Team USA leads medal count in Paris as Sha’Carri Richardson secures gold in women’s 4x100m relay

The coach of American sprinter Noah Lyles, Lance Brauman, said Lyles had a 102 degrees Fahrenheit fever when he won bronze in the men’s 200-meter final on Thursday. After the race, it was announced that Lyles had test positive for COVID-19 the night before.

“Those guys raced great,” Brauman said. “But to get a bronze medal in 19.70 with a temperature of about 102, that wasn’t too bad.”

Lyles, 27, was back at the track Friday night wearing a protective mask while accepting his bronze medal. He did a lap around the track waving to fans but kept his distance from Tebogo and Bednarek.

The 2024 Paris Olympics is entering the final stretch as the Americans continued to lead the overall medal count with 111 medals.

Day 14 of competition saw the U.S. women’s 4×100-meter relay team reclaim gold in the final thanks to American track star Sha’Carri Richardson. Twanisha Terry picked up her first medal of the Games with the win and Gabrielle Thomas and Melissa Jefferson earned their second.

American hurdler Raj Benjamin continued that trend in the men’s 400-meter hurdles final when he defeated reigning Olympic champion Karsten Warholm of Norway to earn his first gold medal.

Olivia Reeves also notched a historic win in the women’s 71-kilogram weightlifting division, earning America’s first gold medal in the event since the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

The final medal count of Team USA includes a leading 33 gold medals and 39 silver and bronze. Only China comes close, tying the gold medal count.

American hurdler Raj Benjamin won gold in the 400-meter hurdle final on Friday.

Benjamin defeated reigning Olympic champion Karsten Warholm of Norway to win the 400-meter hurdles gold.

For Bejamin, the gold marks a resilient comeback from the Tokyo Olympics, where he lost to Warholm despite running a then-personal-best of 46.17, shy of Warholm’s 45.94 to win gold.

At the 2023 Diamond League, ran the fourth-fastest 400m hurdles ever recorded, clocking a time of 46.39 seconds to secure the title and beat world record-holder Warholm for only the second time in his career. Now he has beaten him for a third time.

Tennessee native Olivia Reeves won gold in 71kg women’s weightlifting, earning the U.S.’s first gold medal in the sport since the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Reeves set an Olympic record by lifting 117 in her third snatch attempt.

The U.S. has now earned a medal on the women’s side for three CONSECUTIVE Olympic Games