Three gold night caps off Pan American Games for Team USATF

SANTIAGO – Three gold medals on the final day of track and field competition at the 19th Pan American Games put Team USATF atop the final medal table with 25 total medals, eight of them gold. National Stadium was at capacity for the sixth day of in-stadium events, providing a marvelous atmosphere with more than 40,000 vocal and excited spectators. In addition to the three field event golds, American athletes earned three other medals Saturday to finish two ahead of Brazil. Brazil and Cuba won seven golds each.
 
The final competitor in the final event, Curtis Thompson nailed a 79.65/261-4 effort in round six to win the first gold by an American in the men's javelin since Duncan Atwood in 1987. Thompson held the lead from start to finish with a first round 78.72/258-3 before his big throw in the last round. Capers Williamson was just off the podium in fourth with a best of 76.29/250-3 in round one.
 
"I'm excited to bring a medal home," Thompson said. "The atmosphere from the crowd was extremely loud. It was a packed stadium. That definitely helps because it feels like everyone is engaged and watching. To be able to get gold by an American for the first time in a long time feels great. Now I will go home and get ready for the next journey."
 
Matt Ludwig, the 2020 U.S. indoor champion and an Olympian at Tokyo, had a clean card in the men's pole vault through 5.55/18-2.5 and it was good enough to win easily over Argentina's German Chiaraviglio, who took the silver at 5.50/18-0.5. After confirming his win, Ludwig took two unsuccessful attempts at 5.60/18-4.5 and one at 5.65/18-6.5. Zach Bradford was seventh with a best of 5.20/17-0.75.
 
Ludwig said, "It was the most exciting competition I have been a part of in a very long time. The crowd is super invested and so loud. I could barely hear myself think getting ready. Mission accomplished on going home with the gold. I would have liked some higher heights, but over the course of a long day I didn't achieve that."
 
An Olympian at Tokyo and a World Championships qualifier in 2022, Rachel McCoy had the highest PB coming into the women's high jump, and she fulfilled her pre-meet promise with a clearance at 1.87/6-1.5 to win and claim the first U.S. gold in the event since Colleen Sommer won in 1987. McCoy went over 1.84/6-0.5 on her second try to put herself in gold medal position, and she was the only competitor to navigate the next height as Jennifer Rodriguez of Colombia earned silver and Marisabel Senyu of the Dominican Republic took bronze. Rylee Anderson was seventh with a best of 1.75/5-8.75.
 
"It was a great competition considering the time of year," McCoy said. "I am an artist, so I want to bring art to the sport. It just dawned on me that this is my first international medal. I didn't really have a regular season this year because my first meet was (U.S.) nationals."
 
World champion Ethan Katzberg of Canada thrice broke the meet record in the men's hammer, hitting his best of 80.96/265-7 in round five and notching four throws of 80 meters or better. Last year's U.S. champion, Daniel Haugh, had a very consistent series and earned silver at 77.62/254-8, with American record holder and 2023 Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships winner Rudy Winkler taking bronze with a best of 76.65/251-5. Winkler was in danger of not advancing after opening with a pair of fouls, but regrouped and hit 72.78/238-9 in round three to gain three more attempts.
 
"We went back to general offseason prep training after worlds since Paris is the ultimate goal," Haugh said. "We tried to do a quick deload for this meet because any time you represent the U.S. you have to try and bring home some medals." Winkler added, "I took a few weeks off after the World Championships and I am pretty deep in offseason training. The prep coming into this wasn't what I would expect for most competitions, but this week everything lined up so I knew a medal was possible. I'm not in competition performance mode right now, so it's nice."
 
Going to the lead after the first lap in the men's 3000 steeplechase, Daniel Michalski hit the kilometer mark in 2:57.34, but had only a very small lead over Canada's Jean-Simon Desgagnes. Michalski continued to lead as the field had three laps to go, a stride in front of his Canadian challenger, and the duo stayed in that formation heading toward the bell. With 600 to go the Canadian turned up the tempo and went two seconds ahead of Michalski. 
 
Desgagnes accelerated around the final lap and looked like he had sealed the victory, but he fell at the water jump and had to scramble to recover. His lead was enough to protect him, though, and he took gold in 8:30.14, six seconds ahead of silver medalist Michalski, who crossed the line in 8:36.47. Jackson Mestler was 10th in 9:05.18.
 
Michalski said, "It's incredible to be here competing in this stadium all the way full with 48,000 people. It was really loud. I just found out five or six weeks ago about this competition, but it was a great opportunity to run on Team USA and I am glad to come away with a medal."
 
Returning silver medalist Marisa Howard tucked in behind Canada's Alycia Butterworth and Brazil's Tatiane da Silva through the early laps of the women's 3000 steeplechase. WIth three laps remaining, Howard had moved into second and she went past the Canadian with just over two to go. Da Silva came up on Howard's shoulder and the lead trio hit the penultimate water jump almost simultaneously. 
 
Making a serious push at the bell, da Silva dashed to the front and Butterworth went after her, but Howard was losing her tempo and dropped to fourth. Belen Casetta of Argentina, the bronze medalist in 2019, zipped past da Silva and claimed gold in a meet record 9:39.47, with Butterworth taking silver in 9:40.86 and da Silva bronze. Howard was fourth in 9:49.27, with Logan Jolly seventh in 10:03.08.
 
Jada Griffin gave the U.S. women an early lead in the 4x400 relay, splitting 52.9 to hand off first, and Honour Finley clocked 55.0 on the second carry to put the quartet in second behind Brazil. Heptathlon gold medalist Erin Marsh acquitted herself well on the third lap with a 53.98 split to keep the red white and blue in second. Facing world 400 champion Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic on the anchor, Cuba's final leg knew she had to put in a huge effort, and she managed to hold off Paulino's 49.58 carry to secure the gold in 3:33.15, with Paulino crossing the line in 3:34.27 for silver. Kendall Baisden ran a 54.05 to bring the U.S. home in 3:35.91 for fifth. The U.S. men also placed fifth in the final event on the track, clocking 3:08.67 in the 4x400 relay with a team of Evan Miller (46.7), Derek Holdsworth (48.5), Chris Royster (46.95) and Richard Johnson (46.56).
 
Brenna Detra and Brooke Feldmeier were at the back of the pack through the first lap of the women's 800, going by in 62.8. They improved as the pace picked up but still couldn't make a dent in the lead group, with Cuba's Sahily Diago staving off a late challenge from Uruguay's Deborah Rodriguez to claim gold in 2:02.71 over Rodriguez's 2:02.88. Another Cuban, Rose Mary Almanza, earned bronze in 2:03.68 as Feldmeier grabbed sixth in 2:06.10 and Detra seventh in 2:07.27.
 
In the marathon race walk mixed relay, Nick Christie and Miranda Melville placed sixth in 3:16:52. Christie walked 47:24 for the first 11.195K segment and came back with a 43:39 on the 10K third segment. Melville went 49:40 for 10K and then 56:09 for 11K to finish.
 
TEAM USATF MEDALS (25)
 
Gold (8)
Kasey Knevelbaard, men's 5000 (14:47.69)
DeAnna Price, women's hammer (72.34/237-4)
Bridget Williams, women's pole vault (4.60/15-1)
Erin Marsh, women's heptathlon (5,882 points)
Isai Rodriguez, men's 10,000 (28:17.84)
Rachel McCoy, women's high jump (1.87/6-1.5)
Matt Ludwig, men's pole vault (5.55/18-2.5)
Curtis Thompson, men's javelin (79.65/261-4)
 
Silver (5)
De'Vion Wilson, men's 110 hurdles (13.78)
Taylor Werner, women's 5000 (16:06.48)
Sam Chelanga, men's 10,000 (29:01.21)
Daniel Haugh, men's hammer (77.62/254-8)
Daniel Michalski, men's 3000 steeplechase (8:36.47)
 
Bronze (12)
Ednah Kurgat, women's 10,000 (33:16.61)
Tiffany Flynn, women's long jump (6.40/21-0)
Mixed 4x400 relay (Demarius Smith, Honour Finley, Richard Johnson, Jada Griffin) 3:19.41
Ryan Talbot, men's decathlon (7,742 points)
Alaysha Johnson, women's 100 hurdles (13.19)
Casey Comber, men's 1500 (3:39.90)
Adelaide Aquilla, women's shot put (17.77/58-3.75)
Jordan Gray, women's heptathlon (5,494 points)
Jordan Geist, men's shot put (20.53/67-4.25)
Maddie Harris, women's javelin (60.06/197-0)
Emily Mckay, women's 1500 (4:12.02)
Rudy Winkler, men's hammer (76.65/251-5)
 
Fans can watch at panamsportschannel.org and follow results here.