Agony for Team GB in the men’s 4x100m relay final as Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake is overtaken on the line by Italy’s Filippo Tortu to leave British quartet with silver medal in Tokyo
Team GB men’s 4×100 relay team agonisingly missed out on a gold medal by 0.01 seconds as Italy came from behind to overtake them on the line in Tokyo.
The British quartet thought they had the quartet when CJ Ujah, Zharnel Hughes and Richard Kilty putting them in the lead towards the final changeover, but Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake was overtaken on the line by Italy’s Filippo Tortu.
Mitchell-Blake collapsed to the floor in agony after letting Britain’s lead slip, but can take consolation in being part of the first British men’s relay take to take an Olympic medal since the 2004 Games in Athens.
Italy pipped Team GB to the men’s 4×100 Olympic gold medal in a dramatic tight finish
There were just a matter of inches between Tortu and Mitchell-Blake when the Italian crossed the line, while the British athlete, 27, was 0.19 seconds ahead of Canada, edged China to a bronze by 0.09 seconds.
For Italy, it is their fifth athletics medal of the Tokyo Games, a total which includes Lamont Marcell Jacobs’ shock men’s 100m gold from last week.
Jamaica – in their first Olympic final since Usain Bolt retired – had to settle for fifth place having picked up golds in the last two Games.
More to follow.