By Amy Tennery
PARIS (Reuters) - The U.S. States men's team recovered from their worst ever Olympics performance on the track to producing one of their best in recent memory, collecting six gold medals in Paris after leaving Tokyo almost empty-handed.
Tokyo was the first time the U.S. men walked out of a Games without a single individual track medal, a shocking outcome for a country that has routinely dominated on the Olympic stage.
They avoided total humiliation with a 4x400m relay gold in the very last event but the damage was done and they received heavy criticism back home.
It was a different story entirely on the purple track at the Stade de France.
Noah Lyles set the tone when he won the most competitive ever men's Olympic 100m final, taking gold in 9.79 by five thousandths of a second as compatriot Fred Kerley claimed bronze.
It was the first time in 20 years the Americans had topped the podium in the blue riband event.
Quincy Hall followed up with a dramatic win in the 400m, when he overtook Briton Matthew Hudson-Smith down the final straight.
Kenny Bednarek and Lyles secured the silver and bronze in the 200, behind Botswana's Letsile Tebogo.
The U.S. men also got onto the podium in longer events where they have not often been before.
Cole Hocker ripped up the script to deliver one of the all-time great Olympic shocks in the 1,500 metres, when he crossed the line first with a stunning late sprint past British world champion Josh Kerr.
With Yared Nuguse taking bronze, it was the first time in 112 years that two American men stood on the podium in the event.
"That's just such a crazy, great thing for America," said Nuguse. "Two Americans is more than I expected, yes. But I knew I was definitely capable of medalling if I really put myself into it."
Grant Fisher picked up bronze in the 10,000 metres and sneaked in at the last minute to finish third in the 5,000 as well.
Kenneth Rooks produced a gutsy performance to win a surprise silver in the 3,000m steeplechase.
Rai Benjamin finally got the better of great rival Karsten Warholm to win his first 400m hurdles gold, Grant Holloway turned in an inspired performance to seal the 110m hurdles title and the U.S. added to the gold rush in the 4x400m relay on Saturday.
It was exactly what World Athletics Seb Coe wanted to see as he hopes to built athletics' popularity in the U.S. ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
"You want a really well-stocked shop window," he told reporters.
Of course, the U.S. could not banish all their demons.
Yet another botched changeover cost them a medal in the men's 4x100 relay, the latest in a long series of gaffes in the event.
"We're here to perform and do what USA do best," said Kerley. "We didn't get the job done."
(Reporting by Amy Tennery, editing by Ed Osmond)
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