(Des Moines) Athletes from past editions of the Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom won a staggering 27 medals in track & field at the recent 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The Drake Relays total medal representation was more than any competing nation, solidifying the Drake Relays status as one of the world’s premier track & field events. Of those 27 medals claimed by Drake Relays athletes, 11 were gold, six silver and 10 bronze. The United States led all nations with 26 medalists and seven gold medalists.
“The Drake Relays has long been Des Moines’ window to the world, especially in track & field,” said Blake Boldon, the Franklin P. Johnson Director of the Drake Relays. “That is never more apparent than the last two weeks as Relays fans have watched many of the athletes they’ve cheered on at the Blue Oval stand on the medal podium in Tokyo. We’re already looking forward to welcoming many of these athletes back to Des Moines as Olympic medalists while introducing our fans to the next generation of stars that will become household names at Paris in 2024.”
The Drake Relays medalists represented 10 nations and medaled in 18 total events in Tokyo.
The hurdles proved again why they are annually one of the marquee events on the Blue Oval with former Drake Relays hurdlers winning six total medals at Tokyo including a pair of gold medals from Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (100mH) and Hansle Parchment (110mH) while Dalilah Muhammad took silver despite running under the previous world record in the women’s 400mH.
Ryan Crouser also continued his domination of the shot put with his second-straight Olympic gold and second Olympics in which he shattered the Olympic record with the same ease he has used to re-write the Drake Relays record book.
This year’s edition of the Drake Relays also introduced future medalists such as North Carolina A&T’s Randolph Ross, Jr. and Trevor Stewart. The pair helped the USA dominate the men’s 4×400-meter relay in their first Olympics while Stewart also earned a bronze medal with the American mixed 4×400-meter relay team.
In 2019, Indian Hills Community College’s Kenny Bednarek burst onto the scene with a Drake Relays win over a professional field in the 200 meters. Twenty-seven months later, Bednarek’s professional career found him with a silver medal draped around his neck.
The 2022 Drake Relays, which will showcase countless veteran Olympians and a fresh crop of future Olympians is scheduled for April 27-30 at Drake Stadium.
Drake Relays 2020 Tokyo Olympics Medalists
GOLD (11)
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn – 100mH – Puerto Rico
Ryan Crouser – Shot Put – USA
Andre DeGrasse – 200m – Canada
Allyson Felix – 4x400m – USA
Shanuae Miller-Uibo – 400m – The Bahamas
Dalilah Muhammad – 4x400m – USA
Katie Nageotte – Pole Vault – USA
Vernon Norwood – 4x400m – USA
Hansle Parchment – 110mH – Jamaica
Randolph Ross – 4x400m – USA
Trevor Stewart – 4x400m – USA
SILVER (6)
Kenny Bednarek – 200m – USA
Keni Harrison – 100mH – USA
Dalilah Muhammad – 400mH – USA
Chris Nilsen – Pole Vault – USA
Brittney Reese – Long Jump – USA
CJ Ujah – 4x100m – Great Britain
BRONZE (10)
Ese Brume – Triple Jump – Nigeria
Andre DeGrasse – 100m – Canada
Andre DeGrasse – 4×100 – Canada
Alison Dos Santos – 400mH – Brazil
Allyson Felix – 400m – USA
Kirani James – 400m – Grenada
Vernon Norwood – 4x400m Mixed – USA
Trevor Stewart – 4x400m Mixed – USA
Megan Tapper – 100mH – Jamaica
Tom Walsh – Shot Put – New Zealand
