Five athletes with Arkansas ties medal in 4×400-meter relays

PARIS (KNWA/KFTA) — Five athletes with ties to the Natural State won medals in the 4×400-meter relays on the last day of track & field events at the Stade de France on Saturday.

The men took to the track first with Chris Bailey leading off the relay for the United States. The University of Arkansas grad ran a 44.45, the second fastest behind Bayapo Ndori of Botswana.

Bailey was asked by KNWA’s Alyssa Orange about what was going through his mind when running.

“It was just another 400. No matter where I am, where I lineup, who I lineup against, 400 meter is 400 meters. I just know what I have to focus on and that’s giving my team a fast lap,” Bailey said.

After Bailey, Vernon Norwood, Bryce Deadmon and Rai Benjamin all run sub-44 second 400-meters.

The United States won the gold medal with a 2:54.43, 0.1 seconds ahead of Botswana. Great Britain won the bronze medal.

Four women with Natural State ties won medals in their 4×400-meter relay.

Shamier Little, who trains in Fayetteville, kicked off the relay for the United States with a 49.48, the fastest of any athlete who ran the first leg.

Alexis Holmes, who also trains in Fayetteville, ran the anchor leg for the U.S. With a 48.78 Holmes helped maintain the commanding lead set by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Gabrielle Thomas.

University of Arkansas graduate Amber Anning ran the anchor leg for Great Britain. Anning ran a 49.01, the third-fastest among those who ran the anchor leg.

Little, Holmes and Kaylyn Brown, who ran in the preliminaries for the United States won gold in the event with a 3:15.27, nearly four seconds faster than the silver medalists, the Netherlands.

Anning won bronze in the event, her second medal in the Paris Olympics.

Over the course of the Games, 13 athletes with ties to Arkansas won medals in the Paris Olympics.

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