There was no shortage of thrilling action at the Stade de France tonight, with the evening athletics session at the Olympics producing quite a bit excitement.
It was a slightly disappointing night from an Irish perspective, with Rhasidat Adeleke finishing fourth in the women's 400m final. The Dubliner produced a brilliant performance, although she would not manage to secure a place on the podium.
Elsewhere, there was plenty of drama in the men's and women's 4x100m relay finals.
The Canadians would win the men's edition, taking advantage of some questionable changeovers from the USA team to finish ahead of the rest of the field.
The American women would fare much better. They would win gold in their race, with some poor handovers from Great Britain allowing them to streak to victory.
This is the third time the USA have claimed gold in this event in the last four Olympics.
READ HERE: Sonia O'Sullivan Sums Up Harsh Reality Of Olympics After Rhasidat Adeleke Heartbreak
Heffernan Criticises American Star For Conduct During Olympic Relay
The USA always possess a huge amount of sprinting talent, something that always puts them among the favourites when it comes to relay events. Their athletes are well aware of that fact, often carefully toeing the line between confidence and arrogance at the Olympics as a result.
That was the case once again this evening, with Sha'Carri Richardson doing quite a bit of showboating as she crossed the line in the final leg of the race. That also continued after the end of the event.
Sha’Carri Richardson stared down the other runners on the last leg as she comes from behind to win gold 🥶🥇 pic.twitter.com/yQuvkFqWID
— Eurosport (@eurosport) August 9, 2024
That has been well received by some athletics fans, although others were a bit less impressed with her actions.
Speaking on RTÉ, Irish Olympic medallist Rob Heffernan criticised Richardson for the way she conducted herself during the race.
When you win and you come through at the end, I just think there's no sportsmanship in it.
She won the race, I don't think there's any need for any of the bravado.
If it was any of the kids in the club, you would give out to them wouldn't you?
I just think it's cocky and it's arrogant. They won the Olympics, what was she shouting at?
These type of actions often rub athletics fans up the wrong way, but they tend to be a bit more popular among American fans of the sport. Richardson is one of the biggest stars in sprinting, winning silver in the individual 100m in Paris to go along with her medal in the relay event.
In any case, there is no doubt that the USA were deserving of their Olympic gold medal on this occasion.
SEE ALSO: David Gillick Had Amazing Words Of Comfort For Distraught Rhasidat Adeleke After Olympic Final
