Sifan Hassan won the 10,000m for a brilliant distance double and Jakob Ingebrigtsen took the 1,500m in style on a pulsating final night of Olympic action on Saturday.
The United States’ men finally bagged a track gold, via the 4x400m relay, while their star-studded women’s quartet won their event for the seventh successive time.
Norway’s Ingebrigtsen ran a textbook last lap to take the 1,500m in an Olympic record, shouting “easy” as he crossed the line to become the first European winner of the classic race since Spain’s Fermin Cacho in Barcelona 1992.
Kenya’s world champion Timothy Cheruiyot seemed set to take advantage of his late reinstatement having originally failed to qualify for the Games, but 20-year-old Ingebrigtsen came off his shoulder halfway round the final lap to win in 3:28.32.
Dutchwoman Hassan had looked, unsurprisingly, a touch weary when taking bronze in the 1,500m on Friday having won the 5,000 days earlier, but she somehow found new energy on a humid, strength-sapping night that left several rivals spreadeagled on the track.
She delivered a devastating last 150m burst to pull clear of Bahrain’s Kalkidan Gezahegne and world record holder Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia, who had made all the running. All three medallists were Ethiopia-born.
US relay success
The US women’s relay team, comprising Allyson Felix, Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad and Mu Athing, did not have it all their own way but eventually forged ahead to come home almost four seconds clear.
It was a fourth successive gold in the event for Felix, whose tally of 11 medals puts her second only to Finnish distance runner Paavo Nurmi from the 1920s who has 12 in the all-time track and field rankings.
There was also huge relief for the US men, who left it to the last event of the programme to bag their first gold on the track — something they have achieved at every Games since 1896.
Earlier in the day Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir overcame the Sapporo heat to pull clear of compatriot and world record holder Brigid Kosgei in the closing stages to win the women’s marathon in two hours 27 minutes 20 seconds.
Brazil’s football gold
Brazil retained their Olympic football title with substitute Malcom scoring an extra-time winner in a 2-1 victory over Spain in the men’s gold medal match. After the game ended 1-1 in normal time, Malcom raced onto a diagonal ball from Antony and got the better of Jesus Vallejo before driving the winner into the far corner in the 108th minute to ensure Brazil repeated their Rio 2016 triumph.
The South Americans grabbed the lead on the stroke of half-time when a deep Claudinho cross was hooked back across the area by Dani Alves and Cunha brought the ball down to slot home.
Spain got on level terms in the 61st minute when substitute Carlos Soler broke down the right and whipped a cross to the back post where Mikel Oyarzabal connected with a sweet left-foot volley that whistled past Santos.
Jessica’s silver
Sweden’s Peder Fredricson, Malin Baryard-Johnsson and Henrik von Eckermann won the team show jumping gold after a thrilling jump-off which left the US team, including singer Bruce Springsteen’s daughter Jessica, with silver on Saturday.
Springsteen, alongside 2008 team gold medallists Laura Kraut and McLain Ward, jumped a clear round in the fight for the top spot, as did every rider in the jump-off. Sweden won the title on time to end their gold drought that has lasted since 1924.
