Jasmine Camacho Quinn once again had trouble with her start but won the bronze medal in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The American Masari Russell finished first in lane two with a time of 12.33 seconds, followed by the French athlete Cyrene Samba-Mayela in lane five with a time of 12.34 seconds. Camacho Quinn finished third in lane seven with a time of 12.36 seconds.
In a noisy start, with the French crowd cheering for Samba-Mayela, the Puerto Rican had the second slowest reaction time off the starting blocks and briefly led during the race.
This was the second Olympic medal for the Puerto Rican, after winning gold in Tokyo 2020. She is the only athlete, male or female, from Puerto Rico to have two medals in the Summer Games.
“I am grateful, but it’s not what I wanted,” Camacho-Quinn admitted after the race.
Samba-Mayela is Camacho Quinn’s training partner. They share the same coach, John Coghlan. Russell is also a graduate of the same university as Camacho Quinn, the University of Kentucky.
The poor start was evident at the first hurdle. Camacho Quinn reached that obstacle in seventh place. In her first two rounds here, she had cleared that first hurdle either first or among the first.
She came from behind and was briefly in the lead by the fifth hurdle.
The finish was close among the three medalists, and the race director needed to review the photo finish to confirm the positions. The stadium screen showed the names of the three runners with the photo finish symbol beside them.
A few seconds after the finish, the photo finish confirmed the final positions, capturing Camacho Quinn looking at the giant screen to see the results. Her reaction was neutral, while Russell collapsed to the ground in celebration.
Despite the European time zone, the race took place under Paris sunlight and a temperature of 85 degrees. The Stade de France, with a capacity of about 90,000 people, was once again full.
Among those fans, judging by several flags scattered around the stadium, there were also Puerto Ricans in the stands.
In that atmosphere and setting, Camacho Quinn took to the track and did her usual warm-up. She took her position in lane 7, between the American Alaysha Johnson and the Bahamian Devynne Charlton, and waited for the start.
The race was competitive. When Camacho Quinn won in Tokyo 2020, she clocked a time of 12.37 seconds. The second-best time then was 12.52 seconds. This time, all three medalists finished within 12.3 seconds.
Some runners didn’t reach the finish line or barely made it.
The Jamaican Ackera Nugent dropped out of the race after the sixth hurdle. Nugent has the second-best time of the season in the 100-meter hurdles.
Veteran American Alaysha Johnson finished the race as best she could after encountering problems midway through the race. She finished with a time of 12.93 seconds, far from the 12.34 seconds with which she won the semifinals here.
After learning the final positions and congratulating her rivals, Camacho Quinn took the traditional lap around the track to greet the crowd.
This was Camacho Quinn’s third race here. She won her first round with a time of 12.42 seconds. She also won her semifinal with 12.35 seconds.
About an hour after the race, the Puerto Rican attended the medal ceremony to receive her second Olympic medal. She smiled with her fellow medalists and even took a selfie. She greeted the crowd and then left the track, out of sight from the stands.
