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The sprint events in athletics usually hog the limelight at the Summer Olympics. There is an exhilarating thrill in watching world-class sprinters trailblaze on the track and produce photo finishes.
During the rich history of the Summer Olympics, the 100m and 200m sprints have been hailed as the blue riband races and are undoubtedly the most keenly watched and followed track events.
USA have been a dominant force at the sprint events of the Summer Olympics, with both their male and female sprinters winning a bagful of medals.
While the USA have had sprinting greats in Carl Lewis, Maurice Greene and Justlin Gatlin who went on to become Olympic champions, they also boast a glorious legacy at the sporting spectacle when it comes to their world-class female sprinters.
Also Read: 5 most successful American male sprinters at the Summer Olympics.
Five most successful American female sprinters in the Summer Olympics:
With the American female sprinters all set to renew their rivalry with the Jamaicans in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, let us take a look at the five-most dominant American female sprinters at the Summer Olympics.
#5 Gwen Torrence - 5 medals (3 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze)
1992 Summer Olympics (Barcelona): Gold in 200m and 4*100m relay; Silver in 4*400m relay.
1996 Summer Olympics (Atlanta): Gold in 4*100m relay; Bronze in 100m.
Gwen Torrence was one of the integral members in the golden era of American female sprinting, which included Florence Griffith Joyner and Evelyn Ashford.
Torrence proved her sprinting pedigree at the Summer Olympics with three medals at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. She clinched gold medals in the 200m and 4*100m.
In the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, she won the bronze in the 100m and clinched the gold in the 4*100m relay.
#4 Evelyn Ashford - 5 medals (4 Gold, 1 Silver)
1984 Summer Olympics: Gold in 100m and 4*100m relay.
1988 Summer Olympics: Gold in 4*100m relay; Silver in 100m Silver.
1992 Summer Olympics: Gold in 4*100m relay.
American sprinter Ashford won gold in the 100m at the 1984 Summer Olympics by setting a record timing of 10.97 seconds. She doubled her gold medal count in that Games by anchoring the US team to a win in the women's 4*100m relays.
She came back with a bang in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, where she clinched a silver in the 100m sprint. Ashford repeated her feat from the 1984 Games by leading the American team to consecutive gold medals in the 4*100m relay.
#3 Gail Devers - 3 medals (3 Gold)
1992 Summer Olympics - Gold in 100m.
1996 Summer Olympics - Gold in 100m.
1996 Summer Olympics - Gold in 4*100m.
Gail Devers was the most dominant American female sprinter in the 90s. The US sprint queen etched her name in the record books by winning the 100m sprint in successive Summer Olympics (1992 and 1996).
In doing so, Devers became only the second female sprinter, fellow American Wyomia Tyus being the other, to defend her 100m title at the Summer Olympics.
Devers also helped the US women's relay team maintain their dominance in the 4*100m women's relay by clinching the gold in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
#2 Florence Griffith-Joyner - 5 medals (3 Gold, 2 Silver)
1984 Summer Olympics: Silver in 200m.
1988 Summer Olympics: Gold in 100m, 200m and 4*100m; Silver in 4*400m.
Florence Griffith-Joyner stands tall among an illustrious list of highly dominant female US sprinters at the Summer Olympics.
Popularly known as 'Flo Jo', Griffith-Joyner marked her Olympic debut in scintillating fashion by winning a silver at the 1984 Los Angles Games.
She would go on to attain legendary status by bagging a hat-trick of titles at the sprints in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
Griffith-Joyner pipped her rival Ashford by 0.3 seconds to become the 100m champion. She also clinched the 200m gold at that Games, doing so with a record time of 21.34 seconds. The sprint queen completed the treble by winning the 4*100m women's relay.
Her Olympic and world record timings in the 100m and 200m sprints set over three decades back in the 1988 Seoul Olympics still stand the test of time.
#1 Allyson Felix - 9 medals (6 Gold and 3 Silver)
2004 Summer Olympics: Silver in 200m.
2008 Summer Olympics: Gold in 4*400m relay; Silver in 200m.
2012 Summer Olympics: Gold in 200m, 4*100m and 4*400m relay.
2016 Summer Olympics: Gold in 4*100m relay and 4*400m relay; Silver in 400m.
Allyson Felix is the most decorated female American athlete in the Summer Olympics. Her staggering consistency and longevity across the sprint events in the Olympics is second to none.
With six golds and three silvers, the legendary American sprinter had quite a record in the Summer Olympics. She won her maiden gold medal at the 200m at the 2012 London Olympics after bagging silvers in the 2004 and 2008 Games.
Also known for her prowess in relay races at the quadrennial event, Felix was part of a dominant 4*400m US relay team that clinched a hat-trick of titles from 2008 to 2016.
Honourable Mentions:
Sanya Richards - 5 medals.
Wyomia Tyus - 4 medals
Torie Bowie - 3 medals
Carmelita Jetter - 3 medals
Lauryn Williams - 2 medals.
