Goodbye, green. Hello again, blue. “I’m not usually running this early in the morning”, Bolt told reporters after the race which began at 12:42 p.m. local time in warm sunshine. And that’s despite pulling out of the Jamaican trials last month because of a sore hamstring and wishing he had more races coming into Rio de Janeiro. He finished 29th after dropping a chain on the base of the final climb. “I worked hard like everybody else”. Usain Bolt is odds on favourite to repeat as gold medallist in the men’s 100-metre for an unprecedented third time. He must beat American Justin Gatlin, who posted the fastest time in the heats.
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A new Olympic golf champion will be crowned on Sunday, but it could be the same old story in the 100 metres in Rio. Puig is ranked 34th and is the first unseeded women’s singles gold medalist since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988. Justin Rose of Britain is the third-round leader and will be trying to win golf’s first gold medal in 112 years.
Unlike the annual Rio marathon, the Olympic route didn’t go near the eye-catching beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema.
It’s impossible not to watch Usain Bolt when he’s on the track. Gatlin has only beaten Bolt once, but the US champion could surprise on Sunday night.
Andrew Fisher, a Jamaican who competes for Bahrain, Jamaican Yohan Blake, Americans Marvin Bracy and Trayvon Bromell and Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre also qualified for the semis.
Defending Olympic champion James ran the fastest time of the heats Friday.
If it’s Sunday, there must be a golf final somewhere.
For the first time in an Olympics, triplets will compete in an event. The semi-final is 1pm on Thursday and the final is 1.30pm Thursday.
The two golfers were undefeated as partners two years ago at the Ryder Cup.
But British Open victor Henrik Stenson lurks only one stroke adrift entering the final round. The U.S. has had two straight close games, against Australia and Serbia. “They shouldn’t. It is unfortunate we have to see that”, King said.
The U.S. women’s 4×100-meter medley relay also won gold Saturday – the nation’s 1,000th gold medal in Summer Olympics history.
In other Olympic action, the US women’s basketball team plays the Chinese.
American Jeff Henderson won the long jump with a leap of 8.38m, and immediately dedicated the victory to his mother, who has Alzheimer’s disease.
“It’s good. It gets you running and gets you up to speed to go out there in the finals”. He ran the second leg on the Chinese team that captured the silver at the worlds past year in Beijing.
On the uneven bars, world champion Madison Kocian posted the top qualifying score but faces strong competition from teammate Gabby Douglas and defending Olympic uneven bars champion Aliya Mustafina of Russian Federation.
Gymnastics: Both men and women will compete in four individual event finals, with men on the floor and pommel horse and women on the vault and uneven bars.
And Jamaica got its first gold of the Rio Games with an emphatic win in the marquee Olympic sprinting event. Nadal plays Japan’s Nishikori Kei for the bronze. So, no more sitting on leads like in the old best-of-three format. Not the final kick of rival Paul Tanui.
“I haven’t seen any difference in him because from the beginning, I think his personality is just the same”, she said.
While Olympic athletes were getting some well-deserved rest, Olympic officials are racing through the night to drain the murky green water out of a pool at the troubled Maria Lenk Aquatics Center. “Hopefully tomorrow I’ll come out and I’ll feel much better, much smoother”.
His father Wellesley joined in: “He’s upbeat because he said it will be his last Olympics and he wants to go out in a glory, so you can expect great things from him”.
Michael Phelps claimed his 23rd gold medal.
The young Gatlin not just confounded his rivals by winning from lane 3, he turned his face towards the inside field as he dipped at the finish, clocking 9.85 sec.
He batted back questions about his leg, saying he was “good”.
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“It’s not even once in a generation”, said his coach, Bob Bowman.
