Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Alexis Holmes of Kentucky win 4x400-relay

Alexis Holmes made her maiden Olympic Games count Saturday. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone merely added to her ever-growing legacy.

A pair of former Kentucky track stars, Holmes and McLaughlin-Levron picked up gold medals as part of the U.S. 4x400 relay team, which won Saturday's final in Paris. The American quartet finished in 3:15.27, setting a U.S. record in the event. It's the second fastest 4x400m relay time in history, trailing only the Soviet Union's mark of 3:15.17, set at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.

It marks the eighth consecutive Olympics the U.S. won the event.

And it's the second straight Olympic games McLaughlin-Levrone won gold in the 4x400 relay. At the Toyko Olympics, she teamed with Allyson Felix, Dalilah Muhammad and Athing Mu.

It's also McLaughlin-Levrone's second gold medal of the week: She defended her title in the 400-meter hurdles on Thursday, winning in a world-record time of 50.37 seconds.

The second leg in Saturday's relay after taking the baton from Shamier Little, McLaughlin-Levrone ran a blistering 47.71 before handing off to Gabby Thomas.

Holmes was Team USA's anchor in the race, wrapping up in 48.78.

At the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Holmes helped the U.S. mixed 4x400 relay team win the gold and set a world record, clocking in at 3:08.80. (That mark was bettered during an Olympic preliminary heat last week, as another U.S. relay team finished in 3:07.41.)

Holmes' gold medal Saturday came one day after she placed sixth in the 400-meter final, finishing with the best time (49.77) of her career.

Holmes qualified for the Paris Olympics after finishing third in the 400 meters at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in June.

Earlier this year, she won the 400 meters at the USA Track & Field (USATF) Indoor Championships, setting a meet-record time (50.34) in the process.

McLaughlin-Levrone spent one season with Kentucky's track & field program.

During her record-setting one-and-done campaign with the Wildcats in 2018, McLaughlin-Levrone won both the NCAA and SEC titles in the 400-meter hurdles. Along the way, she set a college-record time (52.75) in the event.

Holmes competed for the Wildcats from 2019 through 2022, winning an NCAA title during her senior season as part of UK's 4x400 women's relay team. That same season, she was a first-team All-America honoree in the 400 meters and the 4x400-meter relay. Holmes won the 400 meters at the SEC Indoor Championships in 2020 and 2022.

Before transferring to Kentucky, she swept the Big Ten's indoor and outdoor 400-meter titles in 2019 while competing for Penn State.

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.