Dalilah Muhammad dominated the women's 400m hurdle final tonight in Rio to claim the gold medal in 53.13.



After running 52.88 to win the U.S. Olympic trials in July, Muhammad has been unbeatable in the event. And after Kerron Clement won the men's 400m hurdle title this morning, the two made history as the first pair of athletes from the same nation to win both 400m hurdle golds.

This is the first gold medal for Team USA since the women's 400m hurdles was added to the Olympic program in 1984.

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Sara Petersen of Denmark took silver in 53.55, while American Ashley Spencer had a massive race to earn bronze with a personal best mark of 53.72.

Spencer wasn't in medal contention rounding the curve, but made up ground over the final two hurdles and beat out two-time World champion Zuzana Hejnova by two-tenths of a second.

After finishing seventh in the Olympic trials 400m final, Spencer ran 54.02, her PB at the time, to finish runner-up behind Muhammad in the 400m hurdles in her sixth race of the weekend. The two-time NCAA 400m champion is now a bronze medalist in the 400m hurdles in her first full season of concentrating in the event.

Spencer is coached by University of Texas coach Tonja Buford-Bailey, who earned the bronze medal at the 1996 Olympic Games.


Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports