The United States' Dalilah Muhammad entered Thursday night's 400-meter hurdle final at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro as the heavy favorite after scorching her competition in the preliminaries, and she stuck with that theme thanks to a dominant performance. Muhammad took home gold behind a sprint of 53.13seconds, while Denmark's Sara Petersencaptured silver, and the United States'Ashley Spencercrossed the finish line in time to secure bronze.According to Sports-Reference.com, Muhammad became the first American woman to capture gold in the 400-meter hurdles. And with Spencer's third-place run, the U.S. finished with two medalists in the 400 hurdles for the first time since 1996.Thanks to their combined efforts, Muhammad and Spencer pushed the United States to 100 total medals for the 2016 Olympics, per the Associated Press' Tim Reynolds.Here's a look at the final standings and official times from Thursday evening's final:And here's an overview of the latest medal count, which features the United States pulling away from the competition thanks, in part, to Muhammad's win:Muhammad ran a blistering 53.89-second 400 in the semifinals, and that should have been an indication that she was ready to blow past the rest of the field.To put that performance in context, the second-best performer in the semifinal heats was Petersenwho clocked in at 54.55 seconds alongside the Czech Republic'sZuzana Hejnova.But after Muhammad put on a show at the United States Olympic trials, it would have been hard to say Thursday's performance was surprising.Although she wasn't a household name a few months ago, Muhammad shocked the track and field world when she posted the world's fastest time in three years with a 52.88-second effort with qualification for the Olympics on the line, according to the IAAF's official website.Battling the rain Thursday night, Muhammad came close to hitting that mark, as she blew away from the field and set a winning pace from the start.Petersen gave chase over the final 100 meters to apply a bit of pressure, but Muhammad was on cruise control at that point and would not look back with just a few hurdles left in her sights.Given the success that the 26-year-old Muhammad and 23-year-old Spencer have experienced of late, the pair should continue to grow into staples of the U.S. track and field program, as America seeks to defend its dominance when the 2020 Games in Tokyo roll around.And considering both just appeared in their first Olympics, Spencer and Muhammad should have plenty left in the tank for years to come.Post-Race Reaction"We are making history out here," Muhammad said of the United States' medal count after it hit the century park, according to the Associated Press' Gerald Imray."The reality of winning is even better than the dream," she added, according to the Olympic News Service. "Olympic champion, in front of my name."
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