Gold medals were fitting end to sensational season for Abby Steiner

Abby Steiner, second from left, won gold with the 4x100 relay team at the World Championship but also with the 4x400 relay team. (USA Track & Field Photo)

It’s hard to imagine a more spectacular individual track season than what Kentucky’s Abby Steiner had.

She became the first American to be on both the 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams that won gold medals at the World Athletics Championship since Allyson Felix in 2017.

In the 4×100 in Eugene, Ore., Steiner ran the second 100-meter leg. The team finished in 41.14 seconds led by Steiner’s 9.86 split — the fastest on the team.

“I was screaming,” Steiner said during her post-race media availability. “My voice is kind of gone right now. I’ve never yelled that much during a race before.”

In the 4×400, she was joined by former UK star Sydney McLaughlin — the 400-meter hurdles champion and world record holder. The team finished in 3:17.19 with McLaughlin running the anchor 400 meters in 47.91 seconds while Steiner did the second leg in 49.99 seconds.

Steiner finished fifth in the 200-meter dash in her first World Athletics Championships with a time of 22.26 seconds. She competed against the current Olympic champion, defending world champion and other Olympic and world medalists.

Steiner still has the second best time — 21.77 seconds — in the world this season. She ran that in the USA Championships in June.

Steiner ran an incredible 57 races from December through Sunday’s 4×400 relay. She had a hectic indoor and outdoor season at UK running in the 100-, 200- and 300-meter dashes as well as various relays.

She won the 200 at both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships this year and finished her UK career with four NCAA titles and 15 All-America honors. She has the American, collegiate, Southeastern Conference and school records in the outdoor 200.

Steiner, who recently signed with PUMA, is being called one of the brightest rising stars for USA Track & Field. She just turned 22 years old and going forward will be much fresher in world competitions because her race workload will be much lighter.

“I’m excited to get ready for next year as a pro and be at this event as a pro without the collegiate season on my legs,” Steiner said during the World Championship.

Her college coach, Lonnie Greene, expects Steiner to shine for many years.

“There are young people who can run, there are young people who have talent and then there are ones who have the gift,” Greene said. “Abby has the gift and when you work the gift, it flows like it does for Abby.”