'd ever run.

Guess she's a quick study -- even if "quick" is not the word you think of first when you're talking about a 26-mile, 385-yard foot race.

But you know what?

That wasn't the most amazing part of the Olympic track and field the last few days.

The real amazing part is what happened in the women's 400 meters.

What happened was a 35-year-old woman also won a bronze medal.

That would be Allyson Felix of the U.S., who is the polar opposite of Molly Seidel. Felix, you see, is the most decorated women's track and field athlete in Olympic history. And by the end of today, when she runs on the U.S. women's 4x400 relay, she'll likely be the most decorated Olympian, period, man or woman.

Felix's bronze was her 10th overall medal in five Olympics, the most for a woman ever and tied with Carl Lewis for the most by any track athlete. Her six gold medals are also the most for a woman. Yesterday's  medal came three years after the birth of her daughter by C-section.

Nonetheless, at 35, she came with .25 seconds of her PR in the 400. And the two women who finished in front of her?

The gold medalist, Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas, is eight year younger than Felix. The silver medalist, Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic, is 11 years younger.

Update: As expected, Felix is now the most decorated track-and-field Olympian ever, man or woman. The U.S. 4x400 relay won the gold, Felix's seventh alltime.

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