1 - 2 -3 redemption for Team America

LaShawn Merritt ran away with the Olympic crown by running a lifetime best of 43.75 secs.

The main man for years, Warriner did his best to hang on to silver in a time that was very modest by his own standards 44.78.

David Neville sneaked in for his bronze medal ahead of the Bahamas' Chris Brown.

It was at last a night for America to enjoy ... after their two fumbling relay teams, the failures of Tyson Gay who "relaxed" during his heat and didnt make it to the 100m final (and was involved in the relay handover botch up ... where questions are now being asked about why he skipped or was even allowed to skip team practice in China) ....

To make a clean sweep of medals for the USA must have felt like an ice pack on a sore body; a bit of short term relief from the pain.

Of course the underlying problem is going to require a lot more effort to correct just like any injured athlete American track needs to have a long hard look at itself and ask "what next?".

Heads will probably roll at the management level of Team America and so they should; no team can win unless it works as one; superstar types like Gay who turn up for a games injured and dont even do team practice should be off the team.

... for the moment though the amazing performance of Merritt is a real highlight of the games for his country and to beat Warriner in the process of taking his Olympic gold must be a wonderful feeling.

Great job for the USA 400m guys who are on top of the world ....