Filippo Tortu ran a breathtaking final leg on Friday, as Italy added to an unprecedented rich Olympic harvest in athletics in Tokyo by pipping Britain by one-hundredth of a second for a shock 4x100 metre relay gold.

Friday’s race was one of the most open in years, missing the US team that has dominated the event for decades but failed to make the final following a ragged run that saw them finish sixth in their semi-final.

The Azzurri took the opportunity with both hands, picking up their fifth gold from track and field at this year’s Games after triumphs in the men’s 100m and long jump and the double in 20km walk.

“I would never expect this before leaving, nobody would have expected that. Thank you Italy,” said Lamont Marcell Jacobs, the shock winner of Sunday’s individual 100m gold.

“This is the year of Italy, this is our year. We won the Eurovision (song contest), the European football championships and five gold medals (in athletics).”

Perfect 10 for Felix

American Allyson Felix won a record 10th medal after finishing third in the 400 metres, becoming the most decorated woman in track and field history as she surpassed Merlene Ottey in the all-time Olympic medals table in her final individual Olympic race.

“I’ve just tried to be more vulnerable and be more transparent this time around,” the 35-year-old Felix said after the race. “Being an older athlete I think that’s something we don’t see as much. So I have been sharing some of my own struggles. I think a lot of times I tied my work to what happens at these championships and I didn’t want to do that this time around.”

Widely expected to contend in Saturday’s 4x400m relay final, Felix would break

Carl Lewis’ American medal record if she reaches the podium yet again at her fifth and final Games.

In the 400m, Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas claimed gold, winning the race in 48.36 seconds to retain her Olympic title.

Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon also retained her title in the women’s 1,500m as she denied Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan her dream of winning an unprecedented Olympic treble.

Chinese domination

China’s men took team gold, brushing Germany aside 3-0 to put the seal on a dominant table tennis campaign.

Up against the world’s top three paddlers in Fan Zhendong, Ma Long and Xu Xin, the German team were always facing an uphill struggle, and China’s Xu and Ma steamrollered their opponents in the opening doubles match.