A bittersweet Olympic moment for Menlo School grad Maddy Price

Now both ladies were running the second leg for their countries on the 4x400 meter relay, which concluded women’s track competition at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The 25-year-old Price, who spent most of her youth in Hillsborough and competing on the Peninsula, has dual citizenship with Canada and has chosen to compete for that British Commonwealth country.

Felix, 35, would split 49.38 seconds, giving the USA quartet what proved to be an insurmountable lead, following the leadoff 50.21 leg by new world 400 meter hurdle record holder Sydney McLaughlin.

Price also broke 50 seconds and had Canada’s fastest split, at 49.95, to put her team in medal contention. Canada anchor Sage Watson had a slight third place edge over Jamaica coming off the final turn. She could not, however, hold off Candice McLeod, who got the edge at the end by just 0.6 seconds for the bronze medal. None of the Jamaicans ran under 50 seconds. But they had the better balance.

“Of course, it hurts,” Price said to news media after the race. “We wanted to bring a medal home for Canada and for ourselves.”

The 11 medals (seven gold) by Felix in five Olympic Games is the most by any woman. It betters the USA men’s mark of ten by Carl Lewis. Only the great Finnish male runner Paavo Nurmi has more total track and field medals, 12.

Although Felix has said this was going to be her last Olympics, don’t count her out yet for the Paris games, just three years down the road. Meanwhile Price can expect to be a major 400 player for Canada in upcoming seasons.

EX-CARD LEAD USA WOMEN TO 3-PEAT IN WATER POLO

The USA scored a 3-peat in women’s water polo, overwhelming Spain, 14-5, in the gold medal game.

Five former Stanford players accounted for the majority of goals: Maddie Musselman had three and Aria Fischer two. Three others had one goal: Mackenzie Fischer, Maggie Steffens, and Melisa Seidermann.

After taking a 7-4 halftime lead, the USA allowed Spain only one goal in the second half, that coming late, in the fourth quarter. Aria Fischer tallied both of her goals in the third quarter to put the USA up by a 3-1 margin at 12-4.

On winning a third gold medal, team veteran Steffens said, “I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet. I’m just proud of the moment.”

“We’re having fun out there,” said Musselman. “And you could see that today.”

The USA had fun throughout the Olympic tournament, earlier running up the largest ever margin of victory, 21 points, in a 25-4 win over Japan. Previously no Olympic team had ever won a game by more than 17 points.

STANFORD GRADS KEY USA SWEEP IN OLYMPIC WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

The USA accomplished the first women’s gold medal sweep of both indoor and beach volleyball over the weekend – with Stanford grads in the forefront.

America won its first women’s team volleyball crown on Sunday, easily sweeping Brazil, 25-21, 25-20, 25-14. Middleblocker Foluke Akinradewo Gunderson, an Olympic veteran out of Stanford, played a key role throughout the Games. The USA had previously settled for three silver medals and two bronze.

Alix Klineman, another former Stanford indoor volleyball player, successfully transitioned outdoors to team with April Ross to win the beach volleyball title on Friday.

FINISHING ON THE TRACK

The USA men won its only gold medal on the track in the meet’s final event, the 4 x 400 meter relay, clocking 2:55.70. Rai Benjamin anchored in 43.40. It was one of the fastest relays ever, with the three teams behind the USA all setting national records. All finished more than a second back, however.

The USA had earlier taken one field gold, with world record holder Ryan Crouser winning the shot put.

Benjamin also participated in one of the all-time greatest Olympic races. He smashed the existing world record in the 400 meter hurdles — but had to settle for the silver medal behind Karsten Warholm of Norway, who ran the lap in 45.94. That’s over 10 hurdles. There were 14 runners in the flat 400 meters in Tokyo that didn’t run as fast as Benjamin’s 46.17 silver medal time.

Saturday’s women’s marathon produced a surprise bronze medalist for the USA in Molly Seidel.