Deadmon and Little win Olympic relay gold

PARIS – Texas A&M all-time greats Bryce Deadmon and Shamier Little helped Team USA capture Olympic gold in the men’s and women’s 4x400m relay, respectively, on Saturday at the Stade de France.

On the final day of track and field action for the Aggies, Deadmon and Little left their marks on the purple track at the Stade de France as the pair won the last two gold medals at the Olympic stadium.

The U.S. men’s relay team was first to compete, as Deadmon looked to claim his second medal of the Games and second consecutive Olympic title in the 4x400m after claiming gold in Tokyo.

In the first two stages, led by Christopher Bailey and Vernon Norwood, Deadmon was handed the baton by a narrow margin in third place. Eager to push the pace, he pulled ahead of the two leading teams in the first turn to give Team USA its first lead of the event. Deadmon extended his and the USA’s lead with the fastest split of any rider in Stage 3 (43.54), handing the baton to Rai Benjamin, who secured the team victory with an Olympic record time of 2:54.43, which also ranks as the second-fastest time in the history of the event.

Little was also seeking her second medal of the Games, as she and the U.S. women’s team took to the track with their eyes set on gold after dominating the first round of the event on Friday.

In their quest to get off to a strong start, the Red, White and Blue handed the baton to Little and she delivered. Coming out of lane six, she shot out of the blocks in the fastest opening time of the event at 49.48 and handed the baton to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who took the lead. The United States extended its lead in the third run thanks to Gabby Thomas, and Alexis Holmes left no doubt as the team crossed the finish line in an American record time of 3:15.27, which, like the men’s relay, is the second-fastest time in history.

The pair of gold medals in the finals brought the Texas A&M track and field team’s medal tally to six, with two gold, two silver and two bronze.

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