Rio 2016: Shaunae Miller Dives to Win 400M Gold
Bahamas runner Shaunae Miller won a dramatic gold medal in the women’s 400m final at the 2016 Rio Olympics after she stumbled and then dived across the finish line.
Shaunae Miller, 22, edged out American world champion Allyson Felix, 30, to win in 49.44 seconds.
Allyson Felix took silver in 49.51 seconds with Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson third.
Photo USA Today
“I don’t know what happened,” said Shaunae Miller, who finished second to Allyson Felix at the World Championships in Beijing in 2015.
“My mind just went blank. I heard my mom screaming. When I heard her screaming, I was like, <<OK, I had to have won the race>>. “
“The only thing I was thinking was the gold medal and the next thing I know I was on the ground,” Shaunae Miller said.
“It was just a reaction.”
She added: “I’ve never done it before. I have cuts and bruises, a few burns.”
Shaunae Miller’s coach, Lance Brauman, added: “She gave everything she had and her legs gave out at the line. It was not intentional.”
Allyson Felix, who won the 200m at London 2012 and has three relay gold medals, now has seven Olympic medals in total – more than any other woman in US history.