A trio of first-time Olympians from the U.S. were hoping to medal in the men's 200-meter final, but none ended up winning gold. Americans Noah Lyles, Kenny Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton comprised a third of the nine-man field in the 200-meter final.
Bednarek won silver and Lyles took bronze, but it was a fellow North American, Andre De Grasse of Canada, who finished first. De Grasse bested everyone with a time of 19.62 -- the top time ever for a Canadian in the event.
In a heart-pounding finish, Bednarek earned the silver medal with a time of 19.68, which was a personal best. It was also Bednarek's first Olympic medal. Lyles finished with a time of 19.74 and was right there with de Grasse and Bednarek at the finish line.
Fellow American Erriyon Knighton, who was the youngest participant in history at just 17 years old, produced a time of 19.93 and wasn't too far off the pace of his competitors.
In the 800-meter final on Wednesday morning, two-time Olympian Clayton Murphy was hoping to earn his second career medal for America. The 11th-ranked runner in this event, Murphy placed second in his semifinal with a 1:44.18. He couldn't break through in the final, though, and wound up finishing last.
Kenya's Emmanuel Kipkurui Korir won the gold medal in the event with a time of 1:45.06, while his countryman Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich earned the silver with a time of 1:45.23. Murphy finished in 1:46.53.