FAST & FURIOUS: The 4×100 relay set last night by herself, Allyson Felix, Tianna Madison and Bianca Knight. (AP)
LONDON — The look on Carmelita Jeter’s face was all you needed to know.
As Jeter crossed the finish line first to clinch the women’s 4×100-meter relay last night at Olympic Stadium, she looked at the clock on the scoreboard and the enormity of the Americans’ accomplishment beamed in bright lights for everyone to see.
The electronic board read: New WR 40.82.
Jeter, running the anchor leg for the Americans, pointed wildly at the scoreboard in one of the most animated celebrations these Olympic Games have seen.
And for good reason. The U.S. quartet smashed a 27-year-old record held by the East Germans, set in 1985, becoming the first to run the race in less than 41 seconds.
“When I looked up and saw the time, I was like, ‘Oh my God, a world record,’ ’’ Jeter said.
It was the Americans’ first Olympic gold medal in the women’s 4×100-meter relay since 1996.
Jeter was joined by Bianca Knight, Allyson Felix and Tianna Madison in the record-shattering race.
Madison, Felix — the 200-meter champion — and Knight gave the U.S. a sizable lead heading into the anchor leg run by Jeter, who already had won a silver medal in the 100-meter and a bronze in the 200-meter in these Games.
Their final time sliced more than a half-second off East Germany’s record of 41.37.
“I knew we could get the Olympic record, but the world record? I didn’t see that one coming,’’ Knight said.
“I have so much respect for all these women,’’ Jeter said. “I knew they were going to do their job. All we had to do was bring the stick home. All we had to do was bring the stick around.’’
Indeed, that has been a problem for the American women’s team in recent major competitions. They were denied gold in each of the last three Olympics because of poor baton handoffs.
There would be no calamity or disappointment for the U.S. women’s team this time. After the race was over, all four took the celebration to the scoreboard Jeter had pointed to when she crossed the finish line. All had American flags draped over them as they posed in front of it.
To illustrate how fast the race was, Jamaica won the silver and set a national record of 41.41 seconds. Ukraine won the bronze in 42.04.
* Shortly after the women found gold, the U.S. men took silver in the 4×400-meter relay, but it was bittersweet considering they had the lead entering the final leg and Angelo Taylor was run down by Ramon Miller of the Bahamas in the final 50 meters.
The Americans’ failure to win gold ended their 28-year domination of the event in which the U.S. had won seven consecutive gold medals. The gold was a first in men’s track and field for the Bahamas, which had won silver in the event in Beijing.
The U.S. was taken down by Chris Brown, Demetrius Pinder, Michael Mathieu and Miller, who kicked into a fifth gear and sped past Taylor, who ran out of steam.
“Miller had a phenomenal leg. I really feel bad for these guys,’’ Taylor said. “I really didn’t hold up the tradition. I felt pretty good for 300 [meters] and then I tried to hit it and I just didn’t have it.”
So Taylor, along with Bryshon Nellum, Joshua Mance and Tony McQuay, took silver, running a season’s-best time of 2:57.05.
“It is great, we finally got the gold over the U.S.,” Mathieu said. “The streak is finally gone. We finally got them.”
The Americans’ relay team had been weakened by recent injuries to LaShawn Merritt and Jeremy Wariner.