Of the two 400 meter races, one went according to the form book, the other far from it.
Kirani James was the overwhelming favorite for the men's 400 meter title, and the teenager from the tiny nation of Grenada did not disappoint. The world champion took gold in 43.94 seconds with another teenager Luguelin Santos from Dominica taking silver in 44.46 seconds. Trinidad & Tobago's Lalonde Gordon won the bronze medal.
"Probably crazy at home," said James, who won his country's first ever Olympic medal. "I don't think any words can describe the celebration out there. This is a huge step ... going out there and putting us on the map."
James, who dipped under 44 seconds for the first time in his career, will now eye the world record set by American legend Michael Johnson of 43.18 seconds. "When Michael broke his record he must have been 26 or 27 years old," James' coach Harvey Glance said. "Kirani's only going to get faster and stronger. He really wants to put his country on the map. We want to rewrite history."
In a race traditionally dominated by the U.S., there was not a single entrant in the finals, with Beijing Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt pulling up with an injury during his opening heat. "Kirani respects the heck out of LaShawn," Glance said. "Unfortunately, when you get to the games like this, these are the kinds of things that happen.
"Would Kirani have liked to have competed against him? I'm sure he would, because he's a competitor. Did it make the job a little easier? Of course it did.
"For a 19-year-old to have all the pressure of the world on his shoulder and do this? We've talked about this for the last two years and he saw the big picture and he came out and delivered."
For a 19-year-old, James has a good head on his shoulders, emphasized by the fact when the teenager went over to double amputee Oscar Pistorius, who did not qualify for the finals, after their semi-finals and asked to exchange bibs. "Just spur of the moment," said James, a two-time NCAA champion at Alabama. "Oscar should be a huge inspiration for everybody, whether you're a track athlete or a normal person. You can be somebody no matter what kind of disability you have.
"Being out there and competing against Oscar is a huge honor for me. He's a great guy, very down to earth. I'm happy to be here and compete against Oscar."
In the 400 meter hurdles, favorites Javier Culson of Puerto Rico and Dai Greene of Great Britain faltered as 2004 Athens Olympics champion Felix Sanchez won gold in 47.63 seconds, the same time he won the gold with four years ago. Michael Tinsley of U.S. took silver in 47.91 while Culson had to settle for bronze in 48.10. Greene, the home favorite and defending world champions finished just out of the medals in fourth with a time of 48.24 seconds.
"I went out probably too hard. ... I came off the 10th hurdle and I was very tired," said Sanchez, who was celebrating well before reaching the finish line. "And for about three or four strides -- about 5 meters -- I was just waiting for someone to pass me. But then about 10, 15 meters to the line, I knew at that point no one was going to pass me. And then it got surreal, and I was just overwhelmed with emotion."
Greene admitted fatigue had played a factor in his underwhelming performance. "I think I am tired and shocked," said Greene afterwards. "I have never been in a race before when so many people have gone over the expectations until Saturday in the semi-finals.
"Coming into the champs it felt as though I was good enough to get gold - certainly a medal - but the way I felt going into the race, I was very fatigued. Saturday took a lot out of me physically and mentally."
