PARIS — A magical Thursday night in Stade de France birthed a trio of stellar gold medal performances from Team USA athletes that included another world record for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. In addition to the three golds, Americans earned five other medals to bring the U.S. tally to 27 overall, and the country sits all alone atop the team point standings with an incredible 238, 177 ahead of the next highest nation. The women's 400 hurdles final was one of the most eagerly anticipated events in recent athletics history, pitting reigning Olympic champion and world record holder McLaughlin-Levrone against last year's world champion and the second fastest woman in history, Femke Bol of the Netherlands. McLaughlin-Levrone had bettered her own world record with a 50.65 at the U.S. Olympic Trials, and Bol went sub-51 for the first time with a 50.95 in Switzerland before the Games. Put that together with an awe-inspiring 47.9 anchor leg on the Dutch mixed 4x400 relay for Bol, and the ingredients were all there for a classic clash. The two women were out evenly, with the American having a stride edge through the first five barriers down the backstretch. McLaughlin-Levrone looked dialed in through the final bend and by hurdle eight she had a half-second margin over Bol. From there it was all McLaughlin-Levrone, as her superlative speed carried her to the finish line in a time most women would be satisfied with minus the 10 barriers. As Bol saw her gold chances fade away, Anna Cockrell pushed past her on the outside and sprinted to the finish in 51.87 to become the fourth fastest woman in history and claim silver, with Bol earning bronze in 52.15. NCAA champion Jasmine Jones almost made it a U.S. medal sweep, rolling to a lifetime best 52.29 in fourth to become the fourth fastest American ever. Capping off the night, Grant Holloway dominated the men's 110 hurdles to win the gold that had eluded him despite taking three straight World Championships titles. Exploding from the blocks, Holloway was clear of the field by the third hurdle and he was in complete control from there. Making no mistakes, Holloway leaned at the line to stop the clock at 12.99, and behind him Daniel Roberts grabbed silver by .003 seconds over Jamaica's Rasheed Broadbell, with both men running 13.09. Freddie Crittenden, who had to go through the repechage round earlier, placed sixth in 13.32. World Indoor champion Tara Davis-Woodhall staked her claim to gold on her first attempt in the women's long jump, leaping 6.93/22-9 to take the lead and then improving in round two to 7.05/23-1.75. On her fourth attempt she launched off the board and landed at 7.10/23-3.5, putting the competition to rest to win by more than four inches over Germany's Malaika Mihambo. Triple jump bronze medalist Jasmine Moore jumped 6.96/22-10 on her first attempt to earn another bronze and become the first American woman to medal in both horizontal jumps in a single Games. Sixth went to Monae' Nichols with a best of 6.67/21-10.75 in round five. Just like at Tokyo three years ago, Kenny Bednarek, Noah Lyles and Erriyon Knighton went 2-3-4 in the men's 200 final, but this time it was Botswana's Letsile Tebogo who grabbed the gold, blitzing the straight to win in 19.46 and become the fifth-fastest man ever. Bednarek held onto silver in 19.62, with Lyles again earning bronze in 19.70 and Knighton just off the podium in 19.99. Elle St. Pierre made an aggressive move to the outside coming into the bell in the first semifinal and put herself in position to lock up a top-six finish that was required to move on to the final. St. Pierre followed world record holder Faith Kipyegon of Kenya and Britain's Laura Muir around the final bend and grabbed third in 3:59.74 to snag her spot in the final. A much faster second semi had six women breaking 3:57 and 12 going sub-4:00, and Trials champion Nikki Hiltz was comfortably among that faster sextet in third with a 3:56.17 to move on with the fastest time ever by a U.S. entrant at the Games. Emily Mackay never really looked comfortable and was 13th in 4:02.03. Ethiopia's Diribe Welteji won that semi and had the fastest time overall at 3:55.10, also the fastest ever semifinal time at the Olympics. Solid efforts across the board on the first day of the women's heptathlon put Anna Hall third in the point standings with 3,956, 99 behind leader Katarina Johnson-Thompson of Britain, and Taliyah Brooks was seventh with 3,810. Hall ran 13.36 in the 100 hurdles and then went over 1.89/6-2.25 in the high jump. A 14.11/46-3.5 in the shot put and a 23.89 in the200 rounded out her day. Brooks zipped to a 13.00 in the hurdles, cleared 1.77/5-9.75 in the high jump, threw the shot 13.58/44-6.75, and clocked 24.02 in the 200. Chari Hawkins no-heighted in the high jump to end her medal hopes, but she completed the remaining two events and has 2,804 points. Joy and relief flowed through fans of the U.S. 4x100 relay squads as both won their heats and safely advanced to the final. The women's quartet of 100 bronze medalist Melissa Jefferson, Twanisha Terry, 200 gold medalist Gabby Thomas, and 100 silver medalist Sha'Carri Richardson got the baton across the line in 41.94, the fastest of the two sections. Team USA's men ran with a foursome of Christian Coleman, 100 bronze medalist Fred Kerley, Kyree King, and Courtney Lindsey. Dominating the proceedings, the U.S. won heat one in 37.47, the ninth-fastest time in American history and almost a half-second better than the next fastest nation. Running the fastest time in all four repechage heats of the men's 800, Brandon Miller's 1:44.21 to win section four put him safely back into Friday's semifinal. Qualifying in the women's shot put produced one of the biggest shocks of the meet so far as two-time world champion and American record holder Chase Jackson could manage a best of only 17.60/57-9 after two fouls and did not advance. Tokyo silver medalist Raven Saunders powered her way to the final with an 18.62/61-1.25 on her third attempt and Jaida Ross made it through easily with an opening round throw of 18.58/60-11.5.